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<br />Efficient W~ter Use III Agriculture
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<br />AOt'.jllCh - ArlhlWll ,'I I\lll.., tho/!
<br />\\(luld (l'W' <l'lt" i.lO-.' ,ll/illl" ,'I'lt'
<br />lrtih .1(,,1'
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<br />\RCS rTll~r.lm~ IS th,' En\lwnmenlal
<br />QU.lllty lnccnlln:"s rwgr~ml ,E~IP) This
<br />rrll~r;lm ()Hcr5 be'lh It'cOmet! ;Ind tman-
<br />(1,11 hdp tl' !.tmlcrs .md fJfl.:ho:r<. who
<br />W.Hlt l(l lmpkmcm O1<1r.... w.lter-dhClcnt
<br />Irrl~JIl,m s~.;;.tcms .'r pr,l(llc,'s EQIP
<br />"h.lTI:s up Ii) 75 pcrct"n1 tll th,' ,:."it ,)1
<br />In,;tallm~ mm,' w,lll'T-dlh.:tl'nL Ii.xhn,ll".
<br />~It''; lIl(IUJlll~ dlld1 hnmg. ";;JlcJ ripe "T
<br />~rnnkkr j\";;.h:ms
<br />An"lna '\:RCS 101l1.1I1\'<' the l~r,)UrJ(l
<br />,mJ "urt.J..:f \\J.la Conscn'.llllln \l.'\\l:l
<br />rn'grJ.n1, I!> J CIISI-sh,lrmg rrLlgr,Hll f,lr
<br />I.md,'wn,'rs Wh,l .ld'1Pt \.:llfb,t.T....l\llln nll'J-
<br />~ur,'S (ll reduct ,',m"umpllw w.lln u",-' In
<br />2lX12 .mtl 2(11.' >. lh,' l;~\\'C pf<l~rJm p.lltl
<br />Llnna" 'I tl'1.11 01 nll'fl' !n.lll Si mllh,m
<br />to r~dtl~T W,lIl~r ll~ tn w\allnj.; (Wr~ "f
<br />f~unn!, m,uglllaUy pr.ldu.:tl\,( Irng.Jll'd
<br />land In 20\..14 (;~\\"\.. lund... Werl' a\',III,lbl~
<br />II) bnd"\I-n~rs III lhr,'e \I'Jla~hed... Ihal
<br />dqx'nd 1m gWllndwaler tnlm I hI.' (,If,,IIl.1b
<br />
<br />Drip Systems Decrease
<br />Water Deliveries and
<br />Increase Yields in the
<br />Arkansas Valley
<br />
<br />Farmers In Otero Count)' arc usmg
<br />clnp systems to irrigate more than 1,000
<br />acres of vegetables and fnuts. accordmg
<br />to Mike Bartolo, ,"egetJble crop spccial-
<br />1S1 with CoklTado Stale Uniwrsit)' (CSU)
<br />Cooperam'e ExlenslOn_ Bartolo estimates
<br />that almosl 90 pen"em of these fann-
<br />ers are ,11s0 using a practice knol'.-'Tl as
<br />~p!aslicullUre,~ in which subsurface drip
<br />eminers irrigalt' roots belowground, while
<br />aboveground, four-fot'l-wide black pla~ic
<br />sheets are lucked into the soil around the
<br />plants, The plastic sheeting increases
<br />water use effICIency by slowing losse5 of
<br />soil mOls[UTt and also has been sho\m to
<br />improve }idds and fruil qualily. In fact,
<br />many fanners have seen yields almost
<br />double compared !O crops irrigated v.ith
<br />traditional furrow systems,
<br />Additional studies at onion fields at the
<br />CSU Arkansas Valley Research Center III Rocky Ford found significant water 5anngs
<br />\\-lth drip systems, In a two-year study, researchers found that conventional furrow
<br />irrigation of onions required the application of more than 72 acre-inches of water
<br />(much of which ran off as lailwater or leached through the soil), In contrast, dnp
<br />irrigated plots required only 15 acre.inches of water to produce comparable yields
<br />
<br />Subsur',;xe chp nigooon ~ems target water
<br />~'yQI pIall roots. HM!.on:.les 0( _fled soil
<br />lrdrorerhelocGL1l;lno(seedsreaa,.tosprovt
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<br />24 COl.-o..",oc F"CU"'O.'-IO'" ro.. W..-t;.. Eout:".-,o""
<br />
<br />Al.jUlf.:'r, .IS wdl ;h III lhl' Rw Grande
<br />walcr"hed In Ih,' :"m Lws \'al1...~;
<br />Thn,)ugh the l N~'r Ctll,)rado RJwr
<br />'::'alm1t~ L\'mwl I'rl\2:rJl1l, the L S BuTt'au
<br />1'1 R;:.:Ltnl;lll~'n ,IIsI1 PW\"lJ.:.-.; fumb lhrou~h
<br />the Ct,111radll ~!;lte C(1llSl'n'JI1l'n BO;Hd
<br />,mJ k...:al '\RC... lllf1.:c" 1<' ~UPPI)T\ ~lhnl\Y
<br />Clll1ll\.ll prl'j('((S 111 three riwr b'l"'lI1;;.-thl'
<br />l;Ul1l1b,'I1-D"I"ft',;. Cl'!Dr.ul<" all(! ~,1I1
<br />Juan. ,-\'" r.m ,)1 lhl' prl',~I;lm, 1.II1d<,wnn~
<br />rl","el\'t' t,'.:hlll.:,ll ,mJ fin;Jnnal ,b~I:;I,Jnn'
<br />I" JmjH,'\"e lhe dIl"'I\'n~y (1j their Irn~a-
<br />tJ,'I1 s~''''l(.ms f:HICIl'lkY mlpwn:ffi,'nt:;,
<br />th<lugh 1l1ltlJ;led fl'r ttll' pnm.uy purpt':;t:
<br />"f r..'duul1f, tht' .Jmnllnt l,f ';'llt", ~mering
<br />the C"I,'r,I,!D RiH'L run: tht, sn:ond'I~'
<br />hel1dll "j pn'm"llllg lTl<'re dhnt.m appll-
<br />l.IlJ,l!l .mJ ueh\'l:ry e,f lrf1~.ltlOl1 water
<br />rhl' CI'!oraJI, "lellC C('IlSI.'fvaIH1ll
<br />Ik',mJ l;I':lht.\tl's an"ther mCl.I1lI\'C pro-
<br />~r,lm f,'r agncultural l'wdu.:t'r.;, whl' rely
<br />prinunly l>n ~r"llnJw.ltl'r Kn"WT1 'I~ lhc
<br />lrn,~,lti(," \\';lll'r \1.m.l~Cme111 Pr..1gr.lm,
<br />II is d~',;I~l1~'d II' h~lp <-"astl'm CIllorado
<br />f;lrnwr:'o ",h,l rump gr,'undw;lIn frl'm
<br />Ihe 'J~;lllJ1a .-\l.julkr Thl.'> .lH~.l Cl'mblS
<br />"I ~om,. ,1'L'.ll(Xl ,Icrl'~ nl Irng;u<'d land
<br />.lI1d n>nLlIl1S 'lhout "i,bell" lrn~;l\l,ln \Iell~
<br />XIYllT", such ;b Ildlll':'olll1f, .md Irn~,l\lol1
<br />"<.'hedu1ing help l.md,'wners reduce W.iter
<br />,111d ~ncrg\- U'>C' .b",,'I.'l,lIed with well pump-
<br />Ing To ..laIr ~,l\'In~" ,b",X;,lted wllh the
<br />prt'C:r,l!ll h,1\l' bn'n s-uh~tJl1tJal. '111<1\\'111'>:
<br />S<lm(' I >),ll(Xl ,ILTl'-ket of W.ller to stay III
<br />the aqUIfer ,md rcduung cnerg~- u"<' hy an
<br />eSllmalt'J 60,(:1 I 3,(1l11l kL!lw,alls
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<br />I
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<br />\\',lIer Ratl' Stmclun'.,
<br />,h 111 01her w,ller uS(' secl,lr,>, con-
<br />""n";l\illn-llrll.ntrJ f,llt'S ","'nd .1griculturaJ
<br />l'lb\(>lller" a mt',,~lgl' .dlnut the value 01
<br />the ".1tl'r Ihey purch,J~ Tlefl'J ratl' stmc.
<br />tures, In "'!m-h Ihe pn..c l)f water nsc:;
<br />\\llh l11crcml'ntal tI1ueas..'s In d..m.lt1d. (';\0
<br />clKourJge IrngJ!<lI'S lel apply waIn mllfe
<br />df1clenlly III ,'rJer to reclm:l' C()Sl.'o
<br />:\ll1e perce11l 01 ,lgncultural w,Her
<br />pnl\"lua", 1I1 Ll,lorad" .:unemly u<.c ~lm,'
<br />kmn of C<'I1'>l:rvJ.IlI'n rn[]n~ slrUcll1re,
<br />,kCl1rJm~ 1<' thl" 2l10.. C\\.CB r.'pm!
<br />[),m-l,(hl an.! \\'iUo ::lUprh "\s~<"mt'rll
<br />R,'"p,'n",' Il' lhc"l' ratl' Slru.:!Ur\'"
<br />depi.'nds on h'_l\\ lh~ ni'W pn(es com-
<br />par..' wuh prl'\'l<'ll~ l'n~;., a;. well .).. \In
<br />tho.' ,'n.'rall ,ldJltJonal ':~'Sl t~l the fanner.
<br />In ~<'me IlTst,mcc.., ;1~rH:tlllUrJI w.lter
<br />dl~lnLh ':;In ll"e lh.. extLI m,>ney rJl;:.ed
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