In This Section

Irrigation and Water Resources

Our Research Focus

Our work is rooted in the recognition that optimizing agricultural water use is vital for economic and environmental sustainability in Colorado. Our goal is to address this challenge by working with partners in academia, industry and non-profit sectors to conduct research in the following areas:

Efficient water use through technological advancements in irrigation
Application and testing of consumptive use evaluation approaches
Selection of sustainable and profitable alternative cropping and forage systems

Future Water Challenges

Over the next decades, these pressures will intensify, due to the confluence of population growth, water shortages and climate change. The Colorado River Basin in particular faces an ongoing supply and demand imbalance of water resources. This imbalance affects the Western Slope, as well as the Front Range, with its heavy reliance on trans-mountain diversions. With the majority of Colorado water rights used for agriculture, the next generations of farmers face a pressing need to increase the conservation and efficiency of water use in many forms.

Our Constituents

The Irrigation & Water Resources program at WCRC-Grand Valley works with agricultural producers – farmers, growers, ranchers, industry partners, conservation and conservancy districts, interest groups and other academic institutions. Engagement under the IWR program supports the creation, evaluation, demonstration and deployment of technologies that improve agricultural irrigation and water resources management.

Research Projects and Focus Areas

The projects we focus on in the IWR program generally fall into three primary categories. We work with our constituents to develop irrigation technologies that can adapt to our regional water resource needs. Consumptive use evaluation addresses how our water resources are utilized through multiple lenses. Alternative cropping systems projects explore how to optimize land use and water use by using alternative crops as a bridge between the two.