The melt season is often the warmest, driest time of the year, providing large volumes of runoff for irrigation when it is most needed.

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Experts have come up with all sorts of hypothetical ways the E. coli could have gotten into the spinach, from manure that wasn't properly composted to runoff from cattle farms to contaminated irrigation water.

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The former will generate electricity from the runoff of the 25, 000 miles of irrigation canals mostly set up by the British in this agriculture belt.

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Runoff is the source for all human diversions or withdrawals for irrigation, industry, municipal uses, navigation, dilution, hydropower, and maintenance of aquatic life including fisheries.

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Too much of this irrigation water is lost to evaporation, the water coverage is hard to control and wasted runoff can occur.

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