Archive TRICKLE-L: file log9506, part 1/1, size 90326 bytes:

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Earlier last week Craig Storlie wrote:

>Excuse me if the following has been covered recently - I've
>been a member for only a short period.

> I need an extension-type recommendation (ie., quick and dirty
>but absolutely effective, easy for grower to implement). What
>chemical treatment is currently favored to minimize root intrusion
>in SDI? At what rate should it be injected, how often should it be
>injected (is bi-weekly sufficient?), and how long should it be
>injected (is the length of time required to reach the last emitter
>sufficient?)?

> Viburnum (an aggressive growing nursery shrub) has been
>transplanted into plots containing 16-mil Typhoon at 10-inch depth.
>Constraints: material cannot contain significant amounts of macro-
>nutrients and should be relatively safe.
***********************************************************************
Although root intrusion is a more serious problem with perennial crops,
annuals still have their share of problems.
There are a number of precautions and procedures one can implement to prevent
root intrusion of any SDI system.

1) Irrigate frequently. Roots do not go find the emitter openings in
saturated soils. Root intrusion potential may increase later in the season
however, when you shut off the irrigation system.
2) Chemical options are injections of chlorine, acids and maybe
Trifluralin-5.*

a) CHLORINE: In a recent article in California Farmer (June 1995), it was
stated that 100 p.p.m. weekly injections helped control root intrusion in
walnuts. The article also stated that 1000 p.p.m. levels have been used
safely and successfully. Terry Prichard (UC water management specialist) says
that "the chlorinated water should be run until it starts showing up at the
ends of the lines. The lines should be shut down for 24 hours, then flushed."
We've discussed chlorine extensively in the last year on this list. Check the
archives for further chlorine discussions or email me personally to find out
more.
b) ACID: Our laboratory (the Water Management Research Laboratory) has done
"some" research on root intrusion using phosphoric acid. We have found that
injecting 10 to 15 p.p.m. P into the system seems to eliminate any root
intrusion problems with high frequency delivery on crops such as tomatoes,
cotton, sweet corn, and alfalfa. There are two types of phosphoric acid:
Green and white, with white being the most pure and expensive.
We do not know if it is the P, the acidity or the combined effects that does
the trick. Other acids that can be used are sulfuric, hydrochloric or
N-phuric. N-phuric* is a combination of urea and sulfuric acid and is more
easily handled than sulfuric and hydrochloric.
c) *TRIFLURALIN-5: From my understanding of current literature, Gowan Co. has
rewritten the *Trifluralin-5 label to be used in drip systems. The catch is,
only the Gowan product is labeled for such use. The label rates for
*Trifluralin-5 vary from 1.6 to 3.2 pints per wetted acre (1.88 to 3.71
liters/ha). I would assume that when injecting this, one injects at the
beginning of your set, then run non-treated water after. Note: There have
been serious debates on the whole topic of Trifluralin on this list. I merely
bring it up as a piece of information. Those who know more about this
compound and the minor controversy of using it, please objectively flame me
with compassion and thoughtfulness.

There are concerns from environmental/organic individuals in regard to
non-chemical methods. The only "product" I know that's been discussed on
Trickle-L is copper sulfate. It is widely known that CuSO4 kills roots and
does NOT move quickly in the soil profile. I would assume the idea is to
create a ring around the emitter area which would be composed of CuSO4
precipitate thereby creating a barrier to root movement.

Well, Craig, I hope this answers some of your questions. Root intrusion is a
BIGGIE for the industry of SDI. Discussion of this topic on the Internet will
truly accelerate progress.

*My employer, the USDA-ARS and myself, do not endorse the product name, but
only use it for descriptive terminology for the benefit of the reader.

Richard Mead
Soil Scientist
List owner/manager

The archives for the month of April are now available. If you wish to get a
copy of the archive, send the message: get trickle-L log9504

to

listserv@unl.edu

Warning: The list server version is 162800 bytes big. If you want an edited
and trimmed version, email me at this address (mead2513@aol.com).

The April archive topics of discussion include:

- Netafim Irrigation, Inc. agronomist search
- Microirrigation Congress activities, reports, WEB access,
positive comments about Trickle-L and the future
- drip tape explaination (dimensions and flow rates, companies which produce)

- sub-surface for hay, questions and basic explanation of WMRL experiment in
Brawley, California
- GOPHER CONTROL IN SUBSURFACE DRIP
- An excellent chlorine chemistry and bacteria physiology discussion
- Bromine over chlorine for disease control debate
- Burrowing Mammals detailed information from Rodney Ruskin
- Sensors and automated irrigations
- advertisement:Using your PC to Obtain Free Environmental Info" on the
INTERNET
- initiated Freddie Lamm's question of the week series
- GOOD TIMES virus hoax
- Excellent essay on design, installation and operation of SSD in permanent
crops by Rodney Ruskin
-1994 survey from Irrigation Journal (surface drip vs sdi)
- New member survey replies from: Steve Jordan, Bart Fisher, William
Tollner, Manuel Palada and Joseph Rajeswaran

help

Get trickle-L log 9504

Does any one know were I can find a float counter weight recorder for a
monitor well.

It needs to fit in a four inch well and read from five feet to 40 foot or
deeper and store the information for three to four months. I would like to be
able to retrieve the information with a notebook computer.

Any information will be appreciated.

Sincerely,

Thomas Barfield
TFARMS@aol.com

Please bradcast here when your book becomes available.

UNSUBSCRIBE GLENN ZOLLNER

UNSUBSCRIBE RYAN HENDERSON

To all:

Unsubscribe

I am conducting a series of experiments concerning agricultural
utilization of wastewater effluent in the southern Arava valley in Israel.
One of my long term goals is to convince the Israeli dept of health that
with appropriate cultural practices including the use of SDI safe, unlimited
irrigation is possible. My question to the members of the list: are
there any examples of unlimited agricultural irrigation with municipal
wastewater effluent which has been treated but not recharged into the
groundwater? I am particularly interested in examples from the state of
California due to the similar climatic conditions and its reputation for
being particularly strict concerning safety regulations. thank you.

Alon Ben-Gal <URI@vms.huji.ac.il>
Southern Arava Research and Development
Arava agricultural research station
d.n. Eilot 88820, Israel

tel: 07 356358 fax: 07 356392

Treated wastewater from the city of Orlando is used for irrigation
of citrus. The project is very successfull and (I believe) its
the largest reuse facility in the world.

Send me an address and I'll send you some information over the mail.

Dear Sir
Please send the publlications concerning wastewater reuse in Orlando to:
Gideon Oron
Ben-Gurion Univesity
The Institute for Desert Resaerch
Kiryat Sde-Boker
Israel 84990
my E-mail is
Gidi@bgumail.bgu.ac.il
the fax # is:972-7-557-042
Thank you
Gideon Oron

On Fri, 9 Jun 1995 FSZ@gnv.ifas.ufl.edu wrote:

>
> Treated wastewater from the city of Orlando is used for irrigation
> of citrus. The project is very successfull and (I believe) its
> the largest reuse facility in the world.
>
> Send me an address and I'll send you some information over the mail.
>
>

To keep a diverse range on topics, I thought it would be interesting to
briefly mention how SDI systems are being used in lawns. I see more articles
about the subject in various publications and finally the idea has surfaced
in a popular American magazine, SUNSET. The obvious benefits are: water
savings, no runoff, and SDI's usefulness on unusually shaped and steep
terrain. Disease and weeds are reduced due to lack of surface wetting. An
interesting approach many cities are taking in their landscaping, especially
adjacent to sidewalks, is the reduced liability aspect of SDI due to no
wetted area that can cause someone to slip and fall.

The guidelines for setting a SDI system in lawns are the following:
For clay soils use: 0.5 gph (2 Lph) emitters, 18 in. (45 cm) apart with
laterals 18 in. (45 cm) apart. For loam soils use 1 gph (4 Lph) emitters with
the same spacing used for clay. And for sandy soil, use 1 gph (4 Lph)
emitters, but space the emitters 12 inches apart with laterals spaced 16 to
18 in. (40-45cm). The depth placement of the drip line should be ~6 in.
(15cm), yet recommendations for sandier soils should be a 4 in. (10 cm)
depth. Lawns that have mature trees with extensive roots and soils that have
extremely sandy or gravely conditions, SDI is not recommended.

Without being too plagiaristic, I have included a formula from the Sunset
article which calculates application rate once the SDI system has been
installed. This formula could also be used in any installation of SDI since
the basic principle still applies. I will give the formula in both the
English system (inches/gallons) and metric.

To calculate mm/hr, use:

9113 x emitter rate(Lph)/emitter spacing(cm) x lateral spacing (cm)

To calculate inches/hr, use:

231.1 x emitter rate(gph)/emitter spacing(in) x lateral spacing (cm)

In general, most landscape companies use the Treflan* embedded plastic
emitters to prevent root intrusion. I might mention that CIT (Center for
Irrigation Technology) has done a lot of the research on turf over the years.
For more information contact Dave Zoldoski through ATI-Net at (209)-278-4872
or fax (209) 278-4849. Anyone out there that has experience with SDI systems
on lawns, please contribute your observations to the advantages and
disadvantages of this relatively new idea.

Richard Mead
List owner/manager
Soil Scientist (USDA-ARS)

* The USDA-ARS, nor myself, does not endorse the product name, but only uses
it for descriptive terminology for the benefit of the reader

At 4:00 AM 6/9/95 -0500, <URI@vms.huji.ac.il> wrote:
>I am conducting a series of experiments concerning agricultural
>utilization of wastewater effluent in the southern Arava valley in Israel.
>One of my long term goals is to convince the Israeli dept of health that
>with appropriate cultural practices including the use of SDI safe, unlimited
>irrigation is possible. My question to the members of the list: are
>there any examples of unlimited agricultural irrigation with municipal
>wastewater effluent which has been treated but not recharged into the
>groundwater? I am particularly interested in examples from the state of
>California due to the similar climatic conditions and its reputation for
>being particularly strict concerning safety regulations. thank you.
>
Dr. Bahman Sheikh conducted a five year study ot the use or reclaimed water
with sprinkler irrigation on vegetables in Monterey County, California. His
results showed no pathogenic risk to either the growers or the consumers.
However he was using tertiary treated water of very high quality. The
Orlando citrus application also uses tertiary treated water of very high
quality and the water is not permitted to come into contact with the fruit.

I understand that in Israel you use secondary treated water which is often
stored before use. I doubt if you will find any research in California or
the USA which would be suitable to support your objective.

Rodney.

Further to Richard Mead's comments on SDI for turf I would like to add that
we have had success with playing fields both with potable water and
secondary treated reclaimed water.
If anyone would like a copy of the Sunset Magazine article plus other
information on SDI and turf please send me your snail mail address.

Rodney.

Please forward a copy of the sunset article to:

Ted Van der Gulik
Resource Managemnt Branch
101- 33832 South Fraer Way
Abbotsford, B.C.
Canada
V2S 2C5

Please send me copy of the Sunset article. Thank You!

Sure Shot Irrigation
Carl Taylor
18666 Redmond Way
# H-2058
Redmond, WA. 98052

Thanks again

Carl

>Get trickle-L log 9504

Please send copy of Sunset article, thanks.

DIVISION OF WATER RIGHTS
C/O TERRY SNYDER
P.O. BOX 2000
SACTO, CA 95812-2000
Terry Snyder
Div of Water Rights, State Water Board
terrys@wrfs2.swrcb.ca.gov
work: 916 657-2061
FAX: 916 657-1485

Hej All

Before I shortly will present myself I would like to pose a question.

It looks like we have to prepare for some rather rapid climate change in
the next decades caused by the greenhouse effect that is going to be
rising for some years. A consequence of the climate change will be that
semiarid areas might become more arid.
It is perhaps not even a question but just a note but it seems to me
that submerged irrigation has a major importance for solving one of the
problems of the changing climate zones: the maintainance of agricultural
structures in areas that else might suffer from climatic impoverishment.
I have the impression though, and the audience may feel free to correct
me on this, that SDI mostly is economical with special crops and not with
bulk yield. Or are methods derived, marketed, that would extend the
economy of SDI for greater areas?

And now about myself:
After having studied Meteorology in Bochum, Berlin and Copenhagen I
graduated at the latter with courses in dynamical meteorology and
climatology plus glaciology. Now I work in an energy-related project
but my main interest actually is late 20th early 21st century climatic
change. So I have applied for an assistent teachers job for a course in
Climatology, Hydrology and Earth Science at the Geographical Institute in
Copenhagen where I hope climatic change will become part of the curriculum.
]:*)
>From the Danish World of subtitles:
Mit navn er Kommunalobligation, James Kommunalobligation!

>If anyone would like a copy of the Sunset Magazine article plus other
>information on SDI and turf please send me your snail mail address.
>
Dear Rodney,
please send me more information about SDI.

Thank you, Joachim
___________________________________________________

Dr. Joachim Mueller
Hohenheim University
Institute of Agricultural Engineering
in the Tropics and Subtropics
Garbenstrasse 9
D-70599 Stuttgart
Germany
Voice: xx49 711 459 3106
Fax: xx49 711 459 3298
____________________________________________________

Hi List,

Is there anyone using Drip or SDI for vegtable crops planted as
seedlings (peppers, for example) or seed (carrots, for example)?

--
Geoffrey Leach
geoff@netcom.com Home in the Meadow Ranch
P.O. Box 336
12846 Whiskey Slide Road
Mountain Ranch CA 95246
209-754-1869

I installed a SDI system on a lawn. We put the system on a 12 inch by 12
inch grid with .5 GPH emitters and buried it about 6 inches below the
surface. The system is going into it's 3 season and we have had very
little problem with it. We live in the high desert and with our spacings
we can only run it about 20 min. per day.
We planted sod over the top of the system and we did have some problems
with the sod ballooning up if we ran the system for to long. The soil is a
loam.
Generally speaking we have not had any root intrusion problems, partly
because we keep the system on the wet side of the moisture curve.
OBSERVATIONS:
12X12 is to close for lawns unless the sets are very small so you can get
a fast fill of the system.
They are very expensive to install
high frequency irrigations are the only way to irrigate a SDI lawn system
One plugged emitter will create a dry spot and it is difficult to fix.
Some very significant water savings.
Unless you have a very specific goal in mind I believe SDI on lawns is not
recomended for the masses

LEslie

Could you please send me a copy of the article from Sunset magazine and any
other turf information, as per your offer ?

---------------------------------------------
Peter Leroy
SCG Trust
GPO Box 150
Sydney 2001
Australia
peter@scgt.oz.au
fax: (612) 380-0388

To all:
Currently I have 3 systems going that cover about 400 acres. right now
my ph's are high 7's to low 8's. I would like to get them down to the low
7's. I have researched N-phuric, sulfuric, lime sulfur, etc.....
I would appreciate any and all comments or ideas on any others that have
experimented with the above mentioned or any others. Keep in mind I am in
California and many of the chemicals that others can use I am not allowed.
Thank You, Ken Mac Donald

Get trickle-L log 9504

Municipal wastewater (we prefer to call it recycled water) from the
Sonoma Valley in Northern California is currently being used for drip
irrigation by some vineyards in the Carneros grapegrowing region. The
water receives secondary treatment plus denitrification via an overland
flow station. Domaine Chandon is a winery and vineyard operation that is
using some of this water for irrigation. The quality of the
water is quite good and our monitoring of the soil has been
satisfactory. Since the water has received only secondary treatment its
use is restricted. Growers can not apply the water directly to the fruit
and workers must be trained to avoid contact with the water. None of the
restrictions has caused any problems for the users. In addition, a new
system in nearby Napa County, will bring tertiary treated water to the
eastern portion of the Carneros growing region. My understanding is that
delivery is scheduled to begin in 1996 or 1997. Please e-mail me
directly for more information.

*************************
* Zach Berkowitz *
* Domaine Chandon *
* (707)944-8844 *
* (707)944-1123 fax *
* zachb@community.net *
*************************

On Fri, 9 Jun 1995 URI@vms.huji.ac.il wrote:

> I am conducting a series of experiments concerning agricultural
> utilization of wastewater effluent in the southern Arava valley in Israel.
> One of my long term goals is to convince the Israeli dept of health that
> with appropriate cultural practices including the use of SDI safe, unlimited
> irrigation is possible. My question to the members of the list: are
> there any examples of unlimited agricultural irrigation with municipal
> wastewater effluent which has been treated but not recharged into the
> groundwater? I am particularly interested in examples from the state of
> California due to the similar climatic conditions and its reputation for
> being particularly strict concerning safety regulations. thank you.
>
> Alon Ben-Gal <URI@vms.huji.ac.il>
> Southern Arava Research and Development
> Arava agricultural research station
> d.n. Eilot 88820, Israel
>
> tel: 07 356358 fax: 07 356392
>

I am a table grape grower in the Coachella Valley California. I have been to
Israel many times and our climate here is more or less like your dead sea
area. Write your requests in this area to
Mr. Bruce Clark
c/o The Coachella Valley Water District
Coachella, California 92236 USA

He is the lead engineer on our waste water treatment facilities in the
desert. Let me know if he is helpful as my father in law is currently the
President of the Water District and may have further recommendations.

Robert Carian

Please don't get the government involved and mandate any use requirements.
We have enough already.

Here is a sampling from the first issue of a new FREE monthly environmental

newsletter. It is more extensive than what you see here.

Rather than burden everyone with a document that may not pertain

to them, we've included just the intro and the Web section of the

complete newsletter. Those readers who want to see the entire document

can do so on the Web <http://islandpress.com>. Or, you can opt to receive
the complete edition of Eco-Compass in your mailbox each month via e-mail.
To subscribe, just send a message that includes your name, organization and
snail-mail address to <newbook@aol.com> . If you subscribed after seeing the
debut issue last month, there is no need to submit another subscription
request - your copy of the June Eco-Compass is on the way!

We are initially posting this message to several mailing lists and

newsgroups with readers we think may be interested in the environment. We

sincerely apologize for cross-postings that subsequently result

in duplicate postings to your mailbox. If you are not interested in

learning about environmental resources on the Net, just delete

this message and move on to the rest of your e-mail. However,

if you want an easy way to monitor the pulse of environmental

additions to the Net, read on and enjoy ;-)

P.S. - There is still time to take advantage of the environmental book
give-away open to Island Press homepage visitors who complete our user survey
form. See the Island Press homepage for details!

____________________________________________________________
\\ //
// The Island Press Eco-Compass \\
\\ June, 1995 vol. I, no. 2 //
//____________________________________________________________\\



WHAT IS ECO-COMPASS?
____________________

The Eco-Compass is a new monthly newsletter featuring descriptions
of and pointers to Internet resources of interest to professionals,
academics, and citizen activists concerned with the environment.
Eco-Compass is provided as a public service to the on-line environmental
community by Island Press, a non-profit publisher of books that
take a solutions-oriented approach to critical environmental problems.

As new issues of Eco-Compass become available, back issues will
be archived on the Island Press home page <http://islandpress.com>.
Also available at the Island Press home page is an electronic version
of the Island Press Environmental Sourcebook catalog. Come check
us out today!

We encourage Eco-Compass readers to repost the newsletter
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may also opt to receive a hardcopy edition of the Eco-Compass by
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_____________________________________________


This month's edition of Eco-Compass spotlights sources of water
related information on the Internet. June's environmental gems
include:

* The "Water On-Line" Internet Discussion Group
* Universities Water Information Network of on-line
information sources
* Clean Water Amendments on the Thomas Legislative Information
Service
* Instructions on accessing the Chesapeake BIOS database using
telnet
* The World Wide Web Dam and Reservoir Impact Information Archive
* And, for something completely different, The Arid Lands Newsletter


=============================================================
World Wide Web Sites
=============================================================


* Universities Water Information Network
<http://www.uwin.siu.edu>

The Universities Water Information Network (UWIN) is a comprehensive
collection of on-line water resource information featuring links to
databases, bulletin boards and other water-related sites on the
Internet. UWIN is intended to facilitate access by the water
resources community to on-line discussion groups, news items,
announcements of upcoming events and other information sources of
interest to researchers, teachers and environmental/conservation
professionals. The UWIN home page also maintains a link to
WaterWiser, The Water Efficiency Clearinghouse. WaterWiser is a
cooperative effort between the American Waterworks Association (AWWA)
and the US Environmental Protection Agency(EPA). The clearinghouse
collects and disseminates information on water conservation and water
efficiency. The UWIN bulletin board, WaterTalk, is also accessible
via telnet to <bbs.uwin.siu.edu>. The Universities Water Information
Network can be reached using ftp <ftp.uwin.siu.edu> and gopher
<gopher.uwin.siu.edu> as well.
_________________________________________________________

* The Aquatic Conservation Network

<http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/freeport/social.services/eco/orgs/aquatcon/menu>

The Aquatic Conservation Network (ACN) is a charitable nonprofit
corporation dedicated to conserving aquatic life. The group's primary
emphasis is on protecting freshwater fish species through increased
involvement and cooperation between concerned individuals, aquarists
and scientists. The ACN Internet home page contains additional
information about the Network's objectives and news about ACN's
conservation and captive breeding programs. Details on how to join
the organization are also available on-line, as are copies of ACN's
quarterly bulletin - "Aquatic Survival". This newsletter contains
articles, letters, and news of upcoming events of interest to aquatic
conservationists.
_________________________________________________________

* Thomas
<http://thomas.loc.gov>

Thomas is an on-line repository of federal legislative information
maintained by the Library of Congress. The Thomas home page is a
terrific starting point for exploring the tremendous number of
Congressional documents and other materials, including the full text
of Congressional bills and the Congressional Record. The site also
features a listing of e-mail addresses that on-line constituents can
use to communicate with their members of Congress, as well as links
to the Senate, House and C-SPAN gopher servers. In keeping with the
"water resources" theme of this month's Eco-Compass, you may want to
check out the recent amendments to the Clean Water Act reported in the
House when you visit Thomas.
_________________________________________________________

* California Rivers Assessment
<http//ice.ucdavis.edu>

CARA, the California Rivers Assessment, is intended to provide a
comprehensive inventory and evaluation of California's river resources
for use in management, planning and policy making. CARA serves as
publicly accessible repository of riparian and aquatic data, including
vegetation characteristics, wildlife habitats, and nearby land uses.
Data collected during the Rivers Assessment will be spatially
displayed using a geographic information system (GIS). The best way
to access CARA's Internet site is through the Information Center for
the Environment (ICE) home page <http//ice.ucdavis.edu> maintained by
UC Davis, which contains links to a number of other interesting
environmental Web sites as well.
_________________________________________________________

* Wyoming Water Resources Data System
<http://www_wwrc.uwyo.edu/wrds/wrds.htm>

The Water Resources Data System (WRDS) is a clearinghouse of
hydrological and climatological data for the state of Wyoming.
The WRDS home page offers on-line access to a number of databases,
including climate, snow course, surface water, water quality, and
the Wyoming Water Bibliography. The site also provides access to
several other water-related Web sites.
_________________________________________________________

* Dam and Reservoir Impact Information Archive
<http://www.sandelman.ocunix.on.ca:80/dams/Overview.html>

This unique archive features a collection of Internet-accessible
information about the environmental impacts of dams, water diversions,
impoundments and hydroelectric projects. The archives contain files
that describe dams and other projects in the United States, Canada,
China, Indonesia, Finland, Greece, Thailand and elsewhere around the
world. The site also contains on-line resource bibliographies and
other pointers to materials found off-line that will be of interest to
people concerned about the far-reaching ecological, cultural and
social consequences of dam construction. The dam and reservoir
archive is sponsored by the Dam-Reservoir Working Group and the
Coalition to Preserve Hudson and James Bays, and includes pointers
to other organizations with similar water-related agendas.
_________________________________________________________

* The Arid Lands Newsletter
<http://ag.arizona.edu./OALS/ALN/ALNHome.html>

The Arid Lands Newsletter is published semiannually by the University
of Arizona's Office of Arid Lands Studies. The newsletter is read by
an international audience of arid lands researchers, resource managers
and policy makers. The Spring/Summer 1995 issue, "Conserving Drylands
Biodiversity", is the first issue of the Arid Lands Newsletter to be
published simultaneously in print and on the World Wide Web. It
includes a report on the threat of exotic grasses to arid ecosystems,
as well as an article entitled "Crazy Tomatoes and Purple Potatoes: A
Chef's Perspective on Biodiversity". The editor's note included in
the Spring/Summer addresses the potential of the World Wide Web as a
tool in helping to promote biodiversity.
_________________________________________________________

* GAIA Forest Archives
<http://gaia1.ies.wisc.edu/research/pngfores/>

The GAIA Forest Archives contains a wealth of information about the
world's rainforests, biodiversity and indigenous environmental
movements. The site offers on-line access over a thousand articles
and information pieces from past issues of two electronic newsletters:
"PNG Rainforest Campaign News" and "Worldwide Forest/Biodiversity
Campaign News". Both newsletters are the work of Ecological
Enterprise's Forest Networking Project in Madison, Wisconsin. "PNG
Rainforest Campaign News" reports on efforts to save the rainforests
and indigenous cultures of Papau New Guinea from the ravages of
commercial logging. "Worldwide Forest/Biodiversity Campaign News"
contains a broader selection of news and information about
biodiversity and forest conservation. Both newsletters strongly
advocate the formation of North-South partnerships as a means of
saving threatened forest resources. The GAIA Forest Archives is also
accessible via gopher at <GAIA1.IES.WISC.EDU> under the "Faculty and
Graduate Student Research" menu option and by ftp in the server's
<pub/research> directory. For more information on this site, contact
Glen Barry at Ecological Enterprises <gbarry@macc.wisc.edu>.
_________________________________________________________

* ENVIROFACTS
<http://www.epa.gov/enviro/html/ef_home.html>

ENVIROFACTS is a new Environmental Protection Agency database that
combines data extracted from four major EPA mainframe systems into a
single relational database. The mainframe systems included in the
ENVIROFACTS database are EPA's Permit Compliance System (PCS); the
Resource Conservation and Recovery Information System (RCRIS); the
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability
Information System (CERCLIS), and the Toxic Release Inventory System
(TRIS). ENVIROFACTS also includes the Facilities Index System (FINDS)
and the ENVIROFACTS Master Chemical Integrator (EMCI), which link the
data from the four systems by providing facility and chemical
identification numbers common to each system. The packaged query form
allows retrieval of facility information by city and state or zipcode.
There is also an option that allows users who are familiar with SQL to
connect directly to ENVIROFACTS and structure their own queries.
_________________________________________________________

Water Resources Management, Inc.
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On June 13, Bernd Kuemmel wrote:

>I have the impression though, and the audience may feel free to correct
me on this, that SDI mostly is economical with special crops and not with
bulk yield. Or are methods derived, marketed, that would extend the
economy of SDI for greater areas?<

You are correct to assume tht SDI is used in "special" crops, though the
practice is shifting to moderate income crops such as cotton. The high and
moderate income crops are economic incentive to pay for the system,
especially installation costs. But what will drive SDI's success over other
systems will be yield and water use efficiency. Water savings is potentially
good with SDI, but in some instances SDI 'might' use more water (e.g.
alfalfa). Yet if water use efficiency is higher with SDI, then more yield can
be produced with less land and shrinking arable land will a big problem in
the future also.

But one does'nt have to dwell on SDI for the potential to help feed the
masses.
The discussions on this list are still open all techniques of microirrigation
(microspray, surface drip and SDI). There has been a 329% increase in land
use of microirrigation in the last decade. World wide use is approaching 2.5
million ha., yet this only represents 1% of the world's irrigated area.
Considering that irrigated land is 'potentially' more productive than rain
fed areas, microirrigation will certainly benefit modern agriculture (whether
there is global warming or not). In India for example, drip irrigation
(surface) has proved to increase yields (of various crops) from 20 to 100%
over conventional irrigation practices and help save water from 40 to 70%.
Yet, one has to consider the economic infrastructure of a country to actually
benefit in the long run. In Pakistan, 30% increases in yield of vegetables
can occur by using drip, yet drip cannot be adapted in certain regions due to
capital costs or unless farmers shift to high income crops in water limiting
areas and purchase drip products locally. I don't personally invision seeing
drip irrigation (surface or subsurface) being used on wheat or rice in arid
regions unless the operating cost are some how reduced or the costs of staple
crops such as grains go up. I would be gladly proven wrong.

Richard Mead
List owner/manager

Dear sir,
Please send the Sun article plus any other information about SDI
With regards
Majed Abu-Zreig
School of Engineering
University of Guelph
Guelph, ON N1G 2W1
Canada

> >If anyone would like a copy of the Sunset Magazine article plus other
> >information on SDI and turf please send me your snail mail address.
> >
>

Acid injection to control pH is a common practice for certain
crops in Florida. You can purchase some software to calculate
injection rates from

D. Watson
Software support Office
Rogere 101
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL 32611

The program is part of a collection of software called WATER.
If you send me a self-addressed envelope with a 3.5" formatted
floppy I will send ou a copy. I cannot send you the documentation,
(I have been doing it but the number of InterNet requests have
consumed my copying budget, sorry.)

We use mostly sulfuric acid (battery acid) its cheap
and sufficiently pure.

Dilute the acid before injecting it, otherwise you'll
probably have problems with the generated heat.

Use materials that will resist the chemicals (your
common irrigation equipment materiasl dont).

Never neutralize more than about 80% of the bases,
you'll get dangerously close to loosing the solutions
buffering capacity, which can in turn cause a severe
drop in pH with a small addition of acid.

Train the manager to use a pH meter (measuring is the
only way he will know what he/she is doing).

Safety, safety, safety!!! This stuff is dangerous if people are not
properly trained.

by the way, the phone number of the computer support office
is 904 392 7853.

At 11:48 AM 6/13/95 -0500, Roy Leslie wrote:
..
>Unless you have a very specific goal in mind I believe SDI on lawns is not
>recomended for the masses
>

If you mean by the masses the D.I.Y. market, I agree with you.
HoweverI believe that both of the companies which specifically offer
product for SDI in lawns have readable design and installation manuals and
any moderately competent irrigation contractor who follows these manuals
can install a system using chlorinated municipal water on nearly flat
ground. If the contractor uses product protected by the Treflan impregnated
technology (ROOTGUARD) then the long term risk of failure is very small
indeed and the long term maintenance is far less than for sprinklers. This
is demonstrated by hundreds of small systems in private homes with
non-professional maintenance.

Rodney

Claude Phene has kindly critiqued my guidelines with respect to SDI in
permanent crops resulting in a considerable improvement, so I am passing on
the new version.

=46ACTORS IN THE DESIGN, INSTALLATION AND OPERATION OF A SUBSURFACE DRIP
IRRIGATION SYSTEM FOR PERMANENT CROPS

This paper is written for professionals skilled in above ground drip
irrigation who wish to apply their skills to subsurface drip irrigation
(SDI) for permanent crops.

The objectives of a SDI system are:

=AE Yield and quality improvements.
=AE A dry soil surface to minimize weed growth, moisture loss and disease.
=AE Broad lateral spread and minimum deep percolation to maximize the
wetted root volume and minimize percolation water losses and
contamination of the groundwater with agricultural chemicals.

=AE Dry Soil Surface:
To reduce the risk of water erupting to the surface:
1. Pulse the irrigation cycle with set times of one hour or less if
practical. To enable pulsing the mains and submains should be designed to
stay full of water between irrigations so that the filling time of the
system is less than 3 minutes. The use of check valves can assist in this
objective.
2. In soil of low infiltration characteristics decrease the emitter
discharge rate and increase the number of emitters.
3. Install the system in a position where equipment will not run over the
buried line, to avoid compacting the soil.
4. If the soil is compacted lightly till over the buried drip line.
5. Water penetration problems effect about 20% of California farmlands.
The key elements from a chemical analysis of an irrigation water which
govern the water's infiltration characteristics are the total salinity of
the water (ECw) and the relative sodium content. The relative sodium
content is evaluated through a calculated value called the Sodium
Adsorption Ratio (SAR). The SAR is calculated from the elemental levels of
calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and sodium (Na) in the water.
The infiltration rate generally increases when the water is saltier and
decreases with high SAR values. When the salt content of the water source
is very low there can be water penetration problems irrespective of the SAR
(1).
Growers have reported improvement of penetration of water into the soil by
adding gypsum through the drip system. This should be done under the
advice of an expert in this field using special fine grades of gypsum.
6. Disturbing the soil during installation can also cause water to rise to
the surface.

Time may mitigate the problem as the soil settles and the root system of
the crop penetrates the region around the emitter..

=AE Broad Lateral Spread and Minimum Deep Percolation:
1. Pulse the system - see 1 above. Claude Phene has shown that a pulsed SDI
system can have 46% greater wetted volume and 62% greater wetted interface
area than a pulsed surface drip system, each given the same amount of water
(2). This is shown in Fig. 1.(not included in e-mail version)

Problems to Avoid:

Inadequate fertility at the greater root depth,
Vacuum ingestion of soil into the drip system,
Gophers and
Root intrusion.
=46ortunately we have secure solutions; fertigation, vacuum relief valves an=
d
ROOTGUARD=AE

=AE Inadequate fertility at the greater root depth - Fertigation:
To achieve the best results it is essential to supply low concentrations of
fertilizers almost continuously through the buried drip system. In
particular, phosphorus and potassium are often in deficit of the plant
needs at the usual 18" to 24" inch depth of burial. Every system must have
provision for fertilizer injection both for fertilizers and for injection
of chlorine or acids to control pH of the water and bacterial and fungal
slimes.

=AE Vacuum ingestion of soil into the drip system - Vacuum Relief Valves:
To prevent soil ingestion adequate vacuum relief valves must be positioned
at all high points. Use twice the number of vacuum relief valves as are
used for an above ground system. Above ground vacuum relief valves are
sized to prevent collapse of the pipe - we need to keep water and soil from
being drawn in through the emitters. Ensure that the vacuum relief valves
are in the submain in the irrigation block and not in the main transmission
lines. If vacuum relief is needed in the transmission lines these are in
addition to those used to prevent soil ingestion.
In particularly careful when using pressure compensating emitters of the
type with a rubber diaphragm pressed against a labyrinth (EQUALINE=81 Agri+
and RAM). The ingested soil can lodge between the diaphragm and the
labyrinth sealing surface and cause an increase in flow.
Use slow closing valves.

=AE Gophers:
Gophers are not usually a significant problem. To reduce gopher strike risk
bury the line more than 18" deep, most gophers do not operate at the deeper
levels. Ensure that the wetted circles from the emitters overlap so that
all the dripline is in wetted soil. Gophers appear to prefer to dig through
dry soil.

=AE Root intrusion.- ROOTGUARD=AE etc.
ROOTGUARD, which is Treflan=AE fused into the polymer of the emitter, is the
only commercially available guaranteed method to be secure from root
intrusion.
Injection of acids and other chemicals which may legally be used for this
application has not been demonstrated to be a long term solution for
permanent crops.
There is one grade of trifluralin which as of February 1995 may be applied
to a buried drip system at the rate of one teaspoon per 15,000 emitters
three time per annum. If the grower has 1,500 drippers per acre then the
application rate is one teaspoon for ten acres. This registration is new
and at this time there is no published evidence that this dose is either
practical or effective.

The Three Questions Most Commonly Asked

In addition to questions about root intrusion and gophers, which are
answered above, the most common questions are
=AE How do I know if the system is working?
=AE How deep do I bury the dripline?
=AE How to I manage the immediate needs of new plantings with the long term
needs of the fully developed tree or vine?

=AE How do I know if the system is working? Monitoring the System:
A flow meter and several pressure gauges are essential parts of any SDI syst=
em.
When the system is installed a standard flow rate at standard pressures
should be established for each section.

A set monitoring schedule and recording of performance will be useful to
determine long term degradation. For example measure and record flow, input
pressure and flushline pressure for each zone weekly.

We cannot over emphasize the importance of this. Make sure that you have a
generous straight section of appropriately sized pipe to achieve accurate
and repeatable readings; typically 10 pipe diameters in front of the flow
meter and 4 pipe diameters behind the meter.

Due to 'noisy', or 'bouncing' instant flow readings the best way to
accurately read flow is to time how long it takes to advance the flow
totalizer several hundred gallons, and convert that to GPM. Repeatability
is within one percent at same pressure using this method. Instant flow
readings are nice for a quick check, but may be too unstable for truly
accurate flow readings. Using the 'timed' method of determining flow, one
can detect one open hose out of 200 if the break is near the mainline, and
can detect 4 or more open hoses if the breach is near the hose ends (+/-
600' runs, 16mm hose).

Another factor is how dry the soil is around the hose. Flow may tend to
drop by as much as a few percent as the runtime progresses and the soil
begins to resist infiltration. ...It is most accurate to take the flow
reading at, say, one hour into the run for each check.

Do high accuracy checks every few weeks, as well as right after the
injection of some fertilizers (e.g. K2SO4).

=46low may drop a little as summer progresses and the pressure drops as the
ground water table drops.

In the event of any variation of flow of more than +5% remedial action
should be taken:

If the variation is high flow:
=46irst look for breaks. If the system is not using pressure compensating
emitters and the flow is high and there are no breaks look for another
mechanical reason. e.g. high pressure, faulty pressure regulator or
pressure gauge, valve not opening fully etc. If the dripline is pressure
compensating first look for breaks. If that is not the cause then dig up a
section of dripline and examine for foreign matter holding open the
diaphragm. If this is not the case check the flow of a few individual
emitters to check if there is hardening of the diaphragm.

If the variation is low flow:
(a) The usual first step is to check the equipment - flow meters, pressure
gauges and regulators, valves opening etc. Then,
(b) clean the system with chlorine or acid or one of the proprietary product=
s.
(c) If this does not bring the system back to standard then one must
examine the line by digging up a section.
Caution: With pressure compensating emitters equipped with rubber
diaphragms even a small increase in flow may signal a serious problem. With
turbulent flow emitters an increase in flow indicates a broken lateral, a
leaking pipeline or a defective flow meter.

=AE How deep do I bury the dripline?
Like most SDI decisions this is soil and crop dependent. Given deep soil
with neither severe changes in structure or stratification with depth nor
high water tables then 18" to 24" depth has generally been suitable.
Shallower depths may be required for sandier soils.
With walnuts we recommend 24" depth to reduce the risk of pinching off of
the driplines by the very large walnut tree roots.

=AE How do I manage the immediate needs of new plantings with the long term
needs of the fully developed tree or vine?
Vines:
With well rooted bench-grafts the simplest approach is to bury the drip
line at the preferred depth just off to one side and plant the vine in the
fall before the winter rains. Or
do the same as above but over-irrigate and be prepared to waste water for
the first few months. Or,
with less well developed cuttings place the dripline about 1" below ground
next to the row of vines. At the end of the season pick up the dripline and
bury at the preferred depth.
Trees:
Any trees with a row spacing in excess of 15' will usually have two rows of
dripline. There are several reports of jets being better than drip for
established trees. If one compares one row of jets with one row of drippers
this is often correct. Consistently, field data demonstrate that two rows
of SDI will consistently outperform a single row of jets.
Place the first row of dripline just off to one side of the tree as per
vines above. You do not need to connect the second dripline row yet. After
one or two years connect the second line on the windward side at the
estimated dripline of the fully grown tree.

The above information is passed on as guidelines for the benefit of the
industry and the author does not in any way assert that this information
will be suitable for any specific application.

References:

1. Ron Brase, 1995. Water Penetration Problems. Central Valley Farmer, Feb.
1 ,1995.
2. Claude Phene, K. R. Davis, R.B. Hutmacher, B. Bar-Yosef, D.W. Meek 1990.
Effect of high frequency subsurface and surface drip irrigation on root
distribution of sweet corn. Irr. Science, 12:135-140.
3. Craig Thompson, 1995. Re: Design, installation and .... Trickle-L
Bulletin Board 29, April 1995.

With thanks to the many people who advised me in writing this guide. In
particular I would like to thank Freddie Lamm, Tony Pereira, Claude Phene,
=46rancois van der Spuy and Craig Thompson. All errors and omissions are by
the author alone, and all the good stuff comes from the advisors.

=A9 Copyright Rodney Ruskin, June 15, 1995.
Permission is granted to any interested party to reproduce this material
provided that the source is correctly credited.

I would STRONGLY suggest some type of automation of a pH adjustment. Most of
the companies we deal with take our pH controller and have it turn on or off
a small metering pump to adjust pH. This eliminates the guesswork, cuts out
handling chemicals, and prevents killing crops.

Jim Beshears
Stranco Engineering Services
JimB1331@aol.com
800 882-6466

unsubscribe

The May archives are now available from the list server. Topics of
discussion include:

Water quality, drip uniformity, standardized terminology, Craig Storlie's
introduction, fertigation using high frequency irrigation, x-mas tree
production using drip and guidelines of SDI in permanent crops.

You can obtain the archive by sending the command:

get trickle-l log9505

to

listserv@unl.edu

Do not send this command to Trickle-L@unl.edu !!
Many of us have done this and end up getting no archive and posting our
ignorance to all subscribers (don't worry, I was the king of making this
mistake until recently).
Please post your "get trickle-l log" commands to only the list server
(listserv@unl.edu).

Warning! Some how when I asked for the May archive from the listserver,
the April archive was attached to it, consequently delivering a huge text
file (>330K).

A few weeks ago I offered to deliver an edited version of the April
archives to any one interested yet I found this to be tedious since it
required sending four segmented files to all individuals interested. I
won't offer that service for the May archive, but we are looking
possibility at putting the archives some where on the Net where they are
easier to obtain in the edited version.

Richard Mead
List owner/manager

As a newcomer to drip irrigation ( I have just installed a surface
drip system in my home garden), I would like to use weather data such
as temperature, wind speed, humidity, etc. to compute my own ET. Not
only do I feel that data from the ag extension agency may be
inaccurate for microclimates, but hope to automate the system through
my computer.

Any helpful formulas to compute ET from field data would be much
appreciated, as would information regarding weather sensor suppliers.

Thank you,

John MacGilchrist

I have a lot of concern in using the S.A.R. or S.A.R vs E.Cw calculations in
microirrigation. Is there another method that could take the concentration
effect of limited water use into consideration?
Does anyone know how much sodium is injected when using varying strengths of
sodium hypochlorite? Does a 5% sodium hypochlorite solution have more or less
sodium than a 10 or 12%.

Please send me data on your ph meters and auto injection pumps to regulate
ph.
Robert Carian
P.O. Box 1088
Coachella CA 92236

Will somebody please comment on the chemicals preferred to increase the ph
of the fertigation solution.

I shall try to remember my books tomorrow to provide you with some formulae.
Do not hesitate to contact me, if I have not acted within the end of the
week.

Greetings

Bernd

:
:Any helpful formulas to compute ET from field data would be much
:appreciated, as would information regarding weather sensor suppliers.
:
:Thank you,
:
:John MacGilchrist
:
]:*)
>From the Danish World of subtitles:
Mit navn er Kommunalobligation, James Kommunalobligation!

>I shall try to remember my books tomorrow to provide you with some formulae.
>Do not hesitate to contact me, if I have not acted within the end of the
>week.
>
>Greetings
>
>Bernd
>
>:
>:Any helpful formulas to compute ET from field data would be much
>:appreciated, as would information regarding weather sensor suppliers.
>:
>:Thank you,
>:
>:John MacGilchrist
>:
>]:*)
>>From the Danish World of subtitles:
>Mit navn er Kommunalobligation, James Kommunalobligation!

I think I got this e-mail by mistake.
I work in Irrigation at the Irrigation Training and Research Center at Cal
Poly, San Luis Obispo, CALIF., USA

Charles Burt

In relation to the first part of your question, I suggest you consider
chemical speciation models for water, such as MINTEQA2 (produced by EPA)
to simulate what could happen when water with a certain composition
reaches a soil with certain characteristics

unsubscribe
Georges Vachaud
LTHE/IMG, BP 53X, 38041 Grenoble cx09, France
phone (33)76825070, fax (33)76825286 or (33)76825001

FSZ

Exciting!

Please send info to:

Jim Keane
PO Box 4245
Chatt. TN. 37405
(615)752-5000

Thanx

JK

Get trickle-L log 9504

Micheal Schulz
Salt Land Vegetation Activity Leader
Inst. Sustainable Irrigated Agriculture
Tatura, VICTORIA, 3616
AUSTRALIA
Tel: (61) (0)58 335 222

Does anyone know of e-mail lists for center pivot, wheel line, or hand line
irrigation?

>Does anyone know of e-mail lists for center pivot, wheel line, or hand line
>irrigation?
>

The only other E-mail discussion list that I'm aware of is

Irrigation-L

at the server

LISTSERV@vm.gmd.de

This list is for discussions regarding all aspects of irrigation

==========================================================================
Richard Soppe subscribe to
Water Management Research lab TRICKLE-L@UNL.EDU
ARS/USDA or visit
2021 S. Peach Ave http://asset.arsusda.gov/WMRL.html
Fresno CA 93727-5951 for the latest in drip irrigation
phone: (209)453-3119
fax: (209)453-3122
==========================================================================

DITTO TO RICHARD SOPPE'S MESSAGE. I DID SOME INQUIRIES IN MARCH 95
and FOUND NOTHING ELSE IN A COMPARBLE FASHION.
FREDDIE LAMM

>
> The only other E-mail discussion list that I'm aware of is
>
> Irrigation-L
>
> at the server
>
> LISTSERV@vm.gmd.de
>
> This list is for discussions regarding all aspects of irrigation
>
>
> ==========================================================================
> Richard Soppe subscribe to
> Water Management Research lab TRICKLE-L@UNL.EDU
> ARS/USDA or visit
> 2021 S. Peach Ave http://asset.arsusda.gov/WMRL.html
> Fresno CA 93727-5951 for the latest in drip irrigation
> phone: (209)453-3119
> fax: (209)453-3122
> ==========================================================================
>-------------------------------------------------------------------
Freddie Lamm *
Research Agricultural Engineer *** o
KSU Northwest Research-Extension Center ***** /|\
105 Experiment Farm Road *******\\
Colby, Kansas 67701-1697 *********
Ph. 913-462-6281 ***********
FAX 913-462-2315 *************
Email:flamm@oznet.ksu.edu It's all downhill from here.

------ THERE'S NO DOMAIN LIKE OZ, THERE'S NO DOMAIN LIKE OZ. ------
------------------------------ Cut here ------------------------------