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<br />&\\ <br />,.~:;.' <br /> <br />~ <br />~. <br />~ .... <br />tJl <br /> <br />'I;~~) <br /> <br />c. Reduction in Salt Loading: Reduction in deep percolation losses <br />helps reduce salt load to the Colorado River. Salt load reduction <br />estimates ~ere made from the five surge and conventional comparison <br />sites discussed earlier, data is provided in Table 8. The table shows <br />salt load contribution by each of the comparison sites and the <br />reduction in salt tons per acre and total tons from surge sites. <br /> <br />Data from the five comparison sites indicate that there is a reduction <br />in deep percolation ~hen surge system is us~d. Table 8 sho~s that the <br />average difference in deep percolation bet~een the surge and <br />conventional sites is 4.6 acre inches per acre. As a result, in 1991, <br />the average salt load reduction was 1.77 tons per acre and varied from <br />0.14 tons to 2.97 tons per acre. In 1990, the deep percolation <br />savings was higher, 10;3 inches per acre and the average salt load <br />reduction ~as 3.21 tons per acre. <br /> <br />By encouraging farmers to use surge <br />USDA to achieve its goal of 167,000 <br />'annually in the Grand Valley by the <br /> <br />ir,...igation, 'it is poss.ible for <br />tons of salt load reduction <br />end of the project. <br /> <br />the <br /> <br />5. Recommendations: These recommendations are based on the results <br />obtained fro~ seven years of moriitoring studies conducted in the Grand <br />Valley. These recommendations are presented as a management tool to <br />accomplish some of the sa'linity control objectives. <br /> <br />1. Producers need to be assisted <br />operation of the new improved <br />after it is installed. <br /> <br />in the proper management and <br />irrigation system immediately <br /> <br />2. Proper management of individual irrigation events requires a <br />kno~ledge of improved water management techniques. This can <br />be accomplished best when SCS field office personnel can <br />regularly ~ork with individual irrigators on a one to one <br />basis during the irrigation season so that producers ~i I I <br />apply ~ater based on crop needs. rhe SCS ~i II especially <br />need to target those farmers that manage a large number of <br />acres ~ith I imited man-po~er, and part-time and ~eek-end <br />farmers. <br /> <br />3. Salt load reduction through IWM can only be achieved <br />through intensive technical assistance and education programs <br />on IWM techniques and crop economics tied to ~ater <br />application. Demonstration projects on irrigation scheduling <br />~ould be very effective. <br /> <br />29 <br />