Saving Arizona Water by Investing in Arizona Farmers: Arizona’s On-Farm Water Irrigation Efficiency Project By Dr. Ethan Orr, University of Arizona Robert Medler, Manager, Arizona Government Affairs, Western Growers The first dam on the Colorado River was Laguna Dam built in 1905, seven years before Arizona became a state, followed by 14 more dams in 61 years to completely control the flow. Similar water management projects were made on all rivers across the state, providing access to local communities. Complex canal systems were built over time, with a major public works project occurring post World War II. The canal systems of Arizona were specifically designed to deliver high flows of river water to the field to support flood irrigation, which resulted in a greening of the desert and vast improvements to agriculture. UArizona Water Irrigation Efficiency Program will Robert Masson, University of Arizona Flood Irrigation in the Desert Southwest
There are many reasons why basin-flood irrigation remains the cheapest and easiest form of irrigation possible in desert agriculture to this day, with dirt borders raised around a field to hold in a steady flow of water that fills the basin. The ‘flatwater’ practice not only irrigates crops, but also recharges soil nutrition and improves soil health by leaching concentrated salts that build up at the soil surface. Furrow-flood irrigation is the next iteration of surface irrigation, with crops grown on raised beds and water directed down the field in low furrows between them. The water fills the furrow and is slowly absorbed into the sides of the raised bed, wetting the plant and pushing soil salts laterally. Furrow-flood has the added benefits of reducing the total water used compared to basin-flood and limiting crop damage from overwatering. As cheap and reliable as flood irrigation may be, often it is not the most efficient use of water, with water evaporating or soaking into the soil below the rootzone, taking mobile fertility with it. More modern irrigation solutions designed to increase irrigation efficiency exist but are often expensive to purchase and maintain. On-Farm Water Irrigation Efficiency Project With the help of the Western Growers Association and individual farmers, the University of Arizona grew a $30 million grant into a $62 million program that is working directly with farmers to assist them in converting from flood-irrigation to more efficient systems, which has currently saved over 36,000 water acre-feet (12 times the size of Tempe Town Lake). Seven months ago, in February 2023, the UArizona Cooperative Extension received a $30 million grant from the Arizona Governor’s Office to research how to reduce on-farm water usage while maintaining soil health and crop yields. A total of $23 million was set aside to directly support Arizona farmers by reimbursing growers and farmers up to $1,500 per acre to change to a more efficient watering system. The
reimburse the growers using flood-irrigation or vendors for creating 20 percent or more water efficiency savings. Western Growers Association was a vital outreach organization, hosting two in-depth seminars for growers and coordinating informational meetings and outreach to vendors, irrigation districts and growers. Overall, the educational campaign reached more than 1,500 people, including over 100 on-farm site visits by Cooperative Extension faculty and staff. “The Cooperative Extension staff made the application very simple to work through and were quick to respond to us throughout the process. The application website that we applied through made it simple to upload all pertinent documents in one location and made it simple to submit multiple applications,” said Mike Clements, Ranch Supervisor for Topflavor Farms in Yuma. “In the short term, we were able to acquire and implement several new irrigation systems in a short amount of time and put these systems into use immediately. We received notice that our grants were approved in mid-June and were able to have the first system installed and operational for our first wet date in early September. The long-term impact is going to be hitting our goal of reducing our water usage by 20 percent year-over- year.” Topflavor is expecting to save 1-1.2 acre-feet over 190 acres, nearly 60 million gallons in total. The Barkley Company of Arizona opted to utilize the program on a 200-plus acre farm in the Welton- Mohawk Valley. Located toward the terminus of the canal, they have opted for a variety of new irrigation systems. “This was an opportunity to be more efficient with our water now and plan for the future, especially if there are changes in availability of water,” said Hank Auza, General Manager of the Barkley Companies. The improvements include a gravity-fed retention pond, improved pressurized drip irrigation and electronic gates. Between February and August 2023, the Water Irrigation Efficiency Board approved 62 applications
16
NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2023
Western Grower & Shipper | www.wga.com
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online