A Technical Advisor’s Manual Managing Agricultural Irrigation Drainage Water: A guide for developing Integrated On-Farm Drainage Management Systems

This manual is part of a two-part educational and outreach program to educate landowners and technical advisors about the advantages, disadvantages, costs, environmental regulations and other considerations in developing and implementing an Integrated On-Farm Drainage Management program for salinity control.

The first part of the educational program focused on the production and distribution of a guidance manual designed for landowners. It was released in 2004.

This manual is the second component of the program, and is designed to provide technical consultants and support personnel with the tools they need to assist farmers with developing and implementing an effective IFDM program.

An IFDM system can serve as a viable alternative for landowners who may not choose to participate in a voluntary land retirement program for drainage-impacted lands. Once irrigation systems have been optimized to maximize water use efficiency and to minimize the production of subsurface drainage water, an IFDM system can be designed to enable the landowner to process the resulting drainage water on-farm. Interest in IFDM is increasing.

The merits of IFDM have been recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the State Water Resources Control Board through the award of a Clean Water Act Section 319(h) Grant to educate farmers and to train professionals about IFDM implementation. Both manuals were funded by the grant, targeting the needs of the landowners, water/drainage district managers, engineers and technical professionals.