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<br />OJJ373 <br /> <br />TABLE 18 <br /> <br />IRRIGATION SYSTEMS WITH PROBLEMS <br />(1969) <br /> <br /> Maior Prob lems <br /> I nsuff i c i ent <br /> Number of Water SUDD I v ~1i les of Acreage <br /> Systems Acreage Area Percent of Canal With <br />River Basin With With In Requi rement With High High Water <br /> Problems Prob lems Acres De Ii vered Losses Table <br />Wh i te Ri ver-Hat Creek 1 9,200 9,200 50 11 <br />Niobrara 1 12,000 12,000 73 <br />North Platte 35 307,900 143,500 64 765 44,300 <br />South Platte 1 3,000 3,000 40 <br />Middle Platte 8 204,800 786 150,500 <br />Loup 2 43,250 43,250 70 133 <br />Repub II can 9 92,100 3,650 60 26 1 ,000 <br />STATE TOTAL OR AVERAGE 57 672,250 214,600 65 1,721 195,800 <br />Source of Data: Missouri River Basin Comprehensive Framework Study <br /> <br />upper North Platte Valley contracted for storage water from the North <br />Platte Project under the Warren Act. There was also a big increase in <br />the installation of Irrigation wells. I rrigators with insufficient <br />surface water supplies turned to wel Is for supplemental water. This <br />was particularly true in the Lodgepole Creek and Platte River Valleys. <br />The location of systems with insufficient water supplies is shown on <br />Figure 4. <br /> <br />High Canal Losses. The location of irrigation systems with high <br />canal losses is shown,on Figure 5. About 40 percent (1,720 mi les) <br />of the total length of canals and laterals in those systems have excessive <br />water losses. Losses occur from seepage, evaporation, and transpiration <br />of plants growing in the water or on ditch banks. These losses occur <br />in varying degrees on all systems, but become serious problems when <br />the canals are long and inadequately maintained or are constructed without <br />lining through soils with high permeability. Seepage losses result not <br />on I y in a reduced amount of water for benef i ci al uses but often cause <br />the water table to rise on nearby lands, eventually affecting plant <br />growth, sometimes severely. In areas of declining water levels, however, <br />high canal losses may have a beneficial effect by stabi lizing the water <br />table. <br /> <br />Rising Water Tables. About 196,000 acres of land distributed <br />throughout 31 irrigation systems have high water tables that adversely <br />affect plant growth. Locations of these systems are shown in Figure 6. <br />The problem has resulted from the combination of high seepage losses <br /> <br />38 <br />