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<br />2376 <br /> <br />and the Tribal Council. By 1977, about 25,000 cropped acres were <br />being scheduled. Technically in a demonstration phase, the program <br />has been well received by irrigation operators and the Tribal Council <br />intends to continue it into the future. <br />The attainment of higher onfarm efficiency depends on quick, <br />efficient application of water to the field, and on accurate measure- <br />ment of water delivered to each turnout. These requirements are not <br />adequately met on the Reservation. Other obstacles to higher effi- <br />ciency may be lack of level or uniform slope in fields, unlined farm <br />ditches, excessive length of irrigation runs, and irrigation methods <br />unsuited to soil type. In order to achieve the full benefit of sche- <br />duling, onfarm improvement is required in some areas. <br />Measurement of water delivered at each farm turnout also needs <br />to be upgraded. Approximately half the turnouts permit the ditch- <br />rider to set the delivery rate with a Penn Vane meter, but at the <br />remaining turnouts the delivery rate is estimated by inches of gate <br />opening. The irrigator does not have the opportunity to monitor the <br />delivery rate to determine exactly how much water he is using. Some <br />kind of metering device at each turnout would result in better water <br />usage. <br />Coordination of Development <br />In order for water use efficiency measures to be in effect when <br />needed for agricultural expansion, it will be necessary to implement <br />improvement programs in the near future. Federal programs with <br />potential, other than the Colorado River Water Quality Improvement <br />Program, include those administered by the Bureau of Indian Affairs <br />and the U. S. Department of Agriculture. <br />The Bureau of Indian Affairs has a construction program on the <br />Reservation under which new laterals are built and older laterals are <br />lined as needs dictate and as funds permit. At present, BIA <br />envisions an improvement program under which unlined canals with <br />the greatest seepage losses will be lined and new lined laterals will be <br />constructed in the southern part of the Reservation in the next 5 <br />years. Thereafter, more existing unlined laterals will be lined in a <br />sequence determined by their relative seepage losses. It is estimated <br />that the cost of lining the unlined portions of the existing irrigation <br />27 <br />