Projects | Coachella Valley Resource Conservation District (CVRCD)

Irrigation Evaluation/Management (Mobile Lab)

Since 1985 the CVRCD Mobile Lab has helped farmers, homeowner associations, golf course superintendents and municipalities conserve water and save money by increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of irrigation system operation.

Using Mobile Lab technologies, CVRCD/NRCS irrigation specialists conduct on-site system evaluations that measure actual system uniformity, efficiency and application rates. Based on results from these on-site evaluations the Mobile Lab team suggests modifications in irrigation system design, operation, maintenance and scheduling.

Mobile lab irrigation scheduling recommendations reflect the daily water needs of individual crops as determined from climatic data gathered by CIMIS weather stations located throughout the Coachella Valley. This crop water use rate or evapotranspiration rate (ET) is combined with soil survey information in scheduling recommendations. These suggested schedules help irrigation system managers match their system operations to the specific water holding capacities of their soils and the actual daily water needs of their specific crops. The result is increased irrigation efficiency, reduced water loss, increased crop health and decreased water, power and fertilizer costs.

The Mobile Lab is supported by a partnership among CVRCD, NRCS, the Coachella Valley Water District, the Desert Water Agency and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.

Salinity Monitoring/Management

In 2007 over 30,000,000 pounds of dates worth over $40,000,000 were grown in the Coachella Valley. Local farmers produce over 95% of the dates grown in the United States. NRCS/CVRCD and USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) researchers are supporting the local date industry through applied research on sustainable date production.

In partnership with the California Date Commission and Oasis Date Gardens, researchers are studying more effective ways to measure and improve nutrition and water use in date orchards. Researchers are also closely examining the use of cover crops as a way to sustain date production without the use of chemical fertilizers or pesticides. The date research project is one example of CVRCD support for the increasing number of local farmers interested in sustainable growing practices that reduce or eliminate the use of agricultural chemicals. A full-length report on this research is now avaiable.

Mosquito Control Research

Most of the soils in the Coachella Valley have high concentrations of salt. Soil and irrigation salt content can dramatically impact important soil characteristics that support plant growth. Salinity management is a critical concern for local farmers. It can mean the difference between cropping success and failure.

CVRCD assists farmers in salinity management by conducting on-site, detailed assessments of soil salinity content on individual farms. Using a technologically advanced salinity assessment platform nicknamed the "Salt Sniffer", CVRCD specialists can create a detailed map of vertical and horizontal salinity patterns in a specific field.

The Salt Sniffer is a mobile soil sampling unit that brings together state-of-the-art GPS satellite location technology with electromagnetic inductance metering to conduct over 100 replicable salinity readings in each acre of farmland. The resulting map of field salinity patterns can help farmers analyze and manage irrigation and drainage problems, salt leaching effectiveness and variation in crop production rates due to salinity.

The Salt Sniffer was developed by the USDA Salinity Laboratory and operates through a partnership among CVRCD, NRCS, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the California Department of Water Resources and the Coachella Valley Water District.

Land Reclamation

CVRCD/NRCS research and extension continues to play a crucial role in helping Coachella Valley land users increase the productivity and biological diversity of the Valley's compact, stratified, saline soils. Using NRCS soil survey information, onsite soil examination pits and state-of-the-art soil salinity and chemistry mapping, CVRCD/NRCS researchers and technicians are working with date, grape, citrus and vegetable farmers and other land owners to improve soil conditioning and reduce the soil salt content that limits plant growth. This research and extension have helped make the agricultural regions of the Coachella Valley some of the most productive and valuable in the country. CVRCD/NRCS land reclamation support is becoming even more critical as the Valley's productive farm land is claimed by expanding urban development and farmers are turning to land with more challenging soils for crop production. Land reclamation continues.

Air Quality Enhancement (PM-10)

CVRCD PM-10 is a research and outreach program designed to address increasing community concerns about the impacts of seasonal turfgrass overseeding on air quality in the Coachella Valley.

Working in close partnership with the Hi-Lo Desert Golf Course Superintendent's Association, the College of the Desert Turfgrass Management Program, the Coachella Valley Association of Governments and the County of Riverside, CVRCD developed and implemented comprehensive research and multifaceted outreach to help local turf professionals and homeowners make a proactive and voluntary transition to dust reduction in overseeding.

CVRCD PM-10 was divided into two phases. Phase 1 was focused on data collection designed to inform a contextually grounded plan for effective outreach of dust reduction practices in the local turf industry. Results from this study were published in the CVRCD research report:
Breathing Easier - Overseeding, Dust and the Coachella Valley Turf Industry.

Phase 2 focused on outreach implementation. Among CVRCD PM-10 outreach actions were the design, publication and distribution of Pare el Polvo (Stop the Dust), a Spanish language dust reduction comic book for the Coachella Valley's large number of independent gardeners. Other Phase 2 outreach actions included the organization of a successful overseeding forum for the Valley's influential golf course superintendents, dust reduction presentations for property mangers and homeowner associations and organization and facilitation of a public/private partnership to coordinate dust reduction efforts.

Drought Tolerant Urban Landscape Research

Urban landscapes are essential to the aesthetic and economic quality of life in the Coachella Valley. CVRCD/NRCS research is supporting local landscapers and homeowners as they make the transition to drought tolerant urban landscape designs that enhance function and beauty while conserving valuable water resources.

In partnership with the Desert Water Agency (DWA), CVRCD/NRCS conducted the first systematic longitudinal study in the region on the adaptation of drought tolerant landscape trees and shrubs to the specific growing conditions of the Coachella Valley. This 10-year study examined over 70 plant species for their adaptability to local landscapes. Many of these plants are now commonly incorporated in water efficient landscaping throughout the Valley.

In a follow-up study, CVRCD/NRCS and DWA are investigating how drought tolerant landscape plants respond to the use of recycled irrigation water. Recycled or tertiary irrigation is an increasingly important strategy for local water conservation. In Coachella Valley test plots researchers are comparing the growth rates and plant health of ornamentals grown with potable and tertiary irrigation water.

Published results from these drought tolerant plant studies are available from CVRCD and the Desert Water Agency.

CVRCD/NRCS Educational Outreach

Through public and private partnerships, CVRCD supports the creation and dissemination of locally relevant resource conservation information. Extension and outreach are crucial components of the District's service program.

CVRCD outreach takes many forms including in-office and in-field consultations with land users, in-field salinity and irrigation evaluations, dissemination of information through local media and scientific journals, development and dissemination of individual land use and research reports, development and distribution of locally relevant conservation videos and publications, and organization and presentation of resource-use symposia and seminars.

CVRCD/NRCS Service Summary (2008)

(October 1 through September 30, FY 2008)

Customers Assisted:…..1,537

Acres of irrigation management systems evaluated:…..2,000 acres
Acres of salinity mapped:…..2,295 acre/inches

Acres of salinity management and toxic salt reduction:…..3,000 acres
Acres of cover crop management assistance:…..10,000 acres
Acres of integrated pest management assistance:…..500 acres
Acres of irrigation water managed:………….3,000 acres

Feet of windbreak management assistance: …..3,000 feet
Estimated annual soil saved by erosion control measures:…..320 acres

Acres of reduced tillage management assistance:…..340 acres
Acres of wildlife habitat assisted:…..80 acres