UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



BULLETIN No. 906 



Contribution from the Bureau of Public Roads 

 Thos. H. MacDonald, Chief 



s&y-'&j-u 



Washington, D. C. 



March 23, 1921 



THE USE OF CONCRETE PIPE IN IRRIGATION. 



By F. W. Stanley, 



Senior Irrigation Engineer, 



With Introductory Paragraphs by 



Samuel Fortter, 



Chief of Irrigation Division. 



CONTENTS. 



Page. 



Introduction 1 



The Use of Pipe in Irrigation 2 



Incasing Old Pipes of Metal and Wood 



with Concrete 4 



Concrete Pipe 4 



Reinforced Concrete Pipe 6 



Manufacture of Plain Concrete Pipe_ 8 



Quality of Concrete Pipe 9 



Cost of Unreinforced Pipe 12 



Page. 



Laying Concrete Pipe 13 



Causes of Failure in Concrete Pipe 15 



Pipe Systems for Irrigation 23 



Settling Basins and Screens 27 



Air Vents 29 



Relief Stands 30 



Measuring Devices for Pipe Irriga- 

 tion Systems 31 



Distributing hydrants 44 



INTRODUCTION. 



In the more arid parts of the West, arable land possesses little 

 value without water. The water which can be put to a beneficial 

 use is limited to relatively small quantities, so that when it is fully 

 utilized, only a small percentage of the total fertile and arable 

 lands of the West can be reclaimed by irrigation. In recent years, 

 owing to the rapid increase in the value of soil products, intensively 

 farmed land under irrigation systems has risen in many cases to 

 double its former, prewar value. This great advance in the value of 

 irrigated land has placed a premium on water, and a widespread 

 effort is being made to convey, distribute, and use the appropriated 

 waters in such a way as to incur the least possible loss. Every gallon 

 of water wasted by seepage and absorption in porous earthen chan- 

 nels or in careless use on the land, robs the farmer of so much profit, 

 whereas every gallon saved protects fertile soil from water-logging, 

 and results in larger yields and profits to the grower. 



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