Simulating Potential Weekly Stream and Pond Water Available for Irrigation in the Big Sunflower River Watershed of Mississippi Delta

Groundwater storage and level have declined rapidly in the Big Sunflower River Watershed (BSRW) of Mississippi Delta in recent years. Farmers in this region are beginning to save groundwater resources by increasing surface water usage for agricultural irrigation. In this study, we estimated the weekly amount of surface water available in ponds and streams, determined if the weekly surface water resources are sufficient for major crop irrigation demand, and assessed how much surface water can replace groundwater for agriculture irrigation in the BSRW. The SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) model was employed to simulate the weekly water resources for 23 sub-basins from the BSRW. Results showed that weekly stream water resources (SWR), stream evaporation (SE) and water loss from the channel via transmission through the side and bottom of the channel (stream transmission, referred as ST) for BSRW during the growing seasons ranged from 20.4 to 29.4 mm, 7.4 to 14.4 mm, 1.6 to 4.5 mm and 1.1 to 1.6 mm, while pond water resources (PWR) and pond evaporation (PE) ranged from 1.9 to 2.1 mm and 0.3 to 0.5 mm. The value of SWR − (ST + SE) and PWR − PE were positive in all sub-basins, indicating that there are net surface water resources available in this region. The percentages of total groundwater usage for irrigation that could be replaced by surface water in each sub-basin every week of each month from May to September ranged from 10% to 87%. Our studies suggested that the conjunctive use of surface and groundwater for agriculture irrigation is a feasible method for groundwater sustainable management in the Mississippi Delta.

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Assessment of Surface Water Resources in the Big Sunflower River Watershed Using Coupled SWAT–MODFLOW Model

Water ◽

10.3390/w11030528 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 528 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Fei Gao ◽

Gary Feng ◽

Ming Han ◽

Padmanava Dash ◽

Johnie Jenkins ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Surface Water ◽

Water Resources ◽

Assessment Tool ◽

Stream Water ◽

Stress Index ◽

River Watershed ◽

Groundwater Levels ◽

Growing Seasons ◽

Surface Water Resources ◽

Supplementary Irrigation

The groundwater level in the Big Sunflower River Watershed (BSRW) in the U.S. has declined significantly in the past 30 years. Therefore, it is imperative to assess surface water resources (SWR) availability in BSRW to mitigate groundwater use for irrigation. This research applied the coupled Soil and Water Assessment Tool–Modular Groundwater Flow model (SWAT–MODFLOW) to assess SWR in BSRW. This study aimed at: (1) Assessing the reliability of SWAT–MODFLOW in BSRW, (2) analyzing temporal and spatial variations of SWR, and (3) assessing the potential availability of SWR in BSRW. Calibration and validation results showed that SWAT–MODFLOW can well simulate streamflow and groundwater levels in BSRW. Our results showed that BSRW had lower average monthly total stream resources (MSR = 8.8 × 107 m3) in growing seasons than in non-growing seasons (MSR = 11.0 × 107 m3), and monthly pond resources (MPR from 30,418 to 30,494 m3) varied less than stream resources. The proportion of sub-basins in BSRW with stream water resources greater than 700 mm was 21% in dry years (229 to 994 mm), while this increased to 35% in normal years (296 to 1141 mm) and 57% in wet years (554 to 991 mm). The Water Stress Index (WSI) ranged from 0.4 to 2.1, revealing that most of the sub-basins in BSRW have net SWR available for irrigation. Our results suggested that surface water resources might be supplementary irrigation sources to mitigate the water resources scarcity in this region.

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Surface water resources of small agricultural watershed in the Kujawy region, central Poland

Journal of Water and Land Development ◽

10.1515/jwld-2017-0028 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 33 (1) ◽

pp. 131-140

Author(s):

Zygmunt Miatkowski ◽

Karolina Smarzyńska

Keyword(s):

Surface Water ◽

Water Resources ◽

Cross Section ◽

Crop Production ◽

Groundwater Resources ◽

Arable Land ◽

Agricultural Watershed ◽

Surface Water Resources ◽

The Mean ◽

River Cross Section

AbstractThe goal of the paper was to determine surface water resources of an agricultural watershed representative for the areas of intensive crop production in the Kujawy region. This area is characterised by the lowest average annual precipitation in Poland and high water demands related to the intensive crop production.Hydrological studies were carried out in 2007–2011 in the upper Zgłowiączka River watershed located in the eastern part of the analysed region. Over 90% of the study area is used as an arable land.Water velocity in the river bed and water level were measured at the outlet of the watershed in the river cross-section Samszyce.The upper Zgłowiączka River has a snow-rainfall hydrological regime, strongly modified by anthropogenic activities related to the intensive crop production and installation of subsurface drainage system. The study period was characterised by very large temporal variability of hydrological conditions. The mean annual outflow coefficient amounted to 18% and varied highly in time: from 3% in the average years to 62% in the abnormally wet 2011. Average discharge (SSQ) in the Samszyce river cross-section was equal to 0.25 m3·s−1, and the mean unit outflow – to 3.2 dm3·s−1·km−2. The results of the study show that disposable surface water resources of the Kujawy region are very small, especially in the summer half-year. Thus, their utilization as a potential source of water for crop irrigation can be taken into account only, if water excesses will be retained within the watershed and used in conjunction with groundwater resources.

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Groundwater Recharge to Address Integrated Groundwater and Surface Waters

Case Studies in the Environment ◽

10.1525/cse.2020.1223981 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Kathleen Miller ◽

Phoebe Goulden ◽

Kate Fritz ◽

Michael Kiparsky ◽

John Tracy ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Surface Water ◽

Water Resources ◽

Groundwater Resources ◽

Direct Injection ◽

State Agency ◽

Aquifer Recharge ◽

Injection Wells ◽

Canal Seepage ◽

Joint Management ◽

Surface Water Resources

The Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer (ESPA) Recharge Program aims to recharge an average of 250,000 AFY to mitigate the effects of groundwater pumping on surface water resources and, in doing so, to reduce conflicts between surface and groundwater users. The Idaho Water Resources Board (IWRB) partners with canal and irrigation companies to use IWRB’s surface water rights to conduct aquifer recharge through in- and off-canal seepage and direct injection wells. The canal and irrigation companies are paid by IWRB to use their canals and property for recharge sites. From 2014 to 2019, the program achieved 249,028 AFY of average recharge per year. The ESPA Recharge Program serves as a good example of a statewide recharge program that addresses challenges in managing highly connected groundwater and surface water. Moreover, it illustrates the incentives that can emerge for joint management of groundwater and surface water based on legal regimes that integrate the two. The ESPA Recharge Program particularly benefited from its centralized structure, with one state agency, IWRB, given sole control of implementing the recharge program. Nevertheless, the program faces some future obstacles, namely, in securing long-term funding, building out conveyance capacity to transport water to recharge sites during wet years, and modeling groundwater resources adequately.

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Impacts of hydraulic fracturing on surface and groundwater water resources: A case study from Louisiana, USA.

10.21203/rs.3.rs-19149/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Hanz Gunter Unruh ◽

Emad Hosny Habib ◽

David Borrok

Keyword(s):

Surface Water ◽

Water Resources ◽

Hydraulic Fracturing ◽

Water Supply ◽

Groundwater Resources ◽

Watershed Scale ◽

Surface Water Resources ◽

Water Demands ◽

The Impact ◽

Surface And Groundwater

Abstract Background: Unconventional oil and gas reservoirs, frequently referred to as shale plays , have been gaining more attention in recent years. Hydraulic fracturing is performed to extract fossil fuels from unconventional reservoirs. Besides possible environmental implications, a better understanding of the potential stress that fracking may cause to water resources at the local or regional scale is still needed. The goal of this study is to assess the impact of current and projected future water demands for fracking on water resources in two main shale plays in Louisiana, USA. Methods: The analysis is performed in Louisiana’s two main shale plays, the Haynesville Shale and the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale, using the Water Supply Stress Index (WaSSI) framework. WaSSI is used to evaluate the stress at a fine watershed scale (HUC12) for annual-average conditions. The study analyzes different scenarios of historical and two future projected fracking conditions that simulate different extraction rates. In each fracking scenario, stresses on both surface and groundwater are evaluated separately. The study is based on a multitude of water supply and withdrawals datasets assembled and disaggregated to the watershed scale. Results: Under existing conditions, the impact of fracking water demands on surface water resources is within the low stress category in most watersheds in both shale plays. This impact remains low under more aggressive future fracking scenarios. In contrast, groundwater resources appear to be highly vulnerable under both the historical and projected fracking scenarios, especially in the Haynesville Shale where 20 out of the 94 watersheds become medium or highly stressed. If groundwater resources remained as a main source for fracking water, the number of stressed watersheds increased to 39 and 86 under the two projected future fracking scenarios. The least exploited Tuscaloosa Marine Shale remains mostly under low stress, except in the most aggressive future fracking scenario. Conclusions: Surface water resources in Louisiana’s shale plays seem abundant enough for fracking activities to rely on this source instead of groundwater whenever possible. Groundwater resources in Louisiana are clearly vulnerable to fracking activities, especially for the Haynesville shale play, under current and future projected fracking conditions.

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