Most erosion on irrigated land is caused by the irrigation itself.
Surface irrigation -- where water is applied directly to the surface as in
furrow or border irrigation -- can be very erosive. Data from southern Idaho
show that large quantities of sediment may be generated within an irrigation
system; however, less sediment may be returned to the river than is diverted
with the water supply. Technology for reducing erosion from irrigated fields
is available: irrigation systems may be modified or changed, fields may be
leveled or profiled to nonerosive slopes, tillage operations can be reduced,
vegetative filter strips and drain ditch elevation control will remove
sediment, or sediment ponds may be used after runoff leaves the field.
Erosion and sedimentation are active processes on much of the irrigated land
of the United States. Erosion may be caused by rainfall or wind, but the
bulk of the erosion on irrigated land is caused by the irrigation itself
