• Disclosure
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
  • CCPA
  • Medical Disclaimer
Saturday, September 23, 2023
McLennan County News
  • Home
  • News
  • Business
  • Technology
    • Crytpocurrency
    • Gaming
    • Gadgets
  • Sports
  • Health
  • General
    • Business Services
  • Travel
  • Press Releases
  • Popular
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Business
  • Technology
    • Crytpocurrency
    • Gaming
    • Gadgets
  • Sports
  • Health
  • General
    • Business Services
  • Travel
  • Press Releases
  • Popular
No Result
View All Result
No Result
View All Result
Home Technology Gaming

New Irrigation Technology Could Save Water For Arizona Farms – Arizona Daily Sun

new-irrigation-technology-could-save-water-for-arizona-farms-–-arizona-daily-sun
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

DIANA QUINTERO Cronkite News

TONOPAH — The Central Arizona Project, which delivers Colorado River water to more than 80% of Arizona’s growing population, is taking a three-pronged approach to the megadrought that has resulted in the first water cutbacks to Arizona farmers.

One of those approaches is N-Drip, which converts flood-irrigated fields into a drip system that uses gravity, with no external form of energy. Developed by an Israeli company, the system is being tested to grow sorghum in Australia, sugar cane in Thailand and now cotton and alfalfa in Arizona.

Chuck Cullom, the Colorado River programs manager for the CAP, said managers are focused on water conservation, desalination and recycling as well as irrigation efficiency.

“We’re optimistic that over the next five to 10 years we’ll have a new array of tools to improve the water supply in Arizona,” he said.

That’s a timely prediction, considering the current megadrought. In August, the Bureau of Reclamation declared the first water shortage on the Colorado, prompting mandatory cutbacks next year, with additional reductions expected in 2022.

That has forced farmers across the state to face the reality of our water prospects, Cullom said.

“In 2022, CAP agricultural water users are going to suffer a reduction of about two-thirds of their CAP water supply,” he said.

CAP, which delivers Colorado River water to Maricopa, Pinal and Pima counties, is focused on water conservation, desalination and recycling as well as irrigation efficiency.

“We’re optimistic that over the next five to 10 years we’ll have a new array of tools to improve the water supply in Arizona,” Collum said.

Seth Siegel, N-Drip’s chief sustainability officer, said flood irrigation, which is widely used in Arizona, is “by far, the most water consumptive, wasteful, unsustainable, bad for the world possible use of irrigation.” Switching to N-Drip could save 50% of the water used and increase crop yield, he said, adding that N-Drip already is successful in Israel’s hot and dry climate.

Bill Perry Jr., who’s testing N-Drip on his Tonopah cotton fields, said the system has helped save 30% of the water used to grow cotton and slightly increased the yield. For the farm’s alfalfa crop, it only saved 10% to 15% of water but boosted yields by 40% to 50%.

“I’ve been very pleasantly surprised with how well it has worked,” Perry said. “I had very low expectations. I think the crop is better, we have saved water and we have saved on other inputs.”

Siegel noted that another plus is that N-Drip leads to less fertilizer use and reduces farm’s carbon emissions by 60% to 70%.

“Even if tomorrow we would get rain for the rest of our lives, I would argue that you want to convert to a system like N-Drip,” Siegel said.

Cullom, for his part, said he and his team are optimistic that N-Drip could bring one long-term solution to Arizona’s water problem.

Get local news delivered to your inbox!

McLennan County News

© 2021 McLennan County News Online

Navigate Site

  • Disclosure
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
  • CCPA
  • Medical Disclaimer

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • DMCA Policy
  • Medical Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclosure
  • CCPA
  • Terms of Use

© 2021 McLennan County News Online

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT