Surge Irrigation Essay

A potential solution for farmers would be to switch to a subsurface drip irrigation system that could permanently cut farmers' water use by 25 to 50 percent. This would alleviate some of the need for conservation and free up more state water reserves for urban use during time of regional drought (U.S. Water News Online).

Long ago, the middle of the North American continent was a treeless prairie covered by tall grasses and roaming buffalo. When European settlers came, they called this area the Great American Desert. Today, this "desert" is covered with fields of wheat, corn, and alfalfa made possible by center-pivot irrigation. My grandfather used to sell center-pivot systems and when my family drove to my grandparent's home in Nebraska, we would count how many "sprinklers" were watering each section of land. At the time, I didn't know that this water was being pumped from somethng called the Ogallala Aquifer, a huge underground water supply. Throughout the years, this aquifer has made the Great American Desert one of the best farming

Sprinkler Irrigation - Portable or installed machines programmed to automatically spray water onto your grass and/or garden.

Irrigation in Yuma is one of the biggest things here because half of our jobs depend on it. Describe in detail how irrigation changed Yuma/Southern Arizona. Irrigation has change Yuma and Southern Arizona half of our income is agriculture with help of irrigation.The Colorado River is the water source for Southern Arizona around 17 million people depend on the colorado river “Total population in the immediate area is estimated at 4,500 practically all dependent on agriculture” without it Southern Arizona would just a waste land. Irrigation projects in Arizona have been going since Theodore Roosevelt was in office he even turned an abandoned military fort into development of irrigation projects. Post construction for the Yuma irrigation projects the workers wages were about

Irrigation was nothing new in Yuma, Arizona. Over the years irrigation had just gotten better, it did manage to change Yuma in some positive ways while irrigation improved. Many people and the developers of Yuma County had to overcome many challenges but it was not easy to do so. The project did have both some negative and some positive effects on Yuma County.

Irrigation was the biggest impact to hit the Yuma and Southern Arizona. Without Irrigation Yuma and Southern Arizona wouldn’t be what they are today. At first only 7,500 acres were available for irrigation, but after the necessary canals were built more than 59,450 acres were irrigable. Irrigation allows crops grow at a higher rate because it allows the crop to get the adequate amount of water. Putting water to the rich soil turned the desert into an agricultural oasis that could produce a wide range of crops from wheat and cotton to fruit and vegetables. “We have the climate, water and soil for intense farming,” Davis said. “It would be hard to find farmland anywhere else that would be as productive.” If it wasn’t for irrigation Yuma wouldn’t have become famous for its lettuce. Then, Yuma even expand to a multi-crop system that requires less water and will help significant

As we all understand, the Earth has many landmarks and it is these physical features that create an abundant and organized system within which we thrive. One of the most abundant natural resources on the planet is water and the importance of this element is as crucial as any other. For the fortunate few who get to utilize it, this amazing reserve provides us with our necessity for daily consumption as well as our ability to grow just about anything we please. Common irrigation practices are essential for gathering water into a contained area to grow crops that would not typically survive in areas without heavy rainfall. As a matter of fact, “irrigation is an ancient practice that originated along the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in what is now Iraq” and is now the result of an estimated 40 percent of all crops grown around the world (Water Encyclopedia). This tactic has provided many different cultures with numerous varieties of crops as well as growth in crop yield which in turn dramatically advances human civilization. As we develop into a more progressive society, the tools and systems used to grow our crops also become more intelligent as well as sustainable

California can meet their water needs by using this precious resource much more efficiently than they are presently doing. California has been raising sustainable awareness by adding bulb-lit freeway signs every 10 miles along California Interstate 5 that say “Serious drought, help save water”, they have also printed placards that are posted in sparsely blooming almond and cherry groves, asparagus fields, and mile upon mile of empty dry cracked or tilled earth that warn people to use less water. As California continues to grow, this puts more pressure on their limited water supplies. California needs to figure out a way to manage their groundwater basins to secure the future of agriculture life.

California is a place where everyone wants to travel to! Take a vacation to experience their perfect sunny weather, view their great green grass scenery, and to see the acre of their wine grapes. All of that slowly faded away, sadly for the last couple of years, California was in a drought, and have struggled to find a solution; until this year, California finally received enough rain and overflowed their dam. Due to California’s recent drought, it has affected their water resource. Not only did it affected the city, but made it especially difficult in the agriculture field. This includes all the fruits, vegetables, wine, animal, etc.

In Stop Water Abuse by the Almond and Pistachio Empire by Wenonah Hauter (Source C), Hauter suggests that restrictions on irrigation should be made in arid areas of California. These dry areas of California

The state of Florida is very dependent on groundwater, primarily for public and agricultural supply. Indeed, the largest source of drinking water in Florida is groundwater from the state’s massive aquifer system; approximately ninety percent of the state’s drinking water is extracted from groundwater sources (Marella, 2004). According to Marella (2004), “Between 1970 and 2000, total freshwater withdrawals increased for public supply by 176 percent and for agricultural self-supplied by 87 percent” (p. 1). As discussed previously, a growing population correlates with an increase in the demand for groundwater resources. Groundwater is currently being pumped out of Florida’s aquifers faster than the state’s abundant rainfall can refill them (Barnett, 2007, p.2).

The water users of California have been asked to cut back water use whenever possible. This means shorter showers, drought resistant landscape, and low flow options for faucets and sprinklers. Farmer’s alike have been spotlighted to cut back on water use for it is calculated that they consume 80% of the state’s developed water supply (pacisnt). Although cutting back is a way to help conserve what is available, it is imperative that a new supply of fresh water be found before California overdrafts itself to no supply at all.

(Hasan and Özay 2002, 73-74). As Albiac (2008) reports, development of pipe network distribution and drip irrigation methods in other countries led the farmers to have remarkable irrigation efficiency in drought (143). Such technologies have already been used in China, but they are not widely spread in China’s agriculture. One investigation in China on rice paddy irrigation systems development was performed and it revealed that using the fry-foot paddy irrigation (when no water flooded the field) instead of flooding irrigation (when the rice field is completely flooded) significantly (40-60%) reduces water consumption (Xiaoping, Qiangsheng and Bin 2004, 351). Furthermore, drip irrigation method was applied in arid Northern China and it raised the water usage efficiency (Du et al 2007). However, introduction of new irrigation technologies faced some difficulties in China. As Hodstedt (2010) noticed in his article, the water saved by these technologies such as drip irrigation systems was simply spent on more food production and, therefore, did not reduce the water shortage. Also, as he reported, this caused two other environmental problems. Firstly, the water, which was the supply for underground water and aquifers as it was lost by deep percolation and leakage, became unavailable after the water-saving technologies were introduced and this strengthened the aquifers depleting along with its overpumping. Secondly, after

REMIEDIATING AGRICULTURAL WATER CONTAMINATION Remediating Agricultural Water Contamination: Problem, Solution, and Barriers Paper Problem Concerns about water pollution are generally focused towards sources that are highly visible and chemically oriented. However, the greatest causes of water contamination and quantity abuse in the United States come from agricultural production (United States Environmental Protection Agency [EPA], 2012a), which is defined as a nonpoint source that pollutes with nutrients. In 2011, nine

Water is the fundamental asset to bolster all shape life on earth. Shockingly it is not equally disseminated over the world via season or area. All through the historical backdrop of the world dams and stores have been developed with a specific end goal to anticipate surges, to supply drinking and