Header link June 22, 2020

LinkedIn

  • Read more
Header link September 15, 2014

Cart

  • Read more
Header link November 3, 2015

Donate Now

  • Read more
Header link May 15, 2014

Twitter

  • Read more
Header link May 15, 2014

Facebook

  • Read more
Instagram
Header link May 15, 2014

Instagram

  • Read more
Header link May 15, 2014

Contact Us

  • Read more
More options
Water Education Foundation
Home

Water Education Foundation

Everything about California water that matters
  • Water Academy
    • Agriculture
      • Agricultural Conservation
      • Agricultural Drainage
    • Background Information
      • Legislation — California and Federal
      • Regulations — California and Federal
      • Water History
      • Water Rights
    • Bay-Delta
      • Bay Delta
      • Bay Delta Conservation Plan
      • Delta Issues
      • Delta Smelt
      • Sacramento San Joaquin Delta
      • San Francisco Bay
      • Suisun Marsh
    • Dams, Reservoirs and Water Projects
      • California Aqueduct
      • Central Valley Project
      • Folsom Dam
      • Friant Dam
      • Hetch Hetchy
      • Hoover Dam
      • Infrastructure
      • Lake Mead
      • Lake Powell
      • Oroville Dam
      • San Luis Dam
      • Shasta Dam
      • State Water Project
    • Environmental Issues
      • Anadromous Fish Restoration
      • Ecosystem
      • Endangered Species Act
      • Invasive species
      • Lake Tahoe
      • Mono Lake
      • Public Trust Doctrine
      • Salmon
      • San Joaquin River Restoration
      • Watershed
      • Wetlands
    • Leaders and Experts
    • Regions
      • Central Coast
      • Central Valley
      • Mexico
      • Nevada
      • North Coast
      • Pyramid Lake
      • Sacramento Valley
      • Salton Sea
      • San Joaquin Valley
      • Sierra Nevada
      • Southern California
      • Tulare Lake Basin
    • Rivers
      • Carson River
      • Colorado River
      • Klamath River
      • New River
      • North Coast Rivers
      • Russian River
      • Sacramento River
      • Truckee River
      • San Joaquin River
    • Water Issues
      • Climate Change
      • Coronavirus
      • Drought
      • Earthquakes
      • Energy and Water
      • Floods
      • Fracking
      • Growth
      • Hydropower
      • Levees
      • Tribal Water Issues
      • Water Conservation
      • Water Equity
    • Water Quality
      • Drinking Water
      • Nitrate contamination
      • Pollution
      • Stormwater
      • Wastewater
      • Water Quality
    • Water Supply and Management
      • Acre Foot
      • Aquifers
      • California Water Plan
      • Conjunctive Use
      • Desalination
      • Grey water
      • Groundwater
      • Integrated Regional Water Management
      • Recreation
      • Surface Water
      • Water Marketing and Banking
      • Water Rates
      • Water Recycling
      • Water Supply
      • Water Transfers
  • Tours & Events
    • Water Tours
      • 2023 Tour Sponsors
    • Events
    • Event Calendar
    • Past Tours & Events
      • Anne J. Schneider Fund Lecture Series
  • Specialized Programs
    • Water Leaders
      • Class Rosters
      • Yearly Class Reports
      • Your Alumni Network
      • Alumni Profiles
    • Project WET
      • Workshops
      • Special Workshops & Events
      • Supplementary Materials
      • California Content Standard Correlations
      • Facilitator's Trainings
      • Foundation School Programs
        • Elementary Programs
        • Secondary Programs
      • Water Kids
      • California Project WET Gazette
      • Gazette Archives
    • Colorado River Project
    • GRA Scholastic Fund Program
  • Maps & Guides
    • Maps & Posters
    • Layperson's Guides
    • Map & Guide Bundles
    • Books
    • Colorado River Materials
    • California Runoff Rundown
    • Other Publications
    • Water Awareness Materials
    • Downloadable Publications
    • Videos and DVDs
      • Video Clips
    • School Age Publications
    • Stickers
    • Free Programs and Publications
  • Newsroom
    • Western Water News
    • Aquafornia
      • About Aquafornia
    • Information Desk
    • Western Water Magazine Archive
      • Full Print Edition
      • Print Edition Excerpts
    • River Report Archive
  • Aquapedia
    • Alphabetical List of Subjects
      • A
      • B
      • C
      • D
      • E
      • F
      • G
      • H
      • I
      • J
      • K
      • L
      • M
      • N
      • O
      • P
      • Q
      • R
      • S
      • T
      • U
      • V
      • W
      • X
      • Y
      • Z
    • Historical Water People
    • Where Does My Water Come From?
      • Northern California
      • Sacramento
      • North Bay
      • South Bay
      • Central Valley
      • Los Angeles
      • Inland Empire
      • San Diego
      • All California Water Sources
    • Timelines
    • Videos
    • Image Gallery
    • Water Directory
      • Federal Agencies
      • State Agencies in California
      • Environmental Organizations
      • Other California Organizations
      • State and Federal Legislative Committees
      • Water Associations and Groups
      • Western States Water Agencies and Districts
    • Online Resources
    • Useful Acronyms
    • About Aquapedia
  • About
    • About Us
      • Board of Directors
      • Staff Biographies
      • Job Openings
    • Announcements
    • Support Our Mission
      • Become a Member
      • Donate in Honor/Memory
      • Donate to Aquapedia or Aquafornia
      • Shop Amazon
      • Planned Giving
    • Contact Us
Aquapedia background January 30, 2014

Agricultural Conservation

Agricultural ConservationDrip irrigation on grapes being grown in California.

As the single largest water-consuming industry, agriculture has become a focal point for efforts to promote water conservation. In turn, discussions about agricultural water use often become polarized.

With this in mind, the drive for water use efficiency has become institutionalized in agriculture through numerous federal, state and local programs.

Agricultural Water Management

Since the 1980s, some water districts serving agricultural areas have developed extensive water conservation programs to help their customers. One of the largest, the 1,000-square-mile Westlands Water District, has its own water conservation coordinator and a water management specialist who provide practical information and technical assistance to farmers on a variety of water conservation topics specific to local conditions [see also Agricultural Drainage and the San Joaquin Valley].

Rainfall in California rarely occurs during the peak growing season in the areas of heaviest cultivation, so farmers rely almost entirely on artificial “rainfall,” or irrigation water.

There are three common irrigation methods used in California: furrow or flood, sprinklers and drip. A farmer’s choice of irrigation methods is determined primarily by three factors: the type of soil to be irrigated; the topography of the land; and the crop to be grown.

In the flat Central Valley, farmers producing row crops grown in slow-draining soils traditionally have used flood or furrow irrigation. Sprinklers or drip irrigation systems typically are chosen for hilly coastal areas where soils tend to be more porous.

Most farmers in California use nonpressurized surface irrigation techniques such as border (flood) or furrow irrigation. Furrow irrigation systems are inexpensive, well understood by farmers and can be efficient, but critics say they are prone to overwatering if not properly designed and managed. Laser field leveling can improve the efficiency of furrow systems, which are commonly used in the flat Central Valley.

Pressurized systems such as surface drip irrigation or sprinklers, though more costly to install and operate than furrow techniques, apply water more slowly and accurately, giving growers more flexibility to apply the amount of water needed for optimal plant growth. Properly managed, sprinkler and drip systems also result in less surface runoff on fields with compacted soils where water permeates more slowly than in porous soils.

Surface drip irrigation systems have become increasingly popular, especially for perennial commodities such as grapes, but are not cost-effective for some annual field crops such as grains. Subsurface drip irrigation systems deliver water directly to the root zone with almost no surface evaporation loss. However, these systems are expensive to install and may not be suitable for all crops.

Regardless which irrigation system is used, experts say an irrigation management program is the single most effective step to ensure that water is used efficiently. Federal and state programs provide low-interest loans, tax incentives and cost sharing to assist in the conversion of inefficient irrigation systems [see also Agricultural Drainage].

Environmentalists cite practices such as flood or furrow irrigation, in which entire fields or furrows are covered with water that is allowed to soak unevenly into the soil, as evidence of inefficient use.

But farmers counter that the real issue is not the type of irrigation used or crop choices, it is the efficient management of an irrigation system. If managed properly, they say, the flood and furrow irrigation techniques in use in many areas are efficient. Farmers say crop choice is — and should continue to be — determined by the market forces of supply and demand, and not be mandated by water use.

Agricultural Conservation Programs and Assistance

The computerized California Irrigation Management Information System operated by the state Department of Water Resources uses more than 145 automated stations across the state to gather weather data farmers can use to gauge the amount of water their crops need on a daily basis.

The primary goal of CIMIS is to provide data on the rate of evapotranspiration, which is the loss of water through evaporation and transpiration.

Some irrigation districts and water agencies also participate in a number of mandatory and conditional efficient water management practices. These measures include construction and operation of tailwater (excess surface water from cultivation) reuse systems, automation of canal structures, and installation of water meters to measure the volume of water delivered to individual water users. Accurate water use data are considered critical to the design and operation of effective water management plans.

Agricultural water districts that contract with the Bureau of Reclamation for 2,000 or more acre-feet of irrigable water must prepare water management plans and update those plans every five years.

Each district’s plan is required to include a description of the water district, an inventory of its water resources and uses of those resources, and a list of best management practices the district will follow to ensure efficient water use. Critical best management practices include use of equipment to measure the volume of water delivered, adoption of a pricing structure based at least in part on the quantity of water delivered, designation of staff to implement the water management plan, and provision of water management services for farmers in the forms of data, educational programs, and on-farm water use evaluations.

  • Print-friendly

Referring Pages

Share this page

  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Sent to a friend.
Print-friendly

Related Links

Aquapedia background January 30, 2014
Back
This item appears in:
  • A
  • Topic: Agricultural Conservation
Footer pod May 20, 2014

Water Education Foundation

Copyright © 2023 Water Education Foundation. All rights reserved.

The Water Education Foundation is a nonprofit, tax-exempt, 501(c)3 organization, federal tax ID #942419885.

Privacy Policy

Donor Privacy Policy

  • Read more
Footer pod May 20, 2014

Contact Information

2151 River Plaza Drive, Suite 205
Sacramento CA 95833

Telephone (916) 444-6240

Contact Us via email

  • Read more

Quicklinks

Footer quicklink May 20, 2014

Contact Us

  • Read more
Footer quicklink May 20, 2014

Donate Today

  • Read more
Footer quicklink May 20, 2014

Tours

  • Read more
Footer quicklink May 20, 2014

Newsletter Signup

  • Read more
Footer quicklink May 20, 2014

Foundation News

  • Read more
Footer quicklink May 20, 2014

Calendar

  • Read more

Log in

  • Create new account
  • Request new password

Commands

  • Support portal
  • Log in