The Negative Effects Of Irrigation And Its Effects On The Environment

Could there be a negative side effect to no longer irrigating non-food crops such as

Water is probably the most important resource we as people have. Humans can survive without food for several weeks, but without water we would die in less than a week. On a slightly less dramatic note, millions of liters of water are needed every day worldwide for washing, irrigating crops, and cooling industrial processes, not to mention leisure industries such as swimming pools and water-sports centers. Despite our dependence on water, we use it as a dumping ground for all sorts of waste, and do very little to protect the water supplies we have.

Irrigation - The supply of water to land or crops to help growth, typically by means of channels.

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

In addition, farmland has been destroyed because of the floods and the decrease in delta sediment. The dam has reduced downstream nutrients and sediment flow. And has seriously impacted neighboring river and seacoast ecosystems.

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.

They also block travel of important nutrients and natural materials which are important for wildlife growth. Another significant impact is the upstream river section becoming a larger slack-water reservoir, which changes in temperature, oxygen levels and physical properties, ultimately modifying the wildlife species habitats.

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

Imagine walking into your house after being outside on a scorching summer’s day. Beads of sweat drip down your face, and you are completely parched. You turn on your faucet for a glass of water, but nothing comes out. This may sound like something out of a post-apocalyptic movie scene, but it can soon become a reality for those living on the west coast. Decades of unsustainable water practices have led to record low levels of water resources across the western states of the United States. Michelle Nijhuis of National Geographic reports that the western states of California, Nevada, and Arizona face a great deal of issues, due to the fact that their past system of water irrigation has become unsustainable. The first main factor behind this

However, many of the worlds irrigation systems are found in arid, semi arid environments, which climate change will alter significantly in the future (J. D, Connor, Schwabe, K. King, D. Knapp, K. 2011). Nearly one third of the worlds Nearly one-third of the irrigated land worldwide are affected by salinization (Schwabe et al., 2011e).

Based on a study more than 17,000 will be losing their jobs, which means their money and we will be losing our fresh food and milk. As a result, groundwater is used for irrigation to grow crops.

(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

Less water means farming and other crops that need water to grow have lower yield. Water is needed to ensure food security, to feed livestock, and to conserve the biodiversity and environment.

Plants in natural environments are being exposed to increasing amounts of salinity. One-third of the land being irrigated worldwide is affected by salinity, but salinity also occurs in non-irrigated land (Allen et al., 1994). There are large areas of primary salinity, but secondary salinity can be detected within one hundred years of settlement on an area of land. Drought and salinity are connected because in many regions, raising plants requires irrigation. The irrigation water contains calcium, magnesium, and sodium (Serrano et al., 1999). As the water evaporates and transpires, calcium and magnesium