A treating process using certain petroleum emulsions was developed that reduces seepage of water from irrigation canals by as much as 90%. The process involves ponding or flowing the diluted emulsion in the canals. The emulsion penetrates the soil and forms a water impermeable subsurface membrane.
L'utilisation de certaines émulsions pétrolières a permis la mise au point d'un procédé de traitement qui réduit le suintement d'eau des canaux d'irrigation dans des proportions aussi importantes que 90 %. Le procédé consiste i laisser séjourner ou faire écouler l'émulsion diluée dans les canaux. L'émulsion pénètre le sol et forme, dans le sous-sol, une membrane imperméable à l'eau.
Balancing the availability of water with requirements for growing crops has been a constant problem of mankind throughout much of the world.
Sometimes there is too much water, but far more common is the situation where there is too little.
When irrigation water is in limited supply, farming acreage must be controlled. Only enough crops can be cultivated to use the water efficiently.
Many areas of the world are blessed with fertile soils that will produce food for man and animals if they can be provided with water from natural rainfall or artificial irrigation. The source makes little difference. Few areas throughout the world have natural water conditions which meet the requirements for agriculture in accordance with present-day economic standards. However, the high crop yields that result from the optimum use of scientific irrigation procedures, commercial fertilizers, and insecticides now can easily justify the cost of artificial water supplies. For this reason, irrigation through canal systems has grown rapidly.
At the present time, there are over 250 million acres of irrigated land in the world.' It is increasing, but there will be a limit. When we approach this limit, further food production to meet the ever increasing need of man will depend on more efficient storage and transportation of water, optimum use of fertilizer, ability to modify plant transpirati0n~9~ so that less water is required, or production of food from nonsoil system^.^ Research is being conducted in these fields at the present time, and. advances in the technology are being reported in increasing numbers.
Our contribution is in the realm of more efficient handling of water. Specifically - reducing the loss of water from reservoirs and irrigation canals through seepage into the soil. This problem is economically important in the United States of America. In that vast irrigation system, approximately 100 million acre feet of water is collected annually in mountainous watershed areas and stored in reservoirs created by high dams5 This w
