Date of Award:

5-1949

Document Type:

Thesis

Degree Name:

Master of Science (MS)

Department:

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Department name when degree awarded

Agricultural Engineering

Committee Chair(s)

Steve H. Milligan

Committee

Steve H. Milligan

Abstract

At the request of the State Engineer of Utah, a cooperative study beginning January 1, 1948, was initiated by the Utah Agricultural Experiment Station and the Division of Irrigation, U. S. Soil Conservation Service. These research agencies are being assisted financially, and by consultation, by the State Engineer who has also made arrangements for certain observations to be made and furnished by the U. S. Geological Survey, U. S. Weather Bureau, and the U. S. Bureau of Reclamation. The objective of this study is to obtain basic information regarding the consumptive use of water by agricultural crops, native vegetation, and other land uses in the Upper Colorado Area of Utah. The basic consumptive use data will be used primarily to ascertain the depletion of flow resulting from present irrigation developments and to predict the consumptive use of potential developments as they may affect the flow depletion of the river.

Two areas, the Ashley Valley and Ferron Creek Areas, were selected because they appeared to be most favorably suited for this type of study. To establish reliable consumptive use data for the selected areas the following field studies were made during the 1948 season:

  1. Inflow and outflow, both surface and subsurface, were measured.
  2. The contribution of precipitation to water requirements of crops and other land uses in the area was estimated.
  3. The variation of ground-water table and amounts of ground water consumed was measured.
  4. Evaporation, temperature, humidity, and wind movement were measured.
  5. Soil-moisture depletion rates for various crops were measured by means of soil sampling and oven drying.
  6. Water use data by evapo-transpiration tank studies were obtained.

The writer, research assistant for the experiment station, was responsible for making the soil-moisture determinations, operating the evapo-transpiration station, and aided in obtaining the climatological data. Only these items will be treated in this thesis. The results obtained from these studies will be used to determine the valley consumptive use by the integration method.

At present the participating agencies plan to continue these investigations for at least one more year.

The writer assumes all responsibility for any statement or any opinion expressed in this thesis.

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