Professional Documents
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Alternative Irrigation
Alternative Irrigation
Systems for
Arid Land Restoration
by David A. Bainbridge
Southern California
E stablishing plants in deserts can be
challenging even with supplemental
irrigation. The low relative humidity,
and easy-to-use French-style watering
cans ($25 each from Gardener’s Supply).
These have a very comfortable handle
extreme temperatures, lack of consistent and a long spout that makes filling deep
rainfall, tremendous rate of evaporation, pipes or pots easy. When possible, hoses
and high wind speeds common in desert can be used. However, dragging them
desert restorationists environments all play important and inter- through restoration sites is hard work and
related roles in water loss from desert soil can cause damage.
and plants. These factors make it critical Water trucks, water trailers, and col-
that restorationists use the most appropri- lapse-a-tanks or saddle tanks designed for
have studied tradi- ate and cost-effective means to deliver use in pickup trucks work well for trans-
water to the root zone of newly planted porting water to remote locations (Figure
plants in order to maximize survival and 1). Whenever possible, I like to use a
growth. In this paper, I discuss the pros and 3,000-gallon water truck with hoses
tional methods and cons of standard and alternative means of because with it I can perform a multitude
watering plants. This information is of tasks including irrigating plants, pres-
derived from experiences that my col- surizing irrigation systems, filling on-site
leagues and I have had using these systems tanks that feed irrigation lines, and spray
developed innovative in the desert areas of southern California irrigating with side or rear spray booms.
and from the experiences of researchers in When small tanks or a water trailer are
other countries. used, a hand transfer pump (Guzzler brand
from Bosworth Co.), a 12-volt pump, or a
ways to efficiently small gas-powered pump (model AP125
Manual Watering from Homelite) can be used to refill water
Water is heavy, awkward to handle, and containers or pressurize hoses and irriga-
quickly becomes expensive to move and tion systems. In situations where a truck
water new plantings. use in remote sites. For example, an acre- with a water tank can be positioned at an
inch of rain weighs more than 100 tons, elevation above the watering site, grav-
which is the equivalent of about 300 ity—rather than a pump—will deliver
pickup truck loads of water. water through a hose (Figure 2).
There are several conventional ways Often it is more economical to have a
to move water: 1) watering cans or jugs, 2) water storage tank on site rather than dri-
hoses, and 3) vehicles. If hand-watering is ving a water truck or hauling a water trailer
necessary, we have found that most people to the site each time. A water truck can be
can carry two three-gallon jugs (about 48 used to fill the tank periodically. We have
lbs.) more easily than carrying one five- used a variety of on-site storage tanks and
gallon jug. We prefer using the ergonomic have found that polyethylene tanks are the
Alternative
Irrigation Systems
My colleagues and I have worked with and
tested many irrigation systems used by tra-
ditional cultures. We have also developed
several methods of our own that work well
and use much less water. Most of the irri-
gation systems we have tested are capable
of keeping plants alive on 0.25-0.5 gallons
(1-2 liters) of water per month, although
higher watering rates are desirable and
needed to improve plant survival and
growth. The most desirable amount is very
species and site specific, but increasing the
rate to two gallons per month per plant is
desirable in most cases. The more promis-
ing alternatives we have tested include
irrigation by porous hose, deep pipe,
best. Steel tanks rust and are more expen- Basin irrigation is the old standard. It watering into a tree shelter, perforated
sive. The plastic tanks cost about $1 per gal- requires planting in a hand-dug depression pipe, buried clay pot, wick, porous capsule,
lon of storage capacity. The tanks should be approximately 4 inches (10 cm) deep and and microcatchments. Below is a summary
fenced in or wired in place to keep them 20-30 inches (50-75 cm) square. Planting of our findings with each.
from being blown away by the wind and to in these depressions improves the micro-
reduce the risk of theft or vandalism. We climate for the plant and makes it less
have also found that painting the tanks likely that irrigation water and rain will Porous Hose Irrigation
with latex paint reduces algal growth in the run off and be wasted. We have used basin This method uses a vertically placed sec-
water and sun damage to the plastic. During irrigation as the control treatment for tion of porous hose to wet the soil col-
those times when rainfall is more likely, it most of our irrigation-system tests. Plants umn. The hose can be installed before or
may make sense to attach a water-harvest- in basins that received the same amount of at the planting time by drilling a hole in
ing apron to on-site storage tanks. For water as the other treatments (about 0.25 the soil to the desired depth and inserting
example, at our test installation in Anza- gallon {1 liter} per plant every two weeks) the hose. The hose can be connected to a
Borrego Desert State Park, an EPDM rub- generally have very poor survival (often 2 water bottle, a water tank, or an irrigation
ber apron was able to capture rainfall even percent) at these low application rates. system. However, only the more porous
during a 0.12-inch (3-mm) rain event. Drip systems are popular in arid areas, hoses will work at low pressure (we use a
but our experiences with them led us to fast-rate hose sold by Lee Valley). The
conclude that they are rarely suitable for pores on these leaky hoses will let water
Standard Irrigation Systems remote sites. The reasons are many. First, out even when they are simply connected
Once water is onsite, the choice of an irri- they require too much precious water to a bottle. The tighter hoses work only at
gation system becomes critical. The two (typical flow rates are 1-2 gallons {2-4 7 psi or higher pressure. Our early trials of
standard irrigation systems are basin irri- liters} per emitter per hour). Second, they vertically placed, 12-inch (30-cm) by
gation and drip irrigation, but both are of need regulated water pressure and careful 0.375-inch (1-cm) diameter porous hose
limited value in remote site irrigation. filtration to operate properly. Third, many have been very encouraging. Jennifer
method, two tubes must be run to each designed to increase runoff from rain and yield per unit surface area than larger
capsule to allow air to escape when water concentrate its laminar flow into small catchments (about 1200 yd2 {1000 m2}).
is poured in. dams or depressions (Shanan and Tadmor Microcatchments have also been used to
We have found porous capsule irriga- 1979). Rain falling into microcatchments supplement rainfall for water-stressed
tion effective, but more costly to make is effectively concentrated because it runs native vegetation. For instance, we found
and install than buried clay pots or deep down the catchment slope and is then that microcatchments improved the sur-
pipes. The capsules are not as sensitive to “stored” in the soil, where it is available to vival and growth of native transplants in
clogging as drip emitters, although they plants but protected from evaporation. the Mojave Desert (Edwards and others
may eventually clog with sediment or bac- Moreover, microcatchment areas can be 2000). Similarly, Ehrler and his colleagues
terial, fungal, or algal growth. Capsules tailored to provide optimal runoff volume (1978) found that jojoba (Simmondsia chi-
can be set up with relatively large diame- for specific plants and soil conditions. nensis) grown with microcatchments were
ter connectors, perhaps 0.372 inch (1 cm) Microcatchments are simple and larger in volume and produced more flow-
or larger, that would require less filtration inexpensive to construct and can be built ers and seeds than jojoba growing outside
and lower pressure than the small tubing with local materials and labor (cover the catchments.
used with many drip emitters. photo and Figure 7). Because they rely on The primary drawback with micro-
rainwater, they are relatively inexpensive catchments is that they work only if it
and the water has a low salt content. rains. For example, in one of our micro-
Microcatchments Therefore they increase leaching and can catchment test plots only two plants sur-
Capturing and using any rain that falls is be used to reduce soil salinity. The use of vived because it did not rain for almost 18
always desirable. Several types of systems microcatchments techniques in Arizona months. Ideally we would have watered
have been used over the past several has made saline lands that were retired the plants until the next rainfall. This is
decades—microcatchments, pitting, im- from groundwater-irrigated agriculture very easy with catchments but we did not
printing, and the use of straw bundles productive again. have the budget for it. Microcatchments
(Dixon and Simanton 1980, Bainbridge Many crops have been grown in may also be combined with other irriga-
1996, 1999, Edwards and others 2000, microcatchments, including citrus in tion systems that can keep the plants alive
Bainbridge and others 2001). Here I con- North Africa. Evenari (1975) observed and growing during the critical first
centrate on microcatchments—specially that smaller microcatchments (about 120 months. Once established, plants can usu-
contoured areas with slopes and berms yd2 {100 m2}) had higher relative water ally survive for some time without rain