Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Economic Impacts Of Irrigation Technologies In The Sevier River Basin, Theodore R. Frickel

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The economic well-being of the semi-arid intermountain area requires efficient use of available water supplies. Agriculture, the major water-consuming industry, depends on irrigation water. The adoption of sprinkler systems that increase irrigation "efficiencies" and increase water available for irrigation upstream may interfere with the "tenure" of downstream water rights. The farmers would like to use the water saved to irrigate additional acreages or crop to provide greater profits.

The problem in letting farmers expand their irrigated acreage is that the individual farmer increases his profits through increased consumptive use. The consequent reduction in return flows reduces the water available to …

Economic Implications Of Phenologically Timed Irrigation In Corn Production, Dawuda Tsalhatu Gowon

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Corn production data was fitted into a Translog production function. Analysis of the resultant equation was based on what impact irrigation keyed to the crop's phenology would have on yield. A crop product cost function was developed to determine if there is profit (loss) in adapting water application to corn by phenological time period. Reasons for not adapting phenology as a key variable in irrigation include institutional constraints. Without modifying these institutional constrains, adopting the proposed technology may prove prohibitive.

A Multi-Year Analysis Of Irrigation Practices Affecting Salt Outflow: A Case Study In Uintah Basin, Joel R. Cannon

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Colorado River is subject to a salinity problem which affects the downstream user. It has been suggested that approximately 40% of the salinity in the Colorado River results from irrigation return flow. The evapotranspiration process extracts nearly pure water for plant use leaving behind soluable salts which may become part of the return flow. These salts adversely affect the crop yield for the downstream user.

Farmers' contributions to the irrigation return flow have been criticized. With the criticisms have been many suggestions on salinity control, including restriction of salt outflow at the farm level through either voluntary or mandatory …

Optimal Allocation Of Irrigation Water: The Sevier River Basin, Harold H. Hiskey

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Economic efficiency criteria are used to optimally allocate irrigation water in a closed river basin (Sevier River). The Basin is geographically divided into four subbasins. Linear programming model were developed for each of the four areas and used to generate value of marginal product schedules by parametric variation of water during the late irrigation season (after July 1). Differences in value of marginal product for average annual water deliveries were indications of a malallocation of late season water. A reallocation involving 28 percent of the restraining input (water) would increase net farm incomes (returns to capital, labor, and management) an …

A History And Economic Analysis Of The Hyrum Reclamation Project, Douglas Eldon Brinley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Reclamation Ac t of 1902 was sign ed into law under the hand of President Theodore Roosevelt on June 17 of that year, culminating years of efforts to involve the federal government in reclamation projects. Prior to this Congress had enacted a variety of land laws designed to encourage private enterprise to develop the land and water resources of the nation, but had resisted using federal funds to construct reclamation works. The early land laws, however, served only as a temporary satisfaction to Western settlers, and Congress finally yielded to the pressure for assistance.