Payment for construction and maintenance is sometimes prorated to the landowners. Only about 20 percent of the irrigation water in the U.S. comes from well water. E. Careful attention needs to be given to the quality of the available water before an irrigation system is built. The presence of salts, especially sodium salts, in the water can cause soils to develop an undesirable structure. This salinity can also be detrimental to plant growth if the concentration is high.
Some waters contain boron in sufficient quantities to become toxic to crop plants.
The effects of elements carried by the water on the crops grown will be determined by factors such as the salt content of the soil, soil texture, kind of clay minerals present and drainage. The presence of organic matter and other suspended solids must be removed when using drip irrigation, otherwise it will clog the emitters. F. Providing proper drainage can produce several benefits. Drainage can add additional volume of soil to the crops' root zone. It can be used to flush out accumulated salts.