KDWEES 65-3 MEETING PHHEATOPBYTE SUBCOMMITTEE PACIFIC 80UTHWR3T IHXSH-AQEBCi COWGTIES August 30-jl, 1965 - Grand Junction, Colorado 1. The 65-3 Meeting of the Phreatophyta Subcommittee was called to order at the LaCourt Hotel, Grand Junction, Colorado, at 8:30 a.a., August 30, by Chairman 1. U. Robinson. "Hie following members (or alternates) and guesta were present; Members or Alternates T. U. Robinson Orlan J. Lovry Fred 0. Caae Edgar A. Jeffrey John w. Shannon C. J. Campbell Eugene E. Hughes H. 0. Sheldon John R. Cooley R. H. Rupkay V. L. Gould C. J. George John V. Bailey 8. F. Lohman Quests Geological Survey, UBDI Bureau of Reclamation, UBDI Soil Conservation Service, USDA U. S. Public Health Service Calif. Dept. of Water Resources U. S. Forest Service Crops Research Division, ARS- USDA Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife U. S. Forest Service Bureau of Indian Affairs Crops Research Division, ABS- USDA Bureau of Reclamation, USUI Bureau of Reclamation, USDI U. S. Geological Survey, USDI Hanlo Park, California Amarillo, Texas Denver, Colorado Denver, Colorado Sacramento, California Temps, Arizona Los Lunas, nev Mexico Albuquerque, Bwu Moissco Denver, Colorado Phoenix, Arizona Albuquerque, Eev Mexico Phoenix, Arisona Sacramento, California Denver, Colorado Jay Collins Loren G. Good 0. W. Hove Albert R. arable Soil Conservation Service, UBDA Soil Conservation Service, USDA Agricultural Research Service, USDA Agricultural Research Service, UBDA C. W. Robinson C. S. U., Box 766 C. E. Evans Agricultural Research Service, UBDA Forrest M. WlUhlte Agricultural Research Serv-, UBDA, and C. S. U- Walter Palmer Soil Conservation Service, USDA Grand Junction, Colorado Grand Junction, Colorado Grand Junction, Colorado Grand Junction, Colorado Grand Junction, Colorado Fort Collins, Colorado Grand Junctli.-, Cnlo-rado Grand Junction,, Cai^rado Mr. Ray Meacham, Mayor of Grand Junction, Colorado, gave the welcoming address. 2. Old Business - Minutes of the 65-2 meeting were adopted as written. Chairman Robinson reported that the following state* or agencies do not presently nave members on the Phreatophyte Subcommittee: fcvnda, Utah, Arizona, and Soil and Water Division of the Agricultural Research Service, It was suggested that a letter be directed to the appropriate office to encourage the above states or agencies to designate representatives. Oils Item was pointed out to the parent committee in the report to that committee. 3. Report of Task Forces a. Plant Succession - No report. b. Library - Since the 65-2 meeting, Mr. Horton has updated the list of publications and reports filed in the phreatophyte library. This revised listing was transmitted to Mr. Lovry for reproduction. The revised listing has been completed and 500 copies reproduced. Two copies of the revised Hating are being enclosed to all on the phreatophyte mailing list. For additional copies of the listing, please contact Mr. Jerry Horton, II. 8. Forest Service, Temps, Arizona. c. Cost of Clearing - Bo report. d. Research and Coordination Task Force - Mr. T. W. Robinson will attend the International Association of Hydrogeologlsts Congress, Hannover, Germany, September 14-20, where he will present a paper entitled "Effect of evapotrans- plratlon draft, by phreatophytea on the ground water balance." Request was received from Mr. Ken Lewis, Corps of Engineers, Walla Walla, Washington, on evapotransplration rates of tules in estimating loss from Grays lake, Idaho. The draft of the section on "Limitations in hydrologlc date as applied to evapotraosplration" for the Hydrology Subcommittee handbook, which was circulated to five members of our subcommittee for constants and criticism, was revised in the light of this review and transmitted to Mr. A. H. Piper, Hydrology Subcommittee Chairman of the Task Force on Limitations, June 30, 1965. A paper by Mr. P. tfeybo'.e;. of the Geological Survey of Canada, entitled "Three observations on streamflov depletion by phreatophytes," describes stream losses in south-central. Saskatchewan, Canada, and gives tentative values of consumptive use for some Ot* the common piiireatophytefl in that area. This paper published in Volume 8, 1964, pages 243-261 of the Journal of Hydrology, has several excelW.' XiJ.uatrations. It points up the fact that not all phreatophyte problem^ are confined to Western United States. ^ Report pf AjjBnclej Atvi..fcn*.nt "A" Forest Service, USD*. Attachment "B" Agricultural Rewirch Sertri2, Grope Research W\lBl:a; IJSM Attachment "C" U. B. Bureau of Reclamation, U3DI Attachment "D" Bureau of Indian Affaire, USDI 5- Considerable discussion occurred between various individuals with regard to the failure of representative*' keeping their agencies fully Informed of the activities of the Phreatophyte Subcommittee- It was pointed out that it is the responsibility of each cctmnittee member or alternate to keep their individual agencies informed cf the items discussed and reported vlth regard to phreatophyte research and cuatrol. In this regard, if additional copies of the minutes are needed for distribution to agencies, you should advise the secretary in order that the additional copies can be furnished. Mr. T. V. Robinson reported that Mr. Jim Bylin of the Wall Street Journal contacted him some time ago with regard to preparing an article on "Water Studies" t'T the paper. Mr Robinson suggested that Mr. Bylln also contact other membors of the Phreatophyte Sub count, ttee In order to collect as much informat!ou as possible on. thin subject for the article. The committee apent some time considering the program which should be con- sidered under the.' Phreatophyte Subcommittee during calendar year 1966. After some diacmniou, it was concluded that Messrs Borton and Campbell should outline a program of activities for calendar year i960 for further con- sideration at the 6'j-A meeting. The frequency of meetings of the Phreatophyte Subcommittee was presented for discussion. Several of the state agency representatives have repeatedly pointed out that it is difficult for ttem to obtain permission for out-of-state travel. Countering this problem, it is suggested that all Members of the subcommittee consider the frequency of meetings and be prepared to discuss meeting dates for future years at the 6"y-k meeting. The afternoon of August 30 was devoted to discussion of problems of the Grand Valley. A summary of the papers presented are included as Attachments "". "F", "0", and "H " Through the courtesy of the Soil ConserVAt'.on Service, Colorado Agricultural Experiment Station, and Agricultural Research S&rvice, arrangements were made for a field trip Tuesday morning. A trip of Orand Valley was made to observe soils and drainage conditions, farming operations, and phreatophyte problems. 6. The 65-4 Phreatophyte Subcommittee meeting ie scheduled to be held In Ims Vegan, Sevada, about November 29-30, I965. OrIan J. Lovry, Secretary Phreatophyte Subcommittee, PSIAC Attachment "A" U. 8. FOREST SKHrtOK Rsport to the 65-3 Rireatophyte Bubcommittee By: 0. J. Campbell Evaluation work on the evapotranapiration tent by Jess Thompson baa pro- ceeded through three phases. The Initial phase conducted by Richard Lee characterized the tent microclimate. Tfelu Indicated an extremely calm, tumid, and hot environment Inside the tent. The second phase emphasised modification of the tent in order to increase air movement In order to allov cooling by forced convection as wwii as eliminate strata of unmixed air within the tent. The third phase Is concentrating on tent calibration over free water. Although the inlflt and outlet temperatures agree with I.50 F., the interior of the tent is still 10 to 15 9. warmer than ambient when the tent Is empty. There ate Indications, however, that this beating problem may not exist when the tent Is very nearly full of vegetation. Future tent work probably should include use of variable size tents to insure maximum occupancy of the tent interior by vegetation. A final pease of evaluating the tent 1* proposed that will determine the effects of the tent environment on the enclosed plants. This phase will not be undertaken until all possible steps have been taken to make the enclosed microclimate as near natural as possible. The Tamarlx submergence study located on the Tonto Arm of Roosevelt Lake is expected to continue to yield excellent survival data. Nineteen of the Zk mllacro quadrates established in 196'j (one quadrate location was lost because of flooding) have been submerged thiB growing season from 60 to 150 days. There is a good char.ce that, acme of these plots will continue to be ln'indated at least through part of the 1966 growing season. In the fall of I963 we had 229 plants with an average height of 2.6 feet established on the 2k q.i:/drates. In October 1964, 162 plants had survived - 71 percent mortality without submergftnoe. During this same period, sur- viving plants increased to an average height of 2-9 feet while cover created by tamarisk increased from 31 to 35 percent. These preliminary data indicate study should be continued for several ;years to determine the development of tamarisk on this site. The ground water veil st'.idy began several, years ago as a means of deter- mining BT losses by measuring diurnal fluctuations under undisturbed stands of tamarisk and then removing the vegetation and simulating fluctuations by means of small pumps has now been terminated. A manuscript is being pre- pared of the results - both negative and positive for the benefit of others working la this area. Host of our results were negativewe were not able to make good estlinates of ET losses from tamarisk using this technique. Publications: Gory, Howard L. and Horton, Jerome S. 1965. Some sprouting characteristics of 5-stamen tamarisk. U. 8. forest Sen-, Res. Note RH-39. 7 PP- U- S. Dept. of Agr. Forest Service. Attachment nV AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SERVICE CROPS RESEARCH DIVISION Report to Phreatophyte Subcommittee 65-3 Meeting By: Eugene E. Hughes Evaluation of 1964 foliage spray-applied herbicide treatments and 1964-6$ winter dormant boom-spray applied herbicide treatments for control of salt cedar is in progress at this time. Preliminary results of the two dormant studies show that applying the KiBE ester of silvex to the stumps of freshly mowed, dormant plants ve.a more effoctive than applying it to dormant, intact plants. Hie 8-lb/A rate gave an average kill of 6.1 percent of the plants with freshly mowed stumps, as compared to 39 percent of the intaot plants, and was much more effective than the 4-lb/A rate which gave plant Mil* of 28 percent and 22 percent, respectively. Use of dlesel oil, alone, as the carrier was more effective than a 5C-50 invert (water-in-oil} emulsion on both intact plants and plants with cut stumps and at both the 8- and the 4-lb/A rates. She slightly greater plant nil" by the 50-g.p.a. volume than by the 100-g.p.a. volume probably were not significant. Results of foilage-applied herbicide treatments to salt cedar in 1964 show that two applications (the first in May and the second in August) of the PGBE ester of sllvex, each applied at 2 lb. ae/A per date, reduced the stand 44 percent, compared to 16 percent fran a single application of 4 lb. ae/A of the FOBS ester of nilvex in May. In the same study, a combi- nation of 2 lb. eja/U of the FOBS ester of silvex and 2 lb. ae/A of picloram (Tordon), applied as a foliage spray, resulted in a 4l percent kill compared to 4 percent kill from an application of 4 lb. ae/A of picloram, alone- Final results from a study initiated in 1963, which consisted of five different combinations of mowing and spraying Bait cedar with silvex, were obtained in 1965. Mowing in March and again in June 1963 followed by spraying with silvex aster in October 1963 and again in June 1964 was much more effective than either moving in March 1963 followed by spraying with silvex in June 1963 or spraying with silvex in June I963 with no previous mowing. In the most effective combination, mowing in March and June 1963 followed by spraying with Bilvex in October 1963 and June 1964, gave 60 percent plant kill of salt cedar at the 4-lb/A rate, and a 3$ percent plant kill at the 2-lb/A rate as compared with 5 to 7 percent kills in the other combinations. The results of the 1964 field foliage spray treatments and the 196$ green- house studies will be reported at the 65-4 meeting. Field plot work for 1965 Included two aerial-applied herbicide treatments for control of salt cedar. In May, five 2-acre plots were treated in Oklahoma. Tlisae treatments lnoluded the KM esters of silvex and brusbklller (2;k-D and 2,4,5-T 50-.50 mixture) with and without additives. Tvo 2-acre plots were treated in June near Artoeia, Hew Mexico, with 5- and IQ-lb. al/A of dicamba (Banvel D), a granular material Previous avail plot work had shown that 10-lb. al/A would reduce the stand of salt cedar as much as 86 percent. As a result of our greenhouse herbicide screening studies, two premising herbicides were applied in the field as foliage sprays to salt cedar In May 1965. In addition to these materials, various additives which had shown promise In the greenhouse trials were applied In the field with and without silvex. Other field studies Involved single and combination applications of silvex and dicaaba. Reduction of total carbohydrates in stems and roots of salt cedar, as a result of a 4-lb.ae/A application of the oil-soluble amine of silvex, was studied tiila year. Stem and root samples were taken before, at, and after treatment on treated and untreated plots. The Bureau of Reclamation laboratory in Denver is running the analysis on the samples, and results should be known by the 6^-4 meeting. On August IS I96?, Dr. Walter L. Gould was transferred from the Plant Pest Control Division, Agricultural Research Service, to ii*e Crops Research Division, in the position of Plant Physiologist at Los Lunas, New Mexico. He will replace Dr. R. E. Wilkinson who resigned In February. Dr. Oould, a native of Wyoming, recently received his Ph. D. degree from Oregon State Ubiverflity. Be conducted weed control research at the Mew Mexico Agricul- tural Experiment Station, Las CruceB, during 1957-60, and has beau working on control of wltcbweed In north Carolina during the past year. Attachment "C* BUREAU 0* RECLAMATION Report to rtjreatophvte Subconaiittee 65-3 Meeting Ity: 0. J. Lenny RBGIOM V Caballo Reservoir - la the cooperative phreatophyta control and water con- servation program between the State of New Mexico and the Bureau at Caballo Reservoir, a total of $19,800 Is programed for expenditure In Fiscal Year 1966. During the growing aeatnon of calendar year I965, nine 10-acre plots and one 20-aore plot have been sprayed vlth the following formulation of herbicides: Plot Mo. Chemical Application Cost P/A 3 sil-i.teXj h pounds per acre $10.31 3A 2,4,5-T (Lv) 8 pounds per acre 13-59 3B 2,iae of water by pnreatophytes and Otter vegetation before flDlng is not mudi different from the consumptive ue of the lakes after filling. The II- S. Geological Survey is assisting in pla)in;'..f'# thftee fctudiea and will carry out the stream gaging work. Attachment "K" fesaral feaisaan tvcibb*m ' fee* Ansaft hUtjr vitb Particular aafaraac* to ftoeiag ** * 1bbw of Rattavl&t tlM AgKiSkr Pm-v..v> The drainage wall at 2) and t faads about 4 atiUbM aortJi'*t,t OOT Grand Junction wsib lnatfcllaA to dfttaxafto* ttos aft* ! of pumping on tfcw hydraulic head in an Ngnlflte that Is morn or 1*93 ttOBtiaraom uo/Anr the second terrace . Thli terra"*, snymilaal llj j |U J *l.lth, il cut.lined, fcy the river and the Mia Una Grand Valisy C-s.ial- The ground NjrCM* Wt tbl* bsrcaoa falls ugrtiatast to aijuthweat at about 1J feet p*it alia- Maaoes saa-fcl Otttarjjs aVwa to-* Grand Valley Canal and dips to tba rlvar 2a*a.l. CMmxall, fcaa anais fallf approxitnately 100 feat in elevation tut seat if tola fall ootmra, aojordiai to logs, in the first mile. 'K* top of tba aba!*) la th fr afUBiailta area around 83 and U Roads ban llfetla if aty fall *uj.j. Is aVfttt a'. 1J aaaa !W*aa as tb/; ontOTOjw at tins river. A cAb.ls-saiid vsfuifar Hal on toa of tilts shale varying in thich.oe.i8 fr'.m 10 fast at the tiw to 30 fMt at 33 and H Hoad. logs of the aquifer t.n ladloata that it #7.0$** tTtM north, to south at about 5 feet per mile. Malarial* above the aoalfar (BUlinsja Ksrie-a) atu highly variable., Ala aaatla rastpa la ttkloknra froa aon than |Q feet in the northeast, to Ltaa U-*n 10 fiaat la the tOBtfeMBSt dJ.rect.ion. layers of clay, ajlt, an sand, vaaaxmtsJjr aud ;'a all ocaAlnatiOBa, are observed. Just above the aquifer la a fo.]H clay .'ayer e.rtremsJy low in permeability (possibly Mbtoults) farylug In thlgkaMH from a fci* in>.:hea to many feet. Thi-i mantle aaova +.Jbe aojftlfar Is perhaps ootitinnWH* vlth the axoaacion of a few areas Nbaia It was ait3ad prlca* to t'iie deposition of the upper Toe Intecalty of tat drainage probJaa vltala the valley, a# Burning a con- tinuous Sal nmfinart aojulfar s.yhte-m. ftoould be mich more aevere than It la be causa th- lanatlBSMttla aaactu Q^ialrt lajai ia t'.rtX., tte anulfer deci-eaaea in taleknaaS) aad tte soil aan*'m abci>r tie aqoifar deiutsaaas m depth. Apparently, the rate or aattr arrpaaiiit tliroug/i \he mantje above the aquifer is eg.uliraLB.ut bo ST (VhvtatoaBTtu) Uoa atabxllntl the vater tab3e at aio9 {lataaoq balow tiw iPjtrfaos, Maaoaatti t^sarvatlcuj >>f a^ulfar prssauni ttimisjifwit tne area, uhila quite variable, iedltiata that *is fail la .hrjul Is at. abcuit tfas aame alope an ttws lajV tsarfaoa. Water t*bie .le-jwl*. la t!e arsas that are Irrigated, fluctuate aigprttxlamtalj ^ feet baUtaaa a ia* in Ktatar aul a high In tpimxer. Iwjwiaa "t hselaaatloD data laAloats tijat water table lavals In 19W vara no hi^har than they sars la 191t>- l'tirlug this inrerlv. surface drainage vaa lastallad and apparently has not influenced the water table or the aulf*r head. Pi.,: PornwH M Hi i.L..'!* A fres*\ w^ter aaagA bu.1 lis up tu auumii*!*' buMM vertical and horizontal drainage I Will W it oftTuat Intake of vat/sr. E :>r MuunpAe.. under a continuous flaw system and mo;>* o.~ lean contlnu-:^ A ?vl $*! ju of pasture at 23 and H Hr>nd* the water UlYC.a imained at or Lss.r the a'Jirf ace. In 1951., fiwa wUj vara drilled to the ah*.3.e in the vicinity of 23 and H Roads. h>n irf 13m wall at 23 *1 H Ro4* showed, surface elevation of *5*53 fa*j or 63 fetct above the rlfflsT. Shale was encountered at U506 feet, too thin wan 23 feet of aquifer material which was capped with 33 feet of diacontimUng 'ilays., sands, and silts. The pump, operating at about JpO gallons par minute, drawn tfm wkII. down 20 feet which 1b optJmun for the aquifer conductivity. It wau started October 1951 and operated continuously until Febn.-axy 1955* Fran February 1955 to August 1955 tba pump vjsu not operated. Fraa .late fall 1955 to present, the pump hw.ii only ops rated from May through October each year. Obfortursately, 00 jmUidzuuy water 1*d>Je investigation, prior to starting the woll. whu mails- Howm*, it is of interest to note that preJJjuinary Mats? table reading?! begirrjdug In 19*8 and continuing through 1S&9 over an 0-^u.iJiarw-jille area which enc.jropasd-id the area at 3 and H Beads shoved variation of 2-5 feet and wte aiumuari7.ed in reports aa follows: "AoaordJng to them data, the ground water goea down in December, January, and Wbacotxy and OOBM back up to the b.'.gh level during spring and early ranr. 'Hie majdmum variation between high and low water levels la about 2-5 fe^t." Thus, It would, appear that only in the Immediate vicinity of the well (lees than *00 feet fr.m it) has the rise in water tabie due to irrigation been co.tt.rolled by pumping. Tfce ?ffer-tive'jeaa of drainage by pump of the area lg confounded because, aa the wall data developed, the amount of irrigation water used on the BurroaullEC area decreased, For example, In 1951 tin* water table on the Birley,, al>aiutoied and not Irrigated for many years, was from 60 to 8 feet below tfcn Urfaoe while on the Snyder, a oontlnuoualy irrigated pasture, it waa at or war the surface. The water table on the Eirl.>y from 1951 to the present, remained rather static while 'mlng the same interval the water table on the Ssyder dropped from the surface to 2.5 feet following the introduction pf Intermittent and controlled irrigation. Drainage, of an area by lowering the hydreu.1 \.0 pressure in an aquifer Is dependent on the flow of water Into that aquifer. At 23 and B Roads the aqulfei pres?urs over approximately 100 atrv.a wa? reduced by 10 feet of head by pumping. On the Otbet hand, the resultant perched water table may not have been affected. Thla Indicates a barrier between the water table and the aquifer. Tb tie use clay layer,, capping the aquifer, has an infil- tration ox bydrauJ.le cordnctivit-y of only 3-5 inches per year under a 20-foot head. On the other hand, the discontinuous layers above this material show a conductivity ranging from 0-25 for aand to .02 Inch par hour for silty clay. Many trials during Irrigation show the final Infiltration rate of the BlUlnga aoll at less than 0-1 Inch par hour or if continuously irrigated would supply 2.k inches in 1 day. Hence only 2 days of irri- gation would be needed to replenish all of the water drained through the barrier in 1 year- In other words, where the vertical movement of water la restricted by barrier, the water table will rise Irrespective of the aquifer pressure. Ibis results In abandonment of the land. It has been called the "creeping paralysis" of the Valley. It results in the reinvasion of the phreatophytes. With the removal of Irrigation water the static aquifer water table Is reestablished. In time, as the ET exceeds the annual precipitation and the ability of the aquifer to supply water, the water table recedes as the phreatophytes invade and their effectiveness increase. It has been observed that after several years of "drying out" spot cropping returns usually with fair to good success. With this success nan reinrades tha area and the cycle is repeated. On the other hand, it need not be repeated provided the fresh water mound upon which the success of the spot cropping depends Is maintained throughout the area. Stabilization of the freah water mound at an elevation below the ground surface which permits good crop growth In the absence of potential vertical drainage will depend on the management of irrigation water. Production depends on the relation between the frasb water mound and the ground surface. Attachment "I" Past, Present, and Future Aspects of Irrigation Id Grand Valley By: 0. W. Howe Permeability measurements have shown that water can be placed la the soil of Qrand Valley many times faster than it can drain Into the aquifer below. This suggests that pumping at best can have only a minor effect upon drainage of the root zone and that efficient Irrigation la necessary to prevent a water table rising too close to the ground surface- foremost among conditions contributing to inefficient irrigation and resulting high water table in Qrand Valley are (l) the continuous flow system of water delivery to the farms and, (2) an abundance of water. The small streams of the continuous flow system do not occupy the small farmers' time profitably. This leads to part time irrigation and often to poor irrigation practice. When water supplies are short, efficient irri- gation is practiced of necessity. Whan extra water la available, there is a strong tendency to substitute it for good irrigation practice. Detrimental effects of the continuous flow system can be counteracted by (1) increasing farm size which increases stream size allotted to the farm, (2) pooling the allotments of several farms and rotating the combined flow among the members of the pool, and (3) overnight storage ponds. It appears probable that high application efficiency will eventually be accomplished for most of the valley through automated systems of border Irrigation. Greatly reduced labor costs can be expected to motivate adoption of such systems. Attachment "a" Management 0f Saline-Alkali Soils in the Grand Valley By; C. V. Robinson Twenty to thirty thousand acres of land in the Grand Valley are adversely affected by poor drainage which results in salt and alkali accumulation. Tfaa salts in question are mainly sulfates and chlorides of sodium, calcium, and magnesium. Soils in these studies did not respond to application of gypsum, so apparently accumulation of alkali is not a serious problem. Ten years of research (19^2-bl) on Billings Sllty Clay Loam have shown that these soils may be reclaimed without gypsum to the extent that good crop yields result. The reason being that there is ample free gypsum in these soils to supply soluble calcium to replace the sodium in an alkali soil. The main problem being simply an accumulation of soluble salts In the soil profile. It has been found that these salts may be removed by a simple flushing procedure within a diked basin area. Continuous flood presented problems of surface sealing so an intermittent flooding and cracking procedure was used. It was assumed that the operation of a drainage well was necessary to the reclamation process and optimum crop growth. A full year was needed to reclaim these fine textured soils. Two feet of leaching water decreased EC x 10*3 valueB to 5 or less to a depth of 30 inches. Six feet were necessary to do the same Job to the '0-inch depth. Soil analysis and alfalfa crop yields In successive years indicated a reaccumulation of salts in the soil profile. Various amounts of irriga- tion water In excess of calculated crop needs were added to alfalfa, corn, and tall wheat grass. Oeneral verification of the leaching requirement theory resulted. It is recommended that irrigation water in the amount of 12 to 15 percent in excess of calculated crop needs be added to insure maximum yields. Attachment "H" UYIMO WITH THE AORICULTUHAL PROBIBhB IN THE QRAHD VALIZY By; Walter Palmer Several of the problems which face the Soil Conservationist working with farmers In the Grand Valley are briefly stated as follows; 1. Generally, an overabundance of Irrigation water. 2. Drainage caused by seepage from main Irrigation canals and laterals, and overirrlgation of farmland. 3- Saline - alkaline conditions - soils derived from the Mancos shale formation which contain high quantities of soluble salts that are brought to the surface by high water tables and other associated causes. Farming, as ve are veil aware, is entering a new phase with new ownership patterns developing. Farms are becoming larger. There is no longer a place in agriculture for the small, inefficient farmer. Many landowners are finding that it definitely pays to do necessary improvement work immediately after the purchase of additional land or a new farm. Often, not only are financial arrangements made for the purchase of the farm but, at the same time, added funds are borrowed to initiate a leveling program, field consolidation, and the lining of concrete head ditches. These improvements are almost mandatory to the modern farmer, who is chronically short of dependable labor and must rely on machinery to do an efficient and economical Job. large level fields not only allow effective farm machine use, but also uniform application of irrigation water. Concrete ditches are labor savers and cut ditch seepage loss to a minimum- Tiling existing open drains, used in the valley to carry drainage and waste water, provides productive use for former idle land, allows fields to be consolidated, and reduces drain maintenance costs to a minimum. Often irrigated cropland with a history of a drainage problem can be rendered more productive by leveling and lining concrete bead ditches. lined ditches eliminate seepage and level fields allow uniform applica- tion of Irrigation water. Seduction of soluble salt content of the soil by leaching depends upon uniform and regular application of Irrigation water.