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Show Obstruction Of Farm Ponds i Lessen Irrigation Headaches Installing overnight storage 'reservoirs not only increases I crop yields but also save labor, I time, and water for farmer-co-I operators of the Uintah Basin Soil Conservation District, according ac-cording to J. Heber Allred, chairman chair-man of the board of supervisors. By storing and impounding water for a short length of time, overnight reservoirs augment the farmer's water supply at any time "on demand." The irrigator irriga-tor can water his fields whenever when-ever he desires, and night-time irrigation is no longer necessary. Nor does the farmer have to work a steady 24-hour grind in irrigating his fields if he can rely on an overnight storage reservoir. res-ervoir. By drawing from both his regular flow and his reservoir, reser-voir, the larger head of water makes it possible for him to irrigate ir-rigate in a shorter number of hours. Nearly all overnight reservoirs will pay for themselves in from one to three years through increased in-creased production and saved labor la-bor and water, Mr. Allred says. Construction of reservoirs costs from $100 to $500 each in most cases although some of the larger larg-er ones may cost more. Soil Conservation Service engineers en-gineers assisting the district recommend rec-ommend that a spillway be built for the surplus run-off that cannot can-not be held in the reservoir, or that gates be provided -to -divert the flow away from the reservoir when it is full. Another precau tion is to fence the land around the reservoir to keep livestock from muddying the waters. ; The reservoir should have suf- f icient depth and volume to store I the overnight flow of irrigation i j water. The soil on the bottom I and sides of the reservoir should be imperious to prevent seepage and loss of water. Concrete or clay lining also can be installed. If not located on a live stream, i diversion ditches usually are needed to direct run-off into the reservoir. Construction of the reservoir can be done by small or large equipment, "..depending on the size of the reservoir. Mr. Allred says. I Overnight storage 'Teservoirs are sound investments in Duchesne Du-chesne county because they have increased crop production by as much as 50 per cent. , "Farmers are now requesting more assistance than we are able to furnish with our present facilities," fa-cilities," Mr. Allred stated, "but we are accepting implications and plan to furnish district assistance as-sistance to each applicant for soil conservation work just as fast as we can get around to them. If vou are interested in building a farm pond or. want some help on other soil conservation problems, prob-lems, we suggest you contact our offices in Roosevelt, Vernal. Duchesne, Du-chesne, or one of the district supervisors su-pervisors Milton 'Woolley at T,aooint,Hugh Colton'at Vernal. William Brothcrson at Boneta, or Lyle Young at Bridgeland." |