Irrigation In Yuma Essay

In 1935 the Hoover Dam was completed forming Lake Mead, providing flood control, reservoir storage, power generation and regulates the downstream flow to the Lower Basin States. [footnoteRef:20] In 1963, the Glen Canyon Dam was completed forming Lake Powell, providing the Upper Basin States with enough reserve capacity to allow them to meet their annual obligation of 7.5 Million Acre Feet (MAF) to the Lower Basin States, allowing the Lower Basin States to use the allocation.[footnoteRef:21] As a consequence of the construction of the Hoover Dam and the Glen Canyon Dam, the Colorado?s flow often evaporated in Mexican sands close to the Delta.[footnoteRef:22] Around the 1970s, the Cienega de Santa Clara had shrunken by 500 acres. Nevertheless, due to the following wet decades, the Cienega was resuscitated to about 10% of its original acreage in the 80?s and 90?s.[footnoteRef:23] Currently, the Cienega is a 40,000 acre wetland that exists due to the return flows from the Mohawk Irrigation and Drainage District near Yuma, Arizona.[footnoteRef:24] This Cienega is the home of less than 100 members of the Cucapa tribe and is the habitat of several endangered fish and birds, including Desert Pupfish and Yuma Clapper Rail.[footnoteRef:25] [19: D.F.

One of the largest geographic physical structures in the United States is the Colorado River. Human activity and its interaction with this great river have an interesting history. The resources provided by the river have been used by humans, and caused conflict for human populations as well. One of these conflicts is water distribution, and the effects drought conditions have played in this distribution throughout the southwestern region. Major cities such as Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Diego, and other communities in the southwest depend on the river. It provides water for over 20 million people, irrigation for 2 million acres of land, four thousand megawatts of hydroelectric energy, and over twenty million annual visitors for

California has always had a warm climate, yet its supply of water has rarely been affected. In 2014 California’s water shortage issue truly began. Due to low amounts of snow in the winter in recent years, California has tried to equal out these shortages by drilling water from underground aquifers. Yet, underground aquifers recharge much slower than surface water sources. California has already made significant drawbacks to attempt to limit the amount of water they use, so these aquifers can recharge. But still resources continue going down and the Central Valley Aquifer’s water level is rapidly declining. Luckily, on April 7, 2017 the drought stage of emergency in California was ended. Yet the issue isn’t truly resolved. Glen MacDonald

When the Yuma Project began more people from different places migrated here. The invention of water canals became together providing water year long and when other places were dry people found the way to come here and live. Most of these people would work on the fields growing crops. The Yuma Project was important in many ways. One important factor is construction on the city. Over time there was not much places where people can enjoy the day or stay at a home. The results had people staying at these homes to work and make a living. When many canals were built there would be occurring floods. A flood hit in 1916 in the city of Yuma causing reconstruction on the city. When it was all payed for the buildings were built better. When the canals break free construction workers would use leaves to fix there problem. Canals were one of the other important sources in Yuma. The Laguna Dam was built resulting flowing water and irrigation issues were not more of an

There are many different ways irrigation has changed Yuma and the rest of Southern Arizona very drastically. Irrigation has existed in Southern Arizona and Yuma County since the 1800’s. Irrigation has been practiced in the Algodones Grant with a view to determine if gravity canals would be effective for irrigation. 50,000 to 60,000 acres are extremely fertile and are very capable of producing crops when there is a sufficient amount of water given for irrigation to take place. “Water is too valuable to use on farms” was a myth in the 1900’s about irrigation but there is 80% of the Colorado River water the is used in agriculture. Agriculture business in Yuma county has changed

In his book, Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water, Marc Reisner’s main thesis is to show the inefficiency, greed, and inherent difficulty in the American West’s never-ending struggle to turn its unwelcoming desert into a lush garden. One of his main sub-points is that the West is not meant to support millions of people. It has a wide range of geographic challenges throughout the entire region. Its inconsistency and diversity is a primary cause of its water problems. For example, Reisner notes that the West consists of “plains so arid that they could barely support bunchgrass; deserts that were fiercely hot and fiercely cold; streams that flooded a few weeks each year and went dry the rest; forests with trees so large it might take days to bring one down; . . . hail followed by drought followed by hail;” (23).

Now Arizona is not the typical state that has a lot of precipitation and rain yearly, but it depends off other reservoirs, lakes, and rivers located in other states to for their water supply. After searching and conducting research, it was found that the main impact Arizona is suffering from the drought is decreasing water levels is from Lake Mead (located in Nevada), and the Colorado River, which flows North to South through several U.S. states. Research and data found shows that the Bureau of Reclamation releases water into the Colorado River below Lake Mead to meet water demands of downstream users in Arizona and California, and also to satisfy treaty obligations to the Republic of Mexico. Findings by the Bureau of Reclamation show that Lake Mead water level’s peaked at 1,214.26 in January of 2000. Almost a decade and a half later, recorded in January 2014, the water levels of Lake Mead are now 1,108.75 (Smith, 2014). This findings show that Arizona is continually getting a decline in water from Lake Mead every month that passes, affects thousands of residents living in Arizona, which already lacks water to begin with. If this continues, this can cause many civilians to both stand by and bare the drought as long as they can, or decide to move out of Arizona to states with a better water supply, so they won’t be burdened with the continual burden of having to ration and conserve water. The state has

The Yuma Project was important because it dealt with all the uprising conflicts that occurred.Irrigation greatly changed southern Arizona, also known as Yuma. It started out small, but as more people moved there it grew largely. There were a series of different irrigation systems, but the commonly used one was canals. Some of the canals that were built long ago still stand today, and Yuma is the most linked place. Yuma today is the largest agricultural place, but will not be for long if they keep having the problems they do. They also need to have money so they can fix what they need to and be able to pay workers to help.

In 1930, drought struck Arkansas, worsening the already terrible conditions under which the poor sharecroppers and landowners lived in. The Depression had already been had on these farmers, who had seen the market value of their produce dwindle significantly. As conditions worsened,

In Arizona, the 1890s marked the rise of a stronger economy, the importance of education, the slight influence of religion, a multitude of brilliant accomplishments, and was vastly impacted by both influential and infamous people. Historically, the 1890s was a great factor in the development of Arizona’s growth throughout the years. In fact, it was during these years that signs appeared to suggest Arizona’s eventual prosperity (“City of Phoenix History”). The decade begins in 1890, when the popularity of copper began to override that of silver (“Arizona”). Arizonans traveled all the way to California to mine for copper (“Transportation”).

Describe in detail how irrigation changed Yuma/Southern arizona ? There was many ways how irrigation changed

Some challenges that Yuma County had with the Irrigation System was flooding, the use of water for crops on farmland, the supply of water for irrigation, and the transfer of water from the canals. Millions of years the Quechan Indians would depend on the flooding river to fertilize and irrigate the farmlands crops Companies had formed irrigate lands in the Yuma Valley, but they were not successful at all with this plan they thought would work.

Irrigation is significant to Yuma County because, it has assisted agricultural growth over the years. Financially, the county of Yuma is in the top economically successful counties in the world as the crop sales are in the .1% every year. Before Yuma was successful they first had to overcome many challenges in the land, this changed Yuma geographically and caused for new technology needed that is now used around the United States in the present day. This advancement called for more jobs for thousands and slowly gained population in Yuma. The effects from irrigation are still benefiting Yuma and the people of Yuma today.

Water is a precious resource. It is the lifeblood of every living thing on Earth. California is in the midst of a water crisis. Combined with a three (plus) year drought and many people moving into the state there is not enough water to support the crops the farmers need to grow. There is also a tiny little fish that is causing a mess in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The Delta water pumps were turned off to prevent the extinction of the tiny little fish. Some farmers have to let their fields sit idle for the fall and spring planting season. This is causing a lot of problems in California. The pumps need to be turned back on. The needs of the people should come before that of a fish.

As we all know, water is essential for mankind's survival. However, people seem to believe that our water supply is endless since there is more water than land on this Earth. Water regenerates and is redistributed through evaporation, making it seem endlessly renewable. So why worry?