OCR Text |
Show PART II PRESENT STATUS OF IRRIGATION "by the crops. This is done partly in an attempt to build up the soil moisture for carryover into the late season when the water supply is gen- erally short. Additional storage facilities and better irrigation water management techniques are needed to help alleviate this problem. Abandoned farm shows effects of a water shortage. Storage facil- ities planned for this area will alleviate this problem. Depletion Of all the man-related uses of water in the region, the consumptive use of wa-ter on irrigated lands results in the largest depletion. This on-site depletion of water at the 1965 level of development was about !>°97,30O acre-feet for use on 1,^97,100 acresi/ of land. For the region this averages about 1.13 acre-feet per irrigated acre. When compared with other regions in which agriculture is the major use of the water resource, the consumptive use on irrigated lands in the Upper Colorado Region is rel- atively small. Considering the relationship of agriculture to the region's economy, irrigation is a vital and important use of the water resource. 1/A total of 1,621,500 acres of land is irrigated in the region. This includes 12^,^00 acres of idle land not irrigated in an average year Consequently, water use estimates are based on the 1,^97,100 acres actu- ally receiving water. These estimates of on-site depletions were made specifically for the purpose of this framework study and are not to be construed as depletions charged to the various States under the provi- sions of the Colorado River and Upper Colorado compacts. In particular, they are site-located and do not necessarily reflect direct relationship to streamflow diminishment at Lee Ferry. 28 |