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Farmers rely on groundwater for their irrigation systems. Some places like Arkansas are seeing the supply of their groundwater diminish. Fortunately that hasn’t been an issue here in Tennessee yet. Billy Grantham with the Army Corps of Engineers is working on test projects that would allow farmers to use river water as a source for their irrigation system instead of groundwater. If successful these systems could ease the burden on places like Arkansas and be a preventative for any potential groundwater issues other states face in the future.
Thomas Capps: A New Water Source for Agriculture. Hello and welcome to Tennessee Home & Farm Radio, I’m Thomas Capps.
Billy Grantham: We’re heavy agriculture in this area, and if we don’t have it, it’s not only going to effect our area but the country.
Thomas Capps: It takes a lot of water to grow crops, and thanks to new technology, irrigation systems allow farmers to grow crops even in dry conditions, and in many places, those irrigation systems require groundwater. According to groundwater specialist, Billy Grantham with the Army Corps of Engineers, our friends to the West in Arkansas are running low on supply of groundwater in some cases.
Billy Grantham: In one situation with a with a shallow aquifer, if they can’t get water there, it’s not good because it’s not there. The next worse thing is going to the deeper aquifer which supplies municipalities, industrial situations, these things like that. You certainly don’t want to be taken ag water out of what people use for drinking water.
Thomas Capps: Thankfully, that’s not an issue we’ve seen in Tennessee yet, but to address the issue in Arkansas, and as a preventative measure for places like here in Tennessee, Grantham is running test projects to use river water for ag purposes.
Billy Grantham: The key is being able to provide surface water, you know, from the White River for Grand Prairie and from the Arkansas River for Valmida, and supply that to area farmers via canal network, such that they have a reliable source of irrigation water, such that is it lessens the requirement and strain on the aquifers via well and probably would allow folks to take some out of service and not have to use them as much, which will allow that groundwater to replenish and recharge.
Thomas Capps: Without a solution, this issue could become a national problem and even a world problem.
Billy Grantham: I think it’s critically important to be sure that that alternative source of natural provision of water is there to reduce that strain on what we don’t see underground and keep that safe horse for generations down the road.
Thomas Capps: For Tennessee Home & Farm Radio, I’m Thomas Capps. Thanks for listening, and have a great day.
