Flowing from the Uinta Mountains through Utah, Wyoming, and Idaho, the Bear River serves as the largest tributary to the Great Salt Lake and a critical source of water for agriculture, communities, and ecosystems. 

Thanks to a partnership between the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Bureau of Reclamation, a 3-mile pressurized pipeline has given producers in Cache County the opportunity to upgrade aging infrastructure and improve water delivery to their fields. For farmer Lynn Egley, it’s meant replacing a patchwork of siphon tubes, dirt ditches, and decrepit cement channels with an overhead linear irrigation system. “I’m probably one of the smallest guys on the system,” Lynn said, referring to his 30 acres of corn, “But I got the prettiest thing in a field.”

The two-year King Irrigation Company project started in late 2022 as part of the WaterSMART initiative between NRCS and Reclamation. The initiative leverages federal funding from both agencies to conserve water and increase drought resilience across the western United States. Selected projects that align with Reclamation WaterSMART investments in local irrigation districts utilize NRCS targeted funding from the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) to increase water supply and modernize existing infrastructure. 

NRCS Utah contracted with eleven producers during the King Irrigation Company project, implementing conservation practices to enhance water efficiency across more than 350 acres of farmland. The project sparked strong interest in updating flood irrigation to more efficient water management systems, including sprinkler pivots, linear systems, and subsurface drip irrigation.

Designed specifically for corn, Lynn’s new linear system glides across the field in a steady 70-hour pass, avoiding the pitfalls of wheel lines and flood irrigation, which once drowned the lower end of his field. “I thought about pivots,” Lynn said, “but you’re missing corners—and with corn, you need consistency.” This season, he irrigated every 7-10 days, keeping the soil damp and uniform, and setting the stage for improved water efficiency and healthier yields.  

Further down the Bear River, Bill Evans’ transition from flood irrigation to subsurface drip has been anything but smooth on his 34 acres of corn. Subsurface drip irrigation is designed to deliver water directly to plant roots through emitter hose buried 6 to 12 inches below the surface, reducing evaporation and runoff.  While interest in subsurface drip systems has gained traction nationwide over the past 20 years, its adoption in Utah is still relatively new, and installing and managing it can require a steep learning curve.

Bill counted approximately 200 leaks throughout his four-zone system during the growing season, most caused by loose connections during installation between flush lines and headers. Monthly flushing of the system also added to the workload. “There’s four flush areas that takes me a good half a day,” he said. Without assistance from NRCS and the WaterSMART program, system cost would have been another hurdle. Despite the bumps, Bill saw a 50% reduction in water use and a uniformly high crop yield from the new system. “So, it’s not labor free, and it’s not cheap, but I think once it gets tuned in it could be really good,” he said. As more farmers explore the technology and what it can offer, Bill hopes to learn from others and share his own insights. 

WaterSMART Initiative

From 2016 to 2024, WaterSMART supported 1,090 contracts across 16 states, investing more than $124 million in conservation efforts. Building on that momentum, NRCS has announced 11 new and 26 ongoing priority funding areas for FY2026 across the western United States. Read more about the funded projects. 

By Sarah Welliver, State Public Affairs Specialist, NRCS Utah