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CENTER PIVOT IRRIGATION IN THE COLUMBIA BASIN OF WASHINGTON AND OREGON: DYNAMICS AND IMPLICATIONS 1
Author(s) -
Muckleston Keith W.,
Highsmith Richard M.
Publication year - 1978
Publication title -
jawra journal of the american water resources association
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.957
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1752-1688
pISSN - 1093-474X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1752-1688.1978.tb02251.x
Subject(s) - structural basin , center pivot irrigation , geography , service (business) , irrigation , water resource management , agricultural economics , hydrology (agriculture) , environmental science , business , engineering , economics , geology , paleontology , ecology , geotechnical engineering , marketing , biology
As of 1976 over 225,000 acres were being irrigated by center pivot units in a five‐county area of the Columbia Basin in Oregon and Washington. Most of the development took place since 1970. Dynamic application of center pivot technology altered the concept of irrigability in the study area, converting lands that were often rolling, sandy, and plagued by wind erosion from low grade grazing to productive irrigated units. This development was entirely by private enterprise, with large corporate farms accounting for much of the effort. Little prior comprehensive planning or coordination took place. When the circulation of water is altered on such a massive scale, however, unplanned impacts may be far reaching. In this case they include:1) acceleration of the shift to high cost thermoelectric generation, 2) alteration of state institutions designed to allocate water, and 3) possible significant alterations of the socioeconomic fabric of small rural service centers.