PAM for Erosion Control

Polyacrylamide (PAM) has been used in Kittitas County for more than a dozen years. PAM is a flocculant that is added to irrigation water before or as it is applied to a field. PAM causes the soil particles to bind together causing them to fall out of the water column and remain in the field. PAM decreases erosion by 50% to 85% in furrow irrigation fields. In Kittitas County, PAM is commonly applied to sweet corn, potatoes, wheat, oats, sudan grass (see photo below), and new seeding timothy hay fields.
PAM is applied as either a powder or solid (tablets or blocks). The powder is metered into a head ditch or applied in a strip along the upper end of a furrow, before irrigation water is applied. The tablets are also placed in furrows at the upper end and sometimes further down the furrows depending on the soil and the slope of the field. The blocks are placed in netted bags in head ditches as well. PAM is also beneficial to sprinkler irrigation systems. The blocks can be hung on center pivot sprinkler systems to help prevent erosion in the wheel tracks (see below).

The KCCD cost shares with irrigators, providing 50% reimbursement for purchases, up to $2,000 (an irrigator can receive no more than $1,000 per year). This cost share program has been in place for 10 years and impacts an average of 2,000 acres and 15 to 20 irrigators per year. On average, 8,000 tons of soil per year are saved from irrigation induced erosion. To sign up for cost share, contact the KCCD office at 925-8585.

PAM should always be purchased from reputable dealers to ensure quality ingredients. In Kittitas County it is sold by Midstate Co-Op, Kern Company, and Smith-Kem Ellensburg Inc. More information about PAM is available at http://www.nwisrl.ars.usda.gov/research/PAM/primer

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