ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service
P.O. Box 3657
Fayetteville, AR 72702

Irrigation Efficiency

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Irrigation Example, NCAT photo Most irrigation systems are not as efficient as they should be. For example, a study in Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, and other states found that, on average, about 25 percent of the electrical energy used for irrigation pumping was being wasted due to poor pump and motor efficiency.

Overwatering also wastes energy and money. Equipment problems and management problems tend to go hand in hand. Equipment that is badly designed, inefficient, or poorly maintained reduces the irrigator's degree of control over the way water is applied. Problems like patchy water distribution and inadequate pressure make it impossible to maintain correct soil moisture levels, leading to crop stress, reduced yields, wasted water, runoff, soil erosion, and many other problems.

NOTE: Some of the following documents are available as Adobe Acrobat PDFs. Download Acrobat Reader.

ATTRA Publications

The NCAT Guide to Efficient Irrigation A 158-page take-to-the-field reference book, with guidelines for more than 30 common crops, 14 pages of conversions and formulas, and 44 diagrams and tables.	Please note that this handbook is available in hard copy only, by phoning ATTRA's toll-free number: 800-346-9140 (English) 800-411-3222 (Español)
Maintaining Irrigation Pumps, Motors, and Engines	[Summary] [HTML] [PDF / 894K]
Energy Saving Tips for Irrigators	[Summary] [HTML] [PDF / 835K]
Soil Moisture Monitoring: Low-Cost Tools and Methods	[Summary] [HTML] [PDF / 628K]
Measuring and Conserving Irrigation Water	[Summary] [HTML] [PDF / 683K]

Links

Using Wind Energy for Irrigation Power
This Excel spreadsheet from Montana State University allows you to compare up to three different sizes of wind turbines, and up to four different types of irrigation systems, matching electric requirements to wind turbine generating capacity.

Agricultural Energy Publications
From University of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension. Downloadable publications on many farm energy topics, including irrigation.

California Energy Commission Energy in Agriculture Program
Publications, links, and other resources on irrigation and many other topics.

Irrigation Engineering Publications
University of Nebraska Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources website, offering dozens of publications on irrigation management and hardware.

Wateright
A "multi-function, educational resource for irrigation water management," from the Center for Irrigation Technology at California State University, Fresno.

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Last Updated December 2, 2008

ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service is managed by the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) and is funded under a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture's Rural Business-Cooperative Service. Visit the NCAT Web site for more information on our sustainable agriculture projects.

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