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Yolo Resource Conservation District offers free Mobile Water Lab service supporting local landowners with irrigation evaluations, water quality testing, and management recommendations. Enhance water use efficiency and conservation practices with expert advice.
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Irrigation Mobile Lab Yolo, Solano, & Colusa County Resource Conservation Districts The Yolo Resource Conservation District (RCD) is a farmer-led special district working with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to support local landowners’ efforts to sustain local agricultural & natural resources. The Yolo RCD promotes stewardship by demonstrating conservation practices through cooperative land users, educating the public in resource conservation & enhancement, and providing technical expertise.
What is the Mobile Water Lab? Free service offered by the Yolo RCD Includes: • Irrigation Evaluations • Optional Source Water Quality Testing • Recommendation on Irrigation Management • Water Quality Management Practices
Application Efficiency and Distribution Uniformity • Deprive portions of the crop of needed water • Over-irrigate portions of the field A Non-Uniform Distribution can:
Irrigation Evaluations provide: • Analysis of the system distribution uniformity (defined as a measure of the uniformity with which irrigation water is distributed to different areas in a field) • Determination of application rates • Qualitative observations of clogging and emitter wear • System map of pressure and flow measurements • Suggestions for system improvements and maintenance
Water Use Efficiency (WUE) – funding for irrigation evaluations (through Mobile Water Lab) – 10 more • NRCS – AWEP (Ag Water Enhancement Program), greater water quality emphasis in 2010, many practices: • Pipelines, drip, vegetated systems, sediment traps, etc. • CARCD – AWEP: many central valley counties • Glenn, Colusa, Yolo, Solano, Sutter, San J, Stanislaus, Merced, Fresno, Kings, Tulare, Kern • Water Use Efficiency vs benchmark 25.5 A-inches • Tomato, tracking/documenting yield & solids District Programs multi-benefit/water quality
Yolo-Solano Conservation Partnerships on working lands: • Ditch vegetation (with/for irrigation districts) • Riparian buffers/reveg – filtering irrigation/storm runoff • Cache Creek Geomorphic Assessment & Local Youth Stream Monitoring • Capay Valley Riparian Vegetation Management • Yolo County Weed Management Area (with Yolo Ag Dept) • Yolo-Solano Ag Water Quality Support Program • Grant closed, some money for practices went unused. District Programs (cont.)multi-benefit/water quality
Watershed Coordination, Planning, Implementation • Watershed analysis, • Support for landowner groups • Permit coordination • Safe Harbor agreement
Photo credit: Joe DiTomaso Restoration and Revegetation • Invasive weed control • Land management • Conservation projects • Native, beneficial insect, wildlife habitat • Bioengineering
Education and Outreach • Annual workshop series • Special events and tours • School programs
2010StrategicPlanPriorities • Water Resources • Farmland Protection and Agricultural Sustainability • Soil Erosion • Air Quality • Energy Efficiency and Conservation • Habitat Protection and Restoration • Education and Outreach • District Operations Geographic priorities: Headwaters, prime farmland and rural/urban interface, alluvial soil areas and riparian areas.
Heather Nichols-Crowell Yolo Resource Conservation District 530-662-2037 ext .112 Nichols-Crowell@yolorcd.org Contact