Economic Adjustment to a New Irrigation Water Source: Pinal County, Arizona and the Central Arizona Project
Affiliation
Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Arizona, Tucson, ArizonaIssue Date
1975-04-12Keywords
Hydrology -- Arizona.Water resources development -- Arizona.
Hydrology -- Southwestern states.
Water resources development -- Southwestern states.
Irrigation
Economics
Agriculture
Arizona
Water delivery
Groundwater resourcesWater management (applied)Water supplyAcreageCrop productionSalinityCentral Arizona projectPinal county (Ariz)
Metadata
Show full item recordRights
Copyright ©, where appropriate, is held by the author.Collection Information
This article is part of the Hydrology and Water Resources in Arizona and the Southwest collections. Digital access to this material is made possible by the Arizona-Nevada Academy of Science and the University of Arizona Libraries. For more information about items in this collection, contact anashydrology@gmail.com.Publisher
Arizona-Nevada Academy of ScienceAbstract
Pinal County is one of Arizona's largest farm and highest farm income areas. Agriculture there is completely dependent upon irrigation systems, with nearly all of the water supply pumped from underlying groundwater reservoirs. Delivery of central Arizona project water will not assure groundwater conservation at a one to one trade-off ratio. Most of the monetary benefits to agriculture derived from the project will be realized by Indian farmers. Cotton acreage will not be affected, but the acreage of small grains and alfalfa will increase. The increasing salinity of cap water should be of no concern to Pinal County farmers.ISSN
0272-6106Related items
Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.
-
A recursive programming analysis of water conservation in Arizona agriculture : a study of the Phoenix active management areaArizona agriculture faces many changes in the near future. One of the most imminent changes will come from the enactment of the 1980 Arizona Groundwater Management Act. The 1980 AGWMA is designed ultimately to curtail the use of groundwater in Arizona. Agriculture will be affected since this sector used approximately 87 percent of all water in the State in 1980. This study reports on the possible effects that a proposed pump tax and water duty policy would have on agriculture within the Phoenix Active Management Area. The PAMA is one of four such areas in the State that have been identified as needing groundwater use management. The results of this study indicate that the proposed water duty is more effective in curbing groundwater use than the proposed pump tax. Investment in more water application efficient irrigation technologies is also important in this study. However, substantial amounts of capital investment funds will be needed to begin this investment.
-
Water Resource Alternatives for Power Generation in ArizonaAn examination of potential water sources for power plant cooling in Arizona is presented along with information pertinent to Arizona's future water needs relative to electrical usage growth. It has been projected that Arizona's peak electrical power demands in 1980 and 1990 will exceed that of 1970 by some 5000 megawatts and 16000 megawatts of electricity respectively. At present, the bulk of the electrical energy generated in the western states originates at hydroelectric installations. Utilization of nuclear reactors for power generation requires a larger amount of cooling water than is required for a comparable fossil-fueled plant. It is suggested that the utilization of reclaimed wastewater for cooling purposes is a viable and attractive alternative to groundwater pumpage from both economic and ecological standpoints. Savings arise from conservation of fuel normally required for well pumps, costs of well construction are not required, quantities of fresh water should be released for consumption by alternate users, and a previously unused resource would be effectively recycled.
-
A Rational Water Policy for Desert CitiesFour sources of water supply for desert cities are rainfall, runoff, groundwater, and imported water, and the potential use for each varies. The government can institute various policy changes to eliminate or reduce the imbalance between water supply and demand. Restrictions should be placed on water-use luxuries such as swimming pools, subdivision lakes, fountains, etc. Water pricing should be progressive; each unit of increased use above a reasonable minimum should be charged for at an increasing rate. Runoff from individual properties, homes, storage, and supermarkets should be minimized through the use of onsite recharge wells, and various collection methods should be initiated. A campaign to acquaint the general public with a new water policy must be inaugurated.
