NewsDrop-February-2025

GROUNDWATER CONSERVATION GRANT PROGRAM

By: Isabel Martinez , EAA Senior Permit & Conservation Coordinator

GROUNDWATER CONSERVATION

GRANT PROGRAM PROMOTES WATER CONSCIOUS FARMING

For ten years, the Edwards Aquifer Authority (EAA) has managed the Groundwater Conser vation Grant Program that has helped farmers in our region save water while growing crops such as corn, cotton, and wheat, just to name a few. Farmers apply for financial assistance to purchase new crop irrigation equipment that will replace older, less water-efficient irriga tion equipment. Since 2016, the program has helped agriculture producers purchase center pivot sprinkler systems, linear sprinkler sys tems, and subsurface drip irrigation systems. One of the oldest ways farmers can irrigate a field is through flood irrigation. This type of water use is not very efficient as it is estimated approximately 45-50% of water used is lost. The EAA’s grant program helps local farmers transition from this type of irrigation practice to more efficient irrigation methods through the purchase of overhead sprinkler systems. In a field with flood irrigation there are fur rows, or small trenches that are made into the ground with a plow, where seeds are planted,

and water is applied to. To apply water, the farmer uses pipes and/or hoses to release water and run down the length of the furrow. A popular irrigation method that is used to replace flood irrigation is the use of overhead sprinkler systems such as center pivot sprinkler systems and linear sprinkler systems. These types of sprinkler systems have a long overhead pipe that is held up by a series of wheeled tow ers and along the length of the overhead pipe, and in between each tower, is a series of four to five hoses the drop down toward the ground. At the end of each hose is a sprinkler head. The length of the hoses and the type of sprinkler head attached to the hose determines how water efficient the system is. When these systems are used, they are 80-90% water efficient. Our groundwater conservation grant program also assisted in the purchase and installation of subsurface drip irrigation systems. Subsurface drip irrigation is a water saving system in which tubes, also known as drip tape, are buried under the soil surface. Because the tape is buried in

the ground, water is applied directly to crops’ root zones. Since water is delivered below the soil surface, water lost due to evaporation and surface runoff are eliminated thus making this type of irri gation method close to 95% efficient. Each year, the irrigation projects funded by the grant program save at least 200 acre-feet of water a year. The success of the program helped it receive grant funding from the Texas Water Devel opment Board’s Agriculture Water Conservation Grant Program as well as receive the 2019 Ameri can Water Works Association Texas Section’s Con servation and Reuse Award. The EAA recognizes that groundwater conserva tion practices are important for the sustainability of the Edwards Aquifer and promotes stewardship through the Groundwater Conservation Grant Pro gram. The program achieves this by helping agri culture producers save water and supporting their communities and economies.

Hear from Isabel Martinez, EAA Senior Permit & Conservation Coordinator, about the Irrigation Efficiency Improvement Program, an EAA grant program designed to help farmers irrigate their crops while conserving water.

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