Laserfiche WebLink
<br />O~1882 <br /> <br />The irrigable lends were classified on the basis ot their potential <br />productivity into Classes 1, 2, and 3. <br /> <br />Class 1 lends of high productiVity were found on 6 }lercent of the <br />irrigable area, or 1155 acres. These lands consist ot deep medium- <br />textured soils consisting mainly of silt lOlllD. or tine sandy 10lllD.. They <br />have less than 2 percent slopes and no drainage problems or acoumulations <br />of salts or alkali. Twelve thousand five hundred and seventy acres, <br />or 60 }lercent of the irrigable area with limited potential productivity <br />was placed in Class 2. <br /> <br />Class 2 lands have a lower productivity than those in Class 1. They <br />are placed in Class 2 because of variOUS limitations, In the Trinidad <br />area, these limitations were because of heav:r clay lOlllD. or very }lermeable <br />clay in topsoil and subsoil, topograpby with 2 to 4 }lercent slopes, minor <br />flooding about 1 year in 5, moderately high water tables, and salinity of <br />.2 to .4 }lercent. About 392 acres of the Class 2 lands could nave a high <br />productivity equal to that of Class 1 if a considerable amount of mODeY <br />were expended in developing them, say about $140 an acre. <br /> <br />About 30 }leroent of the lands in the project area or 5,992 acres were <br />placed in Class 3, because the same limitations as given for Class 2, <br />were mol'e severe. These lands are rather low in productivity. <br /> <br />Lands placed in Class 6 are not considered irrigable by Bureau of <br />Reclamation standards, they are low quality lands due to extrelJlely <br />shallow soils underlain by shale, high concentrations of salinity or alkalin- <br />i ty, high water tallIes, or a combination of two or more of these 11mi tations. <br />Our field studies show that 5,975 acres of Class 6 lands had been irrigated <br />at least once during the 5-year period 1955 through 1959. They were <br />classed as 6w. Continued irrigation of these lands will increase the <br />hazard of their waterlogging and becoming alka11De. The edditional <br />water which might be applied with the project would increase this hazard, <br />and reduce the qua11 ty of the return flow water, thus impairing the <br />better irrigated lands using return flows. <br /> <br />The irrigation plan encompasses abandonment of irrigation of Clasa 6w <br />lands and transfer of the water rights from these lands to higher quality <br />lands. The results of the land classification are given on the following <br />page: <br /> <br />9 <br />