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ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #91509
Title: OVERVIEW OF IRRIGATION METHOD SELECTION

Author
item Clemmens, Albert

Submitted to: International Conference on Water Resources Engineering Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/7/1998
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Irrigated agriculture is under pressure from water suppliers and environmentalists to improve their management of irrigation water. Central to the management of irrigation water is proper selection and design of irrigation systems. An inappropriate irrigation method or a poor irrigation system design often results in poor water management, poor irrigation efficiency, excessive or unnecessary erosion, degradation of receiving waters, etc. Irrigation methods are often used in an area because of tradition rather than because they are the most effective. An American Society of Civil Engineers task committee has written a (draft) manual, "Selection of Irrigation Methods for Agriculture." This manual provides information and guidance on the selection process and on the properties of various irrigation methods and their capabilities and limitations. This paper provides a brief overview of that manual. The paper and manual should dbe of interest to agriculturalists, consulting engineers, irrigation designers, environmentalists, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and others. Ultimately, appropriate irrigation methods will conserve water and benefit the environment.

Technical Abstract: The ASCE On-Farm Irrigation Committee has recently completed a draft of a manual, "Selection of Irrigation Methods for Agriculture." The purpose of the manual is to provide information on the advantages and limitations of various irrigation methods so that engineers, designers, sales people, irrigation managers, students, and others can make informed decisions on irrigation-method selection. It is mainly targeted for developed countries This manual has undergone substantial revision to treat the main irrigation methods--surface, sprinkler, micro, subsurface irrigation/watertable management--more or less equally. This paper gives an overview of the manual.