Show From The Desk Dek of THE COUNTY AGENT PAUL GRIMSHAW Harmful Results of oft Using Too Much t Irrigation tion Water The supply of sno snow v rc received during durin January was a elcome addition to the i irrigation water water wate sup supply y This snow come about abou as usual however and a a large Jarge early arly runoff can possibly be ex petted In areas area such as I Moab where there are Me no storage reservoirs reservoirs res- res to hold back these large flows lows in March April and May farmers are prone to over Irrigate farmers armors are Me prone to over over frigate in n an attempt to avoid waSting water Grand County is one of the Counties in Utah where there is not sufficient water storage The average irrigation in May May Mayl Is four to six times tIme as as large as as the plant requirement which Is commonly com coin known as consumptive use In this county the he use drops to about three times the requirement re re- for June The county use about equals the require requirement ment in July In fn August and September only one half the othe water wa wa- ter er needed is Js available These figures are for an average year Use of mOre I water than the soil soU will wUl hold will result in several several sev sev- eral emu bad effects These are as follows allows 1 Valuable plant nutrients nu a are leached out of the soil 2 Excess water raises the water table and causes drainage problems In lower ower Moab valley vaHey 3 3 yielding High and nue nutritive plants die out when Irrigated e ex excessively and wire grass sedges and blue grass take their place It would be far better to dl di divert of that vert wrt all a water in n excess required by ithe soil soli the river fiver channel charnel and thus void avoid some of these harmful ef et teeth Probably an ran even more pr p approach In tn Moab would be development of tora e facilities to Co store tore the water for use in July August and Septem Septem- ber er or 01 when needed |