Laserfiche WebLink
<br />UUJO <br /> <br />those levels, simply a gravitational gradient. <br />So if we have unit potential gradient and we <br />determine the hydraulic conductivity then it <br />is simple to determine the actual flow rate. <br />We have done this. The limited studies that <br />were made on this with the ARS project surpris- I <br />ingly, I think, at least it was to us, indicates <br />that out on eastern Colorado range land, for <br />example, we are getting on the order of an inch . <br />of water per year penetrating down through. <br />This probably depends appreciably upon what use <br />the surface of the soil is being put to. But <br />on the average this is about what it amounts <br />to. <br /> <br />With this kind of information and interest <br />then, it was natural, I think, that we immed- <br />iately thought of making a contribution perhaps <br />to ground water recharge. Consequently, this <br />project was drafted, submitted to the Office <br />of Water Resources Research, accepted and funded <br />as of last summer. We are just getting under <br />way with it. The project involves simply this, <br />that we will attempt to do two things. We will <br />attempt to survey with our technique for measur- <br />ing water flow the contribution of various <br />natural areas existing in eastern COlorado as <br />to their contribution to the ground water so <br />that we might learn the effect of soils, the <br />effect of cropping, vegetation, the effects of, <br />perhaps SCS terraces that have been built, <br />terrain of all kinds, this kind of thing on <br />the contribution to the recharge of the ground <br />water. <br /> <br />Secondly, we will be interested in evalu- <br />ating various treatments to see if we can <br />greatly increase the contribution to the ground <br />water. We have established at the moment, just I <br />south of Burlington, Colorado, a test area on <br />leased land. We have some treatments set up <br />there. We will, this summer, begin getting some <br />data from them. This project will continue for <br />a four-year period as presently funded. We will <br />be studying in that particular area on those <br />plots the effects of such things as techniques <br />