Laserfiche WebLink
1 <br />,• diversions normally began in late May and ended in mid-July. It was not necessary to <br />segregate the diversions into direct flow and storage components because SCC does not <br />' propose to change the water rights associated with the Dry Creek Ditch and Greasewood Flats <br />Reservoir. <br />' Irrigated Crogs and Irrigation Practices <br />' The irrigated fields as identified by Mr. Barnes are shown in Plate 2. There were about <br />158.8 acres of alfalfa, 32.4 acres of pasture, and 232.3 acres of wheat under the systems <br />of which 50.0 acres of alfalfa and 32.4 acres of pasture could be irrigated by the Dry Creek <br />' Ditch. The water supplies available to the irrigation system generally were inadequate to <br />provide a full water supply to the crops so the wheat fields and pasture were irrigated only <br />when water supplies were ample. The alfalfa and pasture were irrigated using contour <br />' ditches. The water was delivered to a given field and tailwater from a set was picked up and <br />redistributed to other sets or fields. The irrigation efficiency for a given set is probably fairly <br />low but with the reuse of the tailwater the overall maximum irrigation efficiency was <br />' estimated to be 70 percent. <br />' Soils <br />The irrigated soils under the Sage Creek Reservoir Outlet Ditch include the Spicerton <br />fine sandy loam, Morapos loam, and Bulkey silty clay loam. These soils are deep and well <br />drained and have rooting depths of 40 to 60 inches. They were formed in alluvium and <br />residuum derived from shale. Permeability is slow and available water holding capacity is <br />' moderate to high (1988, Schroederl. <br />The soil textures primarily are clay loam and silty clay loam along the Sage Creek <br />' Reservoir Outlet Ditch and sandy loam along the Dry Creek Ditch. The Sage Creek Reservoir <br />Outlet Ditch is about 2.5 miles long and the Dry Creek Ditch is about 0.8 mile long. The <br />seepage losses were estimated to be 10 percent of the diversion for each ditch by using a <br />procedure which relates soil texture and the ditch's top width (Worstell, 1976). <br />Consumptive Irrigation Requirements <br />' As used in this report, the consumptive water requirement is the volume of water <br />required during a specified time by vegetative transpiration and by evaporation from water, <br />' plant and soil surfaces so that vegetative growth and crop production are not limited by lack <br />of water. The consumptive irrigation requirement is the portion of the consumptive water <br />requirement that is not satisfied by precipitation. The Blaney-Griddle method (1970, U.S. <br />' Department of Agriculture and 1984, Pochop, et all was used to estimate the consumptive <br />irrigation requirements. Temperature and precipitation data for Hayden were used in the <br />analysis 11965-93, NOAA-. The consumptive irrigation requirements averaged 20.90 inches <br />' annually for alfalfa, 6.36 inches for winter wheat, and 15.60 inches annually for pasture <br />grass. <br /> <br />' 6 <br />