Water use efficiency in agriculture
In Santa Clara County, as in the rest of California, water
and water-pumping costs are important considerations for the agricultural
industry. Efficient irrigation methods and scheduling are the key to
maximizing water and fertilizer use efficiency.
Agricultural customers can increase water-use efficiency economically
with the following resources:
On-line Irrigation Scheduling Calculators
One of these calculators is for fields, vineyards
and orchards that are drip irrigated. The other is for sprinkler irrigated
fields and orchards. Each of them makes it easy to calculate your crop's
irrigation requirements based on your local CIMIS weather station data
and the percentage of your field that is shaded by the crop around high
noon.
You can use these calculators to estimate the irrigation water used
by your crop the last few days ("in arrears"), or to forecast your crop's
water use in the coming few days ("in advance").
Of course, it's a good idea to check your soil moisture to ensure that
your caculated irrigation amounts are doing the job.
The calculators ask for some information that you may not know yet.
The calculators will suggest values you can plug in to get at least
a provisional answer. Then call Bob Siegfried at 265-2607, ext. 2969
to schedule an irrigation system evaluation during one of your normally
scheduled irrigations, and we will develop the rest of the information
so you can use the calculator for more precise estimation.
California Irrigation Management Information
System
(CIMIS) Hotline
This valuable, free service provides current
reference evapotranspiration (ET) data to help you maintain the most
efficient irrigation scheduling.
In partnership with the Department of Water Resources,
the district operates a CIMIS station in Morgan Hill, and an additional
local weather station west of Saratoga.
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Check the
daily updated CIMIS weather from the local station
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Download a CIMIS
brochure (pdf)
Mobile Lab: Pump and System Efficiency
Test Program
Find out how uniformly your irrigation system is
applying water to your crops with our mobile lab service. An
experienced technician will analyze your system's performance and suggest
improvements where appropriate. You can obtain a $3.75 per acre foot
discount of your groundwater withdrawal fees with a system checkup.
Promoting an ethic of water efficiency.
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