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<br />",:'~-4 <br />..-~L"" <br />, 0d'4 <br />u <br />(--; <br /> <br />PROGRAM PROPOSAL <br />OF <br />IRRIGATION SCHEDULING <br />IN THE GRAND VALLEY <br />AND OTHER AREAS <br /> <br />The irrigation industry of Colorado is faced with the problem <br />of improving the 'quality of its return flows to the river. In the <br />Arkansas River near Lamar, the salinity has reached 3,500 to 4,000 parts <br />per million. The South Platte return flm-1s from the North Sterling <br />Project are in the same order of magnitude. The salinity of the Colorado <br />River has reached the status of an international issue.. <br /> <br />Since each irrigated acre of land in the Grand Valley returns <br />eight tons of dissolved salts to the river each year, we would like to <br />direct our efforts toward salt reduction in this locality first. <br /> <br />The <br />modifications <br />such as: <br /> <br />amount of salt returning to the river can be reduced by <br />to the irrigation system which increase water-use efficiency, <br /> <br />1. <br /> <br />Lining of canals, laterals, and on-farm ditches. <br />(Final report to be ready December, 1971; C. S. U.) <br /> <br />2. <br /> <br />Installation of pump-back systems to eliminate <br />loss of water running off the ends of fields. <br /> <br />3. Use of automated irrigation systems to more <br />efficiently distribute the water. <br /> <br />4. Use of irrigation scheduling programs, that is, <br />the use of soil moisture information to d.2termine <br />when and how much water must be applied to obtain <br />optimum growing conditions. Such a program not <br />only saves wa ter but can also materially increase <br />crop production. <br /> <br />It has been shown that a high degree of efficiency can be <br />obtained by the use of Irrigation Scheduling; and since the cost of <br />initiating such a program is much less costly than the other water saving <br />projects, it would be well worth our while to initiate such a program <br />firs t. <br /> <br />The Bureau of Reclamation has been charged with feasibility <br />studies on nine projects in the Colorado River dealing with salinity <br />reduction. Participation in this Grand Valley Irrigation Scheduling <br />Project should provide much needed information for their project appraisal. <br />Accordingly, we are asking that the Bureau provide $15,000 in January, <br />1972, to get the project underway before the start of next year's <br />irrigation season. <br /> <br />Our preliminary studies in the Grand Valley have shown the <br />amounts of water diverted by the various laterals to be about two times as <br />much as would be needed if a 70% crop use efficiency were maintained. <br />