Irrigation has been a significant part of Yuma County’s history, as it has affected the county and areas around it in several ways, and has been affected itself by Yuma’s ways to evolve to a more relevant and helpful operation. It has changed Yuma from a small farming community to an agriculturally efficient town. Technology has also had a hand in moving irrigation in Yuma forward, including beginning the Yuma Project which affected different groups of people over time. Irrigational development also benefited geographically from Yuma, creating more fitting irrigation systems. Ultimately, the development of irrigation was affected by the attributes of Yuma, and in turn affected Yuma County and southern Arizona itself by providing technological …show more content…
innovations, economic benefits, new techniques in farming, and factors that affect different groups of people. Technology was a huge factor in the success of irrigation in Yuma County in several ways. For one, the usage of sprinklers on crops helps germinate the seeds, cooling the surrounding area and speeding the growth of these goods. In turn, statistics have shown that at least a month of the farming process is taken off because of sprinkler systems. This proves that advancement in technology, like sprinklers, quicken the growth processes during farming and help irrigation flourish. The success of irrigation is then ensured. The Yuma Siphon, a technological development in Yuma County, has had water flow through it for the past 100 years and has irrigated over 50,000 acres of farmland. “We continue to benefit from that and are able to have that continual and reliable service through this infrastructure.”This quote, by Jennifer McCloskey of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, shows that even the oldest technology advancements, such as the Yuma Siphon, is and has been beneficial to irrigation because it was so technologically forward in the means of fulfilling agricultural needs in Yuma County. Thanks to this, agriculture was able to move forward faster and more successfully. In 1909, the Laguna Dam was completed which signified movement in irrigation through the Yuma Project. The successes and partial failures of the Laguna Dam generated a trial and error opportunity to the workers of the Yuma Project, which was an opportunity for improvement of the infrastructure, in time finally being successful in the diversion dam purposes. This showed that with the work of technology, irrigation was improved significantly. Without the innovative technological add ons and repairs to the Laguna Dam, irrigation today would not be as successful or established as it is now in Yuma County. Another way that technology has been a significant factor in the agricultural and irrigation fields of Yuma County is farming innovations. Farmers in Yuma County have found that the use of surface irrigation, or applying shallow quantities of water onto farming lands, has made irrigation in farming extremely efficient. The utilization of bolas and other technologies have become more common and upped the standard for agriculture, all signs that the advancement in technology has only helped irrigation become more efficient. Overall, irrigation successes over the years can also be credited to new farming technologies and modern techniques. Because of irrigation, Yuma and Southern Arizona drastically changed over time. It is easy for one to take notice of the differences of the region before and after the rapid development of irrigation and agriculture. Before the majority of the growth of the irrigation movement in 1909, the agricultural acreage in Yuma was 7,500 acres, whereas in more recent times-2002- the acreage was 44,832 acres of farmland, canals, and dams. These values proved that the development and time invested in irrigation brought Yuma from a smaller based farming town to an efficient, profitable and a more agriculturally centered area. Another distinguishable difference between historical Yuma/Southern Arizona and present day Yuma/Southern Arizona is the fact that steamboats used to have access into Arizona from the Gulf of Mexico. With the construction of the Laguna Dam, however, the entrance was blocked off, leading steamboats and imports in to find another way to deliver people, machinery, lumber, and goods via steamboat to Southern Arizona or the region around it. Overall, another clear change thanks to irrigation was revealed with the blocking of the Gulf of Mexico, calling for technology innovations (another significant change) to deliver important items and people to Arizona. Irrigation changed Yuma/Southern Arizona by ensuring a key factor of involvement in the irrigation projects of Yuma was the Federal Government. Without the help of the Federal Government, “...we wouldn’t have the irrigation we have now.” This quote from Carol Brooks of the Yuma Historical Society conveys that the funding of irrigation in Yuma and Southern Arizona from the Federal Government was extremely vital and expanded the movement of irrigation even further. This is a reason irrigation changed the regions of Yuma and Southern Arizona because it promoted more involvement and support with/from the Federal Government than before, in turn creating more agricultural benefits for the area-an obvious change and revampment of the previous irrigation on a smaller scale in the early years of Yuma’s history. Finally, an advancement in technology would be a big cause for change due to the irrigation agenda in Yuma and its surrounding areas. The Bureau of Reclamation developing the Yuma Siphon would be a significant symbol of change for the better for irrigation. The Siphon transferred water from the Yuma Main Canal to the Valley Division which was an efficient way of transporting water for irrigation. Since the movement of irrigation is credible for this technological advancement, it affected Yuma’s future in agriculture positively by having a way to get irrigable water from one place to another faster. All in all, the Bureau of Reclamation’s construction of the Yuma Siphon showed that irrigation was a driving force of change in Yuma and Southern Arizona to a hugely agriculture centric place. The Yuma Project was relevant and beneficial to several groups of people as it affected them in various ways.
As farming was a profitable and necessary practice for the Yuma area, the Yuma Project, which generated many miles of canals and laterals for irrigation purposes, was established by the Bureau of Reclamation and used the Colorado River to supply farms with irrigation without damaging its surrounding area with flooding. In 1916, flooding was a major problem for Yuma as the Colorado River was at high risk for overflowing into its surrounding area. A solution to this flooding would require levees and drainage which were of quite an expense, however building the Laguna Dam on the Colorado River and lessening the chance of Yuma under lands being ruined by flooding would all be possible with the Yuma Project. In turn, the Yuma Project was important to Yumans …show more content…
themselves. In terms of other groups affected by the Yuma Project over time, farmers from history up until even today make major profit off of their crops irrigated by the products of the project. The bureau of reclamation made it so that Yuma Mesa and surrounding areas would be one of the primary sources of crops and goods feeding the country and in turn getting profit from various sources. Also, with the need of workers for the construction of the upcoming Laguna Dam, Mexican-Americans found easy employment in their local or close to local area and were able to construct the dam, them constituting the majority of the workers of the Laguna Dam construction project. Over time, after the Yuma Project ended development, the residents around the Colorado River were less likely to experience flooding due to the established dams and levees the project entailed. This shows how important the Yuma Project was seen to residents, as the streets were rebuilt from the flood that had previously washed away the streets of Yuma. Thus, several groups of people over time felt the effects of the Yuma Project. Geography was and is a moving force in the development of agriculture and irrigation in Yuma County.
One of the ways Yuma’s geography impacted irrigation were the dryness and heat of the climate. Since essential nutrients are added to the soils by farmers, the overflowing of water from the Colorado River (due to excessive heat and evaporation leading to precipitation) pose threats to the irrigation and proper farming of crops. This called for solutions, like the Yuma Project, to build dams and levees to limit overflow. Consequently, geography had an impact on irrigation- Yuma’s hot climate made more overflow and opened the eyes of the Bureau of Reclamation on irrigation issues leading to fixes for
irrigation. Geography came into play as a factor of the changes of irrigation is the perfect winter climate and the farmland’s close neighboring of the Colorado River. Because of the Colorado being of easy access for irrigation usage, it is quicker for farmers to grow crops in the Yuma area. Geography also helps in the sense that winter temperatures for Yuma County tend to be significantly warmer than other areas, causing for a better growth environment for crops, which leads into the greater benefits of agriculture. In this case, Yuma is one of the most efficient winter crop producing areas in the United States. All in all, irrigation was affected by geography when the Colorado River was recognized and utilized nearby farming areas, as well as the region’s winter climates being of perfect condition for winter crops around the country. Not only did the Colorado River signal an irrigation opportunity, but it ceased an improvement opportunity via Yuma Project thanks to geography (the roughness of the river created a thought for proposal of the Yuma Project to Bureau of Reclamation to refine and utilize the waters for irrigation). As settlers began coming into present day Yuma County in the late 1800’s, they realized that flooding because of the river was a common issue. In the early 1900’s, the Yuma Project was proposed so the construction of canals, levees, and dams would be underway to fix the roughness of the river and end flooding. This shows that the significant movement that was the Yuma Project was caused in part by the geography of early Yuma, which was the roughness and the overflowing river. In conclusion, irrigation has not only relied on several factors to transform Yuma agriculturally, but Yuma has relied on irrigation which constitutes to a circle of benefits for the county. Technology, economic benefits, the people of Yuma and surrounding areas, geography, and the Yuma Project are just some of the many things irrigation has either taken up to make big differences or been affected by to form a well balanced and efficient agricultural program in Yuma County. I believe in order to get an even more thorough look at the rich history and current stance of irrigation in Yuma, authors in sources could have included more personal entries or more well descripted highlights of experiences in order to translate to the audience that irrigation is more than just a money maker in Southern Arizona, but it is a legacy that has been affected and has affected many generations of people all around who deserve recognition. All in all, irrigation carried many helping factors alongside it as it took on Yuma, Arizona and created an economic, geographic, innovative, and personal masterpiece out of what used to be an aspiring agriculturally developing territory.
During the years between 1840 and 1890, the land west of the Mississippi River experienced a wild and sporadic growth. The natural environment contributed greatly to this growth spurt and helped shape the development of the trans-Mississippi west. The natural environment dictated and facilitated the development of the west by way of determining who settled where, how the people survived, why people wanted to settle, and whether they were successful or not.
The primary purpose of Friend dam is to help regulate the flow of San Joaquin into available uses of its environmental, wildlife, and farmer’s impacts. The dam controls the flow of water delivery where it needs authorization first before the schedule can release any delivery waters into canals, steam, and wild life habitats. There will be agreements and many protocols to do with it first to avoid unnecessary spilling. There are 5 release schedules which include quantity of water available, time water, flood control requirements, release schedules from storage reservoir above Millerton Lake, and water user requirements. These benefits of flood control, storage management, modification into Madera and Friant-Kern Canals, to stop salty water from abolishing thousands of lands in Sacramento and throughout San Joaquin Delta, as well as deliver masses of water into agricultural lands in 5other counties in the San Joaquin Valley.
In December 1936 the United States Department of the Interior authorized the Lower Colorado River Authority to construct a low dam at the site of an old crossing on the river known as Marshall Ford. Marshall Ford Dam was completed in 1941 through the collaboration of the United States Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) and the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) of Texas. The original purpose of the dam was to prevent floods from devastating Austin, TX. The capital city had substandard heavy damage from previous floods since its establishment in 1846. Soon bureaucrats came together to create the Colorado River Project, wanting to create a series of dams along the Colorado River to create hydroelectric power and serve to control floods and droughts. With Buchanan dam well under way with a total of six planned Marshall Ford was the only dam designed primarily for flood control and the only dam in which USBR oversaw construction. With money scarce there was debate over the final height dam and it reservoir capacity. This issue resolves itself with the flood of 1938. Once completed Marshall Ford Dam would flood 65 miles of the Colorado to form Lake Travis, creating the largest of the seven reservoirs known as the Highland Lakes.
The one feature common to the Hoover Dam, The Mississippi river and the three gorges dam is that they all tried to control nature’s swings, specifically in the form of flooding. Before the Hoover dam was built, the Colorado river “used to flood spectacularly…but after 1900 the Colorado provoked a vehement response” (Pg 177). The response was simple, but large. The U.S. built several large dams, including the Hoover dam, on the Colorado to decrease its flooding and increase power and irrigation. Unfortunately, just as human control of the Colorado’s flooding increased, its organisms and habitats were detrimentally influenced, and the water became more and more salinated.
The negative aspects of Glen Canyon Dam greatly exceed the positive aspects. The dam’s hydroelectric power supply is only three percent of the total power used by the six states that are served by the facility. There is a surplus of power on the Colorado Plateau and with more and more power-plants being created in the western hemisphere, Glen Canyon Dam’s power is not needed (Living Rivers: What about the hydroelectric loss). Although the ‘lake’ contains twenty seven million acre feet of water, one and a half million acre feet of water are lost yearly due to evaporation and seepage into the sandstone banks surrounding the ‘lake’ (Living Rivers: What about the water supply?). The loss of that much “water represents millions, even billions of dollars” (Farmer 183). If the government were to employ more water efficient irrigation practices, as much as five million acre feet of water per year could be saved.
In the binational area of El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juarez flooding has become a way of life due to the scarcity of rain and desert climate. Fortunately, meteorologist, geologist and city planners are continuously working to improve city prior to a storm in order to mitigate any financial hardships during and after a flood. The city has to take in account past events in order to improve infrastructure. They also rely on meteorologist to study how the weather is reacting so they can anticipate the next system and how it will hit this region. The primary expert that contributes to this vital research are the Geologist, who have brought to light the cause and effects during drastic climate events. In this report, it will document infrastructure affects, stormwater management, Climate Whiplash and thoughts from the geologist on the desert-flood relationship.
In the 1898 mayoral election, Frederick Eaton was elected as mayor of Los Angeles; and appointed his associate, William Mulholland- the superintendent of the newly created Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. Eaton and Mulholland envisioned a region of Los Angeles that would make Los Angeles become the turn of the century. The limiting factor of that regions growth was water supply. Eaton and Mulholland realized that the Owens Valley had a large amount of runoff from the Sierra Nevada, and a gravity-fed aqueduct that could deliver the Owens water to Los Angeles. During the early 1900’s the United States Bureau of Reclamation made plans to build an irrigation system to help the farmers of the Owens Valley. By 1905, through purchases, and alleged intimidation and bribery, Los Angeles purchased enough water rights to enable construction of the aqueduct.
Texas, with its abundances of natural resources, is facing a new demon, one that doesn’t even seem possible, a shortage of water. Water, without it nothing can survive. Texas is the second largest state for landmass in the nation and ninth for water square miles. Within the borders of Texas are more than 100 lakes, 14 major rivers, and 23 aquifers, so why has water become such an important issue for the state? Politicians and conservationists all agree that without a new working water plan, the state could be facing one of the most damaging environmental disasters they have ever seen. The issues that shape the states positions are population growth, current drought conditions, and who actually owns the water.
Americans today tend to believe that the Colorado River drought has been a recent occurrence, although drought relief strategies have been implemented since early 1997. To summarize, in the book The Colorado River Basin Drought Planning and Organizations, Colorado is named as the original state to acquire a drought relief plan. For instance, various assume water levels are diminutive in the Colorado and blame is due to the previous ten years of drought throughout the United States. Although it is true that water levels are at a record low, initial plans in the early 1920’s to introduce manufactured structures into the water basin is the original reason Colorado’s water system began to be compromised. It follows, then the supplementary natural
The Colorado River basin has been the focus of ongoing water disputes for numerous years. These disagreements encompass the seven states which lay claim for health reasons as well as economic necessity that their region has access to this water basin. According to Richards and Orr (2003), “At the heart, it is an issue of scarcity.” (p. 19). As in many places around the world, the demand for clean water is not able to be fulfilled by the supply available. In the case of the Colorado River, the increase in the area’s population combined with water needs of industry as well as the needs of agriculture have all resulted in an increased friction among parties requiring water access. Hence, the disputes among states regarding the Colorado River basin are not limited only to surface water, but in addition include the right of states to drill wells for irrigation which can often result in a decrease in the amount of water from the Colorado River (Richards & Orr, 2003). In an attempt to obtain the water they need for their city’s inhabitants as well the water needed for a city’s economic viability, California leaders have even attempted to buy rights to the area’s...
The Colorado River, before Yuma was built, ran wild. The Colorado River met up with the Gila River in the table-flat floodplains. When irrigation was first created people used gates to control the water flow to the fields. But, before they used the gates a dam had to be built in order to control how much water is flowing. After the dam was built the farmers would open the gates to the fields and let water run in, after the amount of water was needed the people would close the gates and the river kept flowing. This made farmer’s lives
For about five years California has experienced above average temperatures and a lack of rain. This lack of rain and snowfall has caused California to become increasingly dry, starting arguments over whose right to water is more important and who needs to be more mindful with their use of water. Farming in California truly began during the gold rush when water was redirected to land where food was grown for those looking for gold (Siegler, 2015). The farmers that have stayed on that land now have senior water rights (“Water wars”, 2015). Farmers that settled their land before 1914 are those with senior water rights (Terrell, 2015). Governor Jerry Brown has called for a cut in water use by one-quarter percent to people living
The city of Santa Cruz, California is known for its moderate climate, natural beauty, amazing coastline and redwood forest.
Southeastern University is a private, Co-ed, Christian university. SEU’s main focus is to equip their students to be a next generation of leaders so that they can enter the real world as influential servants to their careers and communities. Southeastern university offers a plentiful amount of study programs, even the program I am interested in which is Human services. I selected this school First because it is a Christian college, and Second because of the programs of study. I chose to go to a Christian college because I grew up in a Christian household and because I believe in Jesus. I also chose Southeastern University because of the programs of study. SEU was one of the few colleges that had a program of study that I was interested in.
The weather in this novel controls their crops and the river flow; which controls their food and water supply. They depend on adequate rainfall to help their crops to grow and for the river to be full. They also depend on the sun to warm things up and make the crops grow. However, if there is too much rain or too much sun it can cause many problems, such as a drought or a flood. These things are significant in this novel, because t...