Laserfiche WebLink
<br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br /> <br />B. Utilization of Water Within the Service Area <br /> <br />1. Present <br /> <br />a. Irrigation Use <br /> <br />Water diverted to the Rio Grande and Monte Vista Canals is used <br />primarily to irrigate cropland in Rio Grande and Saguache Counties. <br />The Monte Vi sta Canal has the capabil i ty of supplyi ng nearly 30,000 <br />acres in Rio Grande County, and the Rio Grande Canal has the duty to <br />serve 118,500 acres in Rio Grande and Saguache Counties. The irri- <br />gated acreage served by the two canals is depicted in Figure III-1 <br />(11, 19, 25). <br /> <br />Irrigation methods used include border, furrow, sub-irrigation, <br />flood, and sprinkler irrigation. Sprinkler irrigation relies pri- <br />ma rily upon pumpi ng groundwa ter and is the preval ent mode of i rriga- <br />tion under the Rio Grande Canal. These systems are generally used in <br />sandy and gravelly soils for close-growing crops, but the trend <br />recently has been to rely more heavily on sprinkler irrigation <br />supplied by pumping groundwater drawn from the unconfined aquifer <br />which is recharged by diverted canal flow. <br /> <br />The annual acreage planted and harvested within the State of <br />Colorado as well as yield, production, and market value for each crop <br />grown is reported by county in "Colorado Agricultural Statistics," <br />pub 1 i shed by the Co 1 orado Department or Agri cul ture (d, 5, 6) . <br /> <br />III - 4 <br />