A Study of Land Drainage by Pumping from an Experimental Drainage Well in the Delta Area, Utah

Although it is now generally accepted that, in the west, irrigation and drainage are necessarily complementary practices, the realization has been slow in developing. Recent estimates indicate that about 8 million acres of land under irrigation in the 17 western states require drainage. For most irrigated lands a depth to groundwater of at least five to ten feet is desirable. Very high capital as well as annual maintenance costs would be involved in meeting this minimum requirement with the usual types of tile and open drains. Indeed, in most instances it cannot economically be accomplished. The purpose of this study is to determine the degree to which pumping groundwater, so successful in certain other areas, can contribute to the solution of the drainage problem in the Delta Area, Utah. The data presented herein have been collected in meeting one of the objectives of a cooperative research agreement between the four Millard County drainage districts, the U. S. Regional Salinity Laboratory, and Utah Agricultural Experiment Station, namely, to study the feasibility and costs of drainage by pumping from wells in the area