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MAY 1982 The irrigation water management plan will be developed with the land user to determine and control the rate, amount and timing of irrigation water in a planned and efficient manner to prevent deep percolation and non-uniform application of irrigation water; and also to plan the efficient layout of fields and irrigation systems to enable efficient application of water, reduce saline return flows, and meet the needs of the landuser. Conservation planning will consist of reviewing alternatives and the environmental concerns with the landuser and recording his decisions regarding the type and extent of conservation practices to be installed, the schedule for installation, and his agreement to implement the conservation plan. During the conservation planning phase SCS technicians will strive to identify and make provisions for detailed survey, recovery, protection or preservation of unique cultural resources that otherwise might be irrevocably lost or destroyed by implementing salinity control practices. During the implementation phase landowners will be ,encouraged to cooperate with the State Historic Preservation Officer if evidence is found that archaelogical or cultural materials may be present, so that the materials can be evaluated and important items salvaged. Commitment by each Farm Operator - Long term contracting is recommended as the way to assure the farm operator of a continued federal commitment and secure his cooperation for implementation. The Great Plains Conservation Program, the Welton-Hohawk Salinity Control Program in Arizona, and the long-term agreements (LTA's) under ACP provide patterns for administering long-term contracts. Although the authority for GPCP and Welton-Mohawk does not specifically apply, contracting procedures from either program can be readily adapted to the Salinity Control Program. Program for Irrigation Research - Studies in the area indicate that canal, lateral, and on-farm ditch seepage and deep percolation are all significant sources of salt loading in the Colorado River. The systems improvement program by the Hureau of Reclamation will greatly reduce canal seepage. Improvements in existing surface irrigation methods, as described in this report, will improve efficiency of water use onfarm. Future research must be directed toward development and evaluation of onfarm irrigation systems that will further decrease deep percolation and reduce surface runoff. New systems should be low cost and have low requirements for labor and new energy if they are to be widely adopted. Because of poor drainage and high salt content of most soils in the area, irrigation systems should allow for uniform and closely controlled leaching. ~ . Irrigation systems meeting the above requirements include sprinkler systems with appropriate low pressure nozzles, multi-set sprinklers and tailwater reuse. Future irrigation research should be directed toward determining the applicability and limitations of such systems under local soil, climate, crop and economic conditions. Reductions in deep percolation, salt leaching, surface runoff and erosion should be documented for each system, relative to current practices. Design criteria should be developed or refined for local conditions. Finally, those systems that appear to be practical should be demonstrated to promote local acceptance. The estimated cost for continuing the research program conducted by the Agriculture Research Service is included in Table VI-2. (\~ r~~~ " . ~ VII-6