How irrigation wastes water
If you have ever had to walk out to a broken irrigation system to do repairs you know the first thing you are going to find is a wet boggy mess near and directly under the irrigation pipes. Irrigation systems waste water by frankly drowning the ground under and near the force of the water coming out of the irrigation pipes. Water is delivered with incredible force that can damage plants by forcing them to bend down or backwards and even causing plants to snap with the force of the water or drowning the plants in to much water the closer they are to the irrigation pipes.
Plants need water to survive and thrive but irrigation is mainly water that is forced through an industrial size huge sprinkler system similar to what many use to water their lawns Many plants have better results from an irrigation system that implements a root watering system using a soaker method. Unfortunately many irrigation systems either spray water from above the plants or they flood the ground with canals of water which in turn can drown the roots of plants and invite pest infestations or can spread fungal disease from plant to plant.
A balance of water is needed when using methods to get much needed water to crops. Irrigation methods need to be updated to work better with crops by implementing a system that works with the environment to produce a better crop without wasting water. Irrigation methods that use a sprinkler system to spray water over the top of the plants is the normal method but much of the water evaporates in the air, causing the plants damage by the force of the water or turns the ground into a muddy bog that can actually give the crop root rot and result in loss of part of all of the crop. The sun would also be bearing down on any water droplets on the leaves of the plants and could create scald spots on the leaves.
Using irrigation methods of flooding the roots using a canal irrigation method invites run off of nutrients, environmental concerns of chemical run off getting into surrounding ground water and streams plus root rot from to much water. Canal irrigation can also invite snakes and other reptiles not to mention insects. More sound methods to bring water to crops needs to be implemented that are not only conservative on water supplies but better for the environment and the communities directly connected to the area.
