In the West, cotton has been traditionally irrigated by furrow and sprinkler irrigation although water resources, climatic factors and soil conditions are often not well suited for these types of irrigation systems. Because of decreasing water availability, field crops such as cotton, which are thought to be "high water users" have been severely criticized by the non-agricultural sectors of the population. Several irrigation studies conducted by the USDA-ARS Water Management Research Laboratory in Fresno, CA have demonstrated that: (1) the relatively high water applications to cotton are necessary mostly because of the relatively low efficiency of the irrigation systems and the management used; (2) cotton will use more water than is actually needed to produce a high yield if the water is applied and (3) contrary to popular belief, subsurface drip irrigation can be used economically with cotton to achieve an increase in yield and water use efficiency. This paper will report research results which back up the three above claims.