Subsurface drainage is vital in irrigated desert areas and much research on the problem has been and is being done in the Coachella, the Imperial, and the Palo Verde valleys of California. The problems are complex, and not susceptible to simple easy solution.

Agencies cooperating in the drainage research in one or more of the areas include the Coachella Valley County Water District, the Imperial Valley Irrigation District, the United States Salinity Laboratory, the United States Bureau of Reclamation, the Soil Conservation Service, the United States Department of Agriculture Southwest Irrigation Field Station, the Agricultural Extension Service, the Eastern Municipal Water District, and the Palo Verde Irrigation District.