Irrigation costs

Anticipated persistence and mobility of agrochemical and degradates Anticipated variability in soil residues and cost constraints Depends upon specific analytical procedures (and associated LOQ) and available sample storage and processing capabilities Necessary for most dryland and irrigated cropping scenarios... 

While the construction cost for an ET cover is expected to be less than that for a conventional cover, uncertainty exists about the costs for O M after construction. Several factors affecting the O M cost include frequency and level of maintenance (e.g., irrigation and nutrient addition), and activities needed to address erosion and biointrusion. In addition, when comparing the costs for ET and conventional covers, it is important to consider the types of components for each cover and their intended function. For example, it would generally not be appropriate to compare the costs for a conventional cover with a gas collection layer to an ET cover with no such layer. Additional information about the costs for specific ET cover systems is provided in project profiles, discussed in Section 25.9. 

Where acid drainage is well developed and extensive, the costs of remediation can be high. In the Summitville, Colorado district (USA), for example, efforts to limit the contamination of fertile irrigated farmlands in the nearby San Luis Valley and protect aquatic life in the Alamosa River will cost an estimated 100 million or more (Plumlee, 1994a). 

The relative increase in cost for surface water disposal, deep well injection, spray irrigation (land applications) and evaporation ponds can be seen in Fig. 3.1. It can be seen that surface water disposal is the cheapest alternative, and it has a strong economy of scale as concentrate volume increases. Deep well injection also has a strong economy of scale, but this method s high construction costs means that it is only becomes feasible with a high enough disposal volume. Evaporation ponds have a poor economy of scale, and it can be seen that the overall cost increases rapidly with volume. This is due to the large amounts of land that are required as the volume of concentrate increases. 

Keywords Adaptation Techniques, Climatic Variability, Conservation Farming with Fodder Trees, Erosion, Low-Cost Drip Irrigation, Water Harvesting, Water Shortages... 

Von Westarp S, Chieng S, Schreier H (2003) Comparing low-cost drip irrigation, conventional drip irrigation, and hand watering in Nepal. Agr Water Manag 64(2) 143-160... 

CH2M Hill installed a complex irrigation and subsurface drainage system for highly saline metallurgic processing effluent at OREMET Titanium in Albany, Oregon. The cost of the study... 

Cultural practices such as irrigation are effective in reducing aflatoxin contamination of peanut and com (54), but this practice is not always available or cost effective to growers. Other conventional disease control practices, such as the use of fungicides, are largely ineffective in controlling A. flavus infection of crops when utilized at concentrations that are cost effective as well as environmentally safe. 

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