Current evidence suggests that Indigenous farmers in the North American Southwest began canal irrigation in the second millennium BC, marking an important change in food production technology. Early canal systems are preserved in alluvial floodplains of the US-Mexico Borderlands region, tend to be deeply buried, and can appear as natural fluvial features. Here I discuss some of the challenges in identifying early canals and associated fields and present case studies from the Santa Cruz River in southern Arizona where buried channels dating as early as 1600–1400 BC were likely human constructed. These small channels share several stratigraphic properties and are consistent with hypotheses of early canal irrigation practiced by small family groups reliant on mixed farming and foraging. Through time, irrigation canal systems expanded in size, resulting in increased labor investment, sedentism, and productivity and facilitating the development of larger irrigation communities. Stratigraphic and geomorphic properties of early canal systems thus far identified along the Santa Cruz River provide a framework for identifying potential early canal evidence in other fine-grained floodplains of the Southwest, thereby improving our understanding of Indigenous agricultural intensification.

The submersed macrophyte, sago pondweed, frequently grows to nuisance levels in water conveyance systems throughout the western United States and can cause problems in lakes, reservoirs, and other water bodies. The liquid dipotassium and dimethylalkylamine salt formulations of endothall were evaluated for controlling sago pondweed using short exposure times (3 to 24 h) under controlled environmental conditions (14:10 h light:dark; 21.5 C). Endothall treatments ranged from 1 to 10 mg ai/L (dipotassium salt) and 0.5 to 5 mg ae/L (dimethylalkylamine salt). Sixteen concentration and exposure time (CET) combinations were evaluated in each study. At 4 wk after treatment, all CET combinations significantly reduced shoot biomass (43 to 99%) of sago pondweed compared with the untreated reference. Reduction in shoot biomass was greater in plants that received higher herbicide doses and longer exposure times. In addition, more than half of the endothall CET combinations controlled sago pondweed by at least 90%, with some providing > 98% control. At the endothall CETs evaluated, regrowth of sago pondweed could occur after 4 wk, and some level of retreatment might be required to maintain plant control throughout the growing season. Results indicate that endothall shows promise as an alternative vegetation management tool in flowing-water environments.