or drug out with a tractor and a chain. In general, flood irrigation is not as efficient as other systems but is still the only method that is used to mobilize and leach toxic salt concentrations, which may be an added value of this system. Conclusion Water conservation advancements will continue to grow as the essential resource of water becomes more scarce. It is expensive to conserve water, but through mindful use it will be available for longer. The UArizona Water Irrigation Efficiency Program is in place to assist growers with the cost of water savings, and UArizona Cooperative Extension will continue to assist growers trying out these new technologies, while providing optimization tips and operation and maintenance advice. Through grower flexibility, commercial innovation and University of Arizona support, our civilization will continue to thrive in Arizona and provide the nation with healthy food for their plates. With the support of WG and other agricultural advocacy organizations during the 2023 legislative session, Arizona allocated an additional $15.2 million to fund the program next year. A total of $14 million will be set aside to directly support farmers, and $1.2 million will be used for irrigation and crop research. The Arizona Cooperative Extension’s goal is to support Arizona growers with research, education and programming. Next year, the UArizona On-Farm Water Irrigation Team will continue to partner with growers and work to conserve even more water for Arizona. Investing in Arizona’s growers is the most cost-effective way to save water.
for applicants in 11 of Arizona’s 15 counties. These projects will help our state conserve 36,418 water acre-feet (WAF) annually, equal to over 12 times the size of Tempe Town Lake. Additionally, farmers invested their own funds matching the $23 million in public sector money with $16,515,088 in private sector money. Ultimately, over 42 percent of the water savings program funding came directly from farmers. Because of support from farmers and growers, the public cost per water acre-foot conserved was a mere $631, approximately one-fifth of the cost of desalination. The table below summarizes the current water savings this program has generated so far. Conventional Alternatives to Flood Irrigation A movement toward agricultural water conservation was made in the 1970s with sprinkler technology used to cool and moisten instead of soak. Vegetable production regions adopted solid-set sprinkler irrigation powered by a mobile diesel pump and modular 30-foot sections of aluminum or PVC pipes. Circular center-pivot sprinklers for open land or linear-move sprinklers for square fields were widely adopted in row or field crops across the state. Drip irrigation, an even more water-wise choice, became commercially available in the early 1980s, with the greatest success stories hailing from cotton production, with some farms reporting decades of continuous use without changing the drip-line. Emerging Irrigation Technologies As water becomes scarce, the demand for resource conservation has increased,
driving irrigation efficiency innovation and on-farm adoption. Emerging technologies include: canal automation, with gates that meter water with more precision for greater control; gravity- drip irrigation, pump-less drip; moisture meters, used to trigger irrigation events; and automated micro-jet sprinklers for orchard production. Additionally, the UArizona Cooperative Extension service utilized UArizona Water Irrigation Efficiency Program funding to develop and evaluate a more efficient method of basin- flood irrigation. In winter vegetable production regions, such as Yuma, solid-set sprinklers are commonly used to germinate seed and irrigate some crops to completion, so the pipe is readily available and in use. Sprinklers are some of the most water- efficient systems available but cannot be used in spring rotational crops of wheat or sudan grass, after emergence, due to kernel damage and plant height. Traditionally, these crops are basin-flood irrigated, undermining winter water savings of sprinkler pipe. The UArizona Cooperative Extension solid-set flood irrigation system replaces the interchangeable sprinkler heads on standard solid-set sprinkler irrigation pipe with high-flow, pressure-regulated ‘bubbler heads’, used to basin-flood irrigate with more precision. Solid-set flood irrigation spreads water out evenly across the field from heads located every 30 feet, fixing the basin-flood irrigation problem of oversaturation near the canal gate where water is introduced into the field and undersaturation occurs at the opposite end of the field. Pipes remain in the field during crop growth and removed before harvest by pulling out of the field with a pipe-pulling machine
Applications by County
Applications Approved
Funding Approved
Acres Funded by the Project
Additional Acres Funded by Participant
Participant Match
Estimated Water Savings Annual Acre-Feet
Apache Cochise Graham
1 2 1 5 8 1 1
$ 315,000 $ 144,000 $ 180,015 $ 4,371,000 $ 4,346,170 $ 999,000 $ 375,000 $ 4,584,557 $ 199,200 $ 303,600 $ 7,182,458 $ 23,000,000
210
$ 85,000 $ 364,564 $ 179,985
1,000
96
208 363
120
La Paz
2,914 2,897
6,413 6,602 2,850
Maricopa
2,836
$ 4,736,433
Mojave Navajo
666 250
134
$ 71,000
500
Pinal
10
3,056
4,920
Santa Cruz
1 2
133 202
105
Yavapai
$ 303,404 $ 6,452,732 $16,515,088
1,364
Yuma
30 62
4,795
204
12,093 36,418
TOTAL
15,339
3,174
18
NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2023
Western Grower & Shipper | www.wga.com
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