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r ~ - ~ ~ development along these rivers progressed into the twentieth century, additional land came under irrigation between Pueblo and Holly, This caused changes in the hydrology of the river that affected the quality and availability of the irrigation water, Essentially, the water is re-used time after time as it is diverted through the series of irrigation canals that border the river, Each use removes a percentage of the water, leaving behind all of the mineral content. These changes have increased the level of salinity in the irrigation water and have had significant impact on crops that can be grown, Water studies have determined that very little of the Arkansas River aquifer is lost to deep geologic formations, The keys to better management of the water are, therefore, to reduce unnecessary consumptive use and to reduce water quality degradation by limiting deep percolation from irrigated fields, Farms have worked to better water management by installing irrigation system improvements such as pipelines and concrete ditch linings, These improvements, while meeting their intended purpose, have not altered, significantly, how water is applied on the field, The majority of the population in Bent Soil Conservation District is supported directly by activities associated with irrigated agriculture, The Bent SCD board of directors, therefore, has a priority interest in the conservation of the water resources available in the district, Improvements to water delivery systems and the application of irrigation water continue to be a high priority in the district's Long Range Plan, Surge irrigation is a technology that was designed for, and has demonstrated the ability to facilitate the delivery of irrigation water on sandy soils, The idea to transfer this technology to heavy textured soils has been an evolutionary process involving many people, Work is currently being done in the area of Rocky Ford, to reduce the potential of pesticide and nutrient pollution using this technology, This technology is being used in the Colorado River Salinity Control Project in Colorado. The results of these installations suggest that improved control of irrigation water-on the field-could address the excessive tailwater, and salinity loading issues associated with the heavy textured soils in Bent SCD. Since 1992 specific field work on surge technology has been ongoing in Bent County that led to the field level Bent Water Conservation Initiative demonstrations in 1994-1996, This work, under leadership of Mr, Jim Valliant, Regional Irrigation Specialist with Colorado State University Cooperative Extension, provided the documentation of increased water use efficiency and similar yields of surge irrigation with conventional, This work included heavy