Laserfiche WebLink
July 1993 -20- 923-2515 • <br />The Skyway soil is a moderately deep, well drained soil formed in residuum derived primarily <br />from sandstone. This soil has a modeIrately rapid permeability, a low available water capacity, <br />and a medium runoff. The e:ffec[ive rooting depth is 20-40 inches. This soil is not irrigable due <br />to the steep slope on which it occurs. <br />Based solely on soil characteristics the only areas along Grassy Creek potentially irrigable are <br />those that have a Silas Variant loam soil or a Silas loam soil with a slope of 3 % or less. Near <br />the confluence of Little Grassy and Grassy creeks there is an area of Silas Variant loam and <br />Silas loam soils of about 25-30 acres. This area must also be of a sufficient size to flood irrigate <br />and farm. The minimum acreage suitable for irrigation is 8-10 acres according to Routen <br />(1992), 3-4 acres according to Fulton (1992), and 1 to <10 acres according to Heath (1992). <br />Water Availability and Quality: According to the SCS (Fulton 1992), 1Cr18 inches of • <br />irrigation water per acre, applied 4-5 rimes during the growing season in 3 to 4 inch increments <br />is required to grow the typical pasture and hay grasses used in Routt County. Assuming an <br />efficiency of 30% for flood irrigation, 48-54 inches of water per acre are required during the <br />growing season. Thus, 4 to 4.5 acre feet of water will be required for each acre irrigated. <br />Table 5.1 reports the volume of water by month at monitoring site YSGFS along Grassy Creek <br />near Twenty Mile Road. About 100 acre feet of water flowed through this monitor site in the <br />period of March 9 through August 5 in 1992. Thus, if all this water was impounded, 22 to 25 <br />acres of land could be irrigated, assuming a requirement of 4 to 4.5 acre feet of water per acre <br />and no loss due to seepage or evaporation. <br />Cost associated with preparing the ]and for irrigation and hay production include: construction <br />of a dam, ditches, and gates; land leveling; relocation and straightening of Grassy Creek; <br />seeding, haying and storage of hay crop. Fulton (1993) states that the minimum cost for <br />construction of a dam is $L0,000. Fulton (1993) further states there is no way to justify • <br />constructing a reservoir to irrigate 25-30 acres of landscape in that area. <br />Golder Associates <br />