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Show Irrigation Water Waste Noted In Canal Seepage Irrigation farmers of Utah must take measures to conserve their water supply and prevent water waste, James R. Barker, Utah State Extension irrigation specialist warned today. "Thousands of acres of land in the state lie barren for lack of irrigation while tons of water are going to waste," he said. One way in which considerable consider-able water goes to waste is through seepage in irrigation canals. On a recent irrigation tour in Cache Valley, sponsored by the county Extension Service ?u1 was found tht more than 70 per cent of the water ' was lost in a three-mile stretch of one irrigation canal, Mr. Barker Bar-ker reported. This canal, belonging to the Kichmond Irrigation Co., was losing 1.17 cubic feet of water per second, out of a total of 2.22 cubic feet per second, or more than 52 per cent, the first one-naif one-naif mile distance, he said "It would be well for other irrigation irriga-tion canal' owners throughout the state to determine how much water they are losing through seepage." Sandy loam mixed with from five, to 10 per cent bentonite is probably the most satisfactory material for lining canals to prevent pre-vent seepage, according to results re-sults achieved by a Soil Conservation Conser-vation Service irrigation research laboratory at the mouth of Logan Log-an Canyon. This laboratory, with Dr. C. W. Lauritzen in charge was visited as part of the irrigation irri-gation tour. The sandy loam-bentonite mixture mix-ture will probably have to be protected with a layer of gravel after impervious material is placed in the canal, Dr. Laurit zen pointed out. The irrigation group also inspected in-spected three large concrete drops installed in the , Logan-Benson Logan-Benson canal near the Logan airport early, last spring, to prevent pre-vent erosion in the canal. Cost and benefits of the drops were explained by Homa Andrews president of the. irrigation com! pany owning them. |