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<br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />J <br /> <br />Enclosing canals and ditches to reduce evaporation (and seepage) <br />can be effective. The use of chemical evaporation suppressants <br />on reservoirs may be feasible. Storing water in ground water aquifers <br />is another way of eliminating evaporative losses. Economic (as <br />well as physical) feasibility is a major consideration. <br /> <br />Eliminating phreatophytes and hydrophytes will further reduce <br />irrecoverable losses, but this simultaneously reduces wildlife <br />habitat and any aesthetic value. <br /> <br />With respect to irrigated agriculture, probably the most important <br /> <br /> <br />irrecoverable loss is crop transpiration, simply the water consumed <br /> <br />by plants and released to the air. This is a substantial loss <br /> <br />in agriculture. It is also essential. Crop transpiration generally <br /> <br />can not be reduced without a loss of production. Some research <br /> <br />and demonstration work has been done in the area of developing <br /> <br />drought and salinity tolerant crops, and of finding economic uses <br /> <br />for plants native to arid areas. <br /> <br />It is estimated that improved irrigation water use and management <br /> <br />could reduce gross diversions in the 17 western states by an estimated <br /> <br />38.6 million acre feet annually. <br /> <br />/ <br /> <br />Achievement of this goal would <br /> <br />require the installation of state-of-the-art improvements in water <br /> <br /> <br />conveyance and on-farm delivery systems to eliminate major water <br /> <br /> <br />losses characteristic of many older irrigation systems. The immense <br /> <br /> <br />volume of water diverted and consumed for agricultural purposes <br /> <br /> <br />has raised concerns among other water users over the need for. conser- <br /> <br /> <br />vation. Environmental groups in California have suggested what <br /> <br />/& <br />