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<br />- -...:.. <br /> <br />... -------------.--. <br /> <br /><. <br /> <br />" <br />.'1 <br /> <br />-, <br /> <br />I' <br /> <br />Phreatophyte Studies <br />John R. Erickson, P.E. <br /> <br />From April 1937 to February 1947, 1 participated in or was in direct <br />sup~l,ision of a number of fi8ld investigations rel~ting to consumptive US8 <br />of l,at8r by irrigat8d crop land and by phreatophytes occupying the irrigated <br />valleys of Colorado and adjoining States. <br /> <br />For th8 field investigations, it was n8cessary to id8ntify and assign <br />consumptiv8 US8 rates to phreatophytes in th8 Color<.ldo River and North Platte <br />Ril'er Basin. Some 10,000 acres of phreatophytes Here dealt Hith in those <br />studies. During the same period, studies H8re made in adj oining States where <br />nearly 40,000 acres of phreatophyt8s \;ere d8alt with. <br /> <br />In the same p8riod, all of the ell'-p8rilnents in the liestern Uni t8d States <br />dealing with th8 subject were research and studies made to adjust rates, <br />found from e^~erimentation in other areas, to conditions in Colorado and <br />adjoining States. A large number of experiments were made in California in <br />th8 late n,8nties and early TIlirties, then in the Rio Grande Basin (Colorado, <br />New ,~xico and Texas). All of these data were thoroughly research8d and eval' <br />uated. <br /> <br />During the period 1947 through 1953, the follrn,ing studies were made: <br /> <br />1. A phreatophyte survey was made of the entire Upper Colorado <br />River Basin by the Engine8ring Advisory Connnittee to the <br />Upper Colorado Riv8r Basin Commission. I "as a member of a <br />sp8cial task force to survey, evaluat8 in the field and <br />assign values to those phr8atophyte areas. The other members <br />of the special task force W8re Mr. Harry Blaney, U .S,D.A. <br />(recognized world'wide in this field) and :-Ir. Pat Dugal1, U.S.B.R. <br /> <br />, <br /> <br />2. Serv8d on special task force to survey and evaluate 10ss8s from <br />20,000 acres of salt cedar infestation in th8 Pecos Riv8r Basin, <br />I\el, ,lexico. <br /> <br />3. Studied losses in the Rio Grande Basin, Ne\\' ~.lexico and Texas and <br />solutions to salvage of water from phreatophytes. <br /> <br />Ben,een 1953 and 1963 s8rved as special consultant to th8 Pecos Riv8r <br />COl1Cilission. During that period directed studi8s of river conditions and <br />losses dU8 to phreatophyt8s and made the recommendation for clearing tile <br />P8COS bottom lands, which was later approved by Congress and con~leted about <br />three Y8ars ago. <br /> <br />- <br />