scholarly journals Point- and reach-scale measurements are important for determining accurate seepage rates in controlled flow channels

2021 ◽  
Vol 75 (2) ◽  
pp. 74-82
Author(s):  
Mark E. Grismer
Keyword(s):  
Groundwater Resources ◽  
Field Measurements ◽  
Environmental Water ◽  
Irrigation District ◽  
Irrigated Agriculture ◽  
Groundwater Availability ◽  
Recharge Rates ◽  
Controlled Flow ◽  
Putah Creek ◽  
Channel Seepage

A critical component of water-resources management in the irrigated agriculture landscape, particularly those landscapes dependent on groundwater availability, is determining groundwater recharge rates from streams and other channels. In California, flows in many such channels are “controlled” by upstream reservoir releases to meet downstream urban, irrigation and environmental water requirements. Seepage volumes from these channels and how they might vary during controlled release periods is a key component of meeting downstream riparian and groundwater-pumping needs. Understanding annual seepage from streamflow channels is also important in developing water budgets as part of the management of groundwater resources under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) in California. However, direct measurements of channel seepage rates are infrequent or unavailable, and these rates, or associated volumes, are most often only estimated. Here we describe direct point- and reach-scale field measurements of channel seepage rates in Lower Putah Creek (Solano County) and in distribution lateral channels of the Oakdale Irrigation District on the east side of the San Joaquin Valley (San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties). We measured overall average seepage rates of about 2 feet (610 mm) per day at both locations and determined how these rates varied spatially and temporally during the summer when channel flows are controlled for downstream requirements.

scholarly journals Peak grain forecasts for the US High Plains amid withering waters

2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (42) ◽  
pp. 26145-26150
Author(s):  
Assaad Mrad ◽  
Gabriel G. Katul ◽  
Delphis F. Levia ◽  
Andrew J. Guswa ◽  
Elizabeth W. Boyer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Crop Production ◽  
Groundwater Resources ◽  
State Level ◽  
Resource Depletion ◽  
Irrigated Agriculture ◽  
High Plains ◽  
Grain Production ◽  
Groundwater Pumping ◽  
The Us ◽  
Recharge Rates

Irrigated agriculture contributes 40% of total global food production. In the US High Plains, which produces more than 50 million tons per year of grain, as much as 90% of irrigation originates from groundwater resources, including the Ogallala aquifer. In parts of the High Plains, groundwater resources are being depleted so rapidly that they are considered nonrenewable, compromising food security. When groundwater becomes scarce, groundwater withdrawals peak, causing a subsequent peak in crop production. Previous descriptions of finite natural resource depletion have utilized the Hubbert curve. By coupling the dynamics of groundwater pumping, recharge, and crop production, Hubbert-like curves emerge, responding to the linked variations in groundwater pumping and grain production. On a state level, this approach predicted when groundwater withdrawal and grain production peaked and the lag between them. The lags increased with the adoption of efficient irrigation practices and higher recharge rates. Results indicate that, in Texas, withdrawals peaked in 1966, followed by a peak in grain production 9 y later. After better irrigation technologies were adopted, the lag increased to 15 y from 1997 to 2012. In Kansas, where these technologies were employed concurrently with the rise of irrigated grain production, this lag was predicted to be 24 y starting in 1994. In Nebraska, grain production is projected to continue rising through 2050 because of high recharge rates. While Texas and Nebraska had equal irrigated output in 1975, by 2050, it is projected that Nebraska will have almost 10 times the groundwater-based production of Texas.

scholarly journals Groundwater: the processes and global significance of aquifer degradation

2003 ◽  
Vol 358 (1440) ◽  
pp. 1957-1972 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. S. D. Foster ◽  
P. J. Chilton
Keyword(s):  
Groundwater Resources ◽  
Rural Livelihoods ◽  
Resource Development ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Irrigated Agriculture ◽  
Resource Base ◽  
Aquifer Storage ◽  
Groundwater Availability ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Status

The exploitation of groundwater resources for human use dates from the earliest civilizations, but massive resource development has been largely restricted to the past 50 years. Although global in scope, the emphasis of this paper is on groundwater–based economies in a developing nation context, where accelerated resource development has brought major social and economic benefits over the past 20 years. This results from groundwater's significant role in urban water supply and in rural livelihoods, including irrigated agriculture. However, little of the economic benefit of resource development has been reinvested in groundwater management, and concerns about aquifer degradation and resource sustainability began to arise. A general review, for a broad–based audience, is given of the mechanisms and significance of three semi–independent facets of aquifer degradation. These are (i) depletion of aquifer storage and its effects on groundwater availability, terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems; (ii) groundwater salinization arising from various different processes of induced hydraulic disturbance and soil fractionation; and (iii) vulnerability of aquifers to pollution from land–use and effluent discharge practices related to both urban development and agricultural intensification. Globally, data with which to assess the status of aquifer degradation are of questionable reliability, inadequate coverage and poor compilation. Recourse has to be made to ‘type examples’ and assumptions about the extension of similar hydrogeological settings likely to be experiencing similar conditions of groundwater demand and subsurface contaminant load. It is concluded that (i) aquifer degradation is much more than a localized problem because the sustainability of the resource base for much of the rapid socio–economic development of the second half of the twentieth century is threatened on quite a widespread geographical basis; and (ii) major (and long overdue) investments in groundwater resource and quality protection are urgently needed. These investments include appropriate institutional provisions, demand–side management, supply–side enhancement and pollution control.

Integrated Geomorphological, Geospatial and AHP Technique for Groundwater Prospects Mapping in Basaltic Terrain

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vaishnavi Mundalik ◽  
Clinton Fernandes ◽  
Ajaykumar Kadam ◽  
Bhavana Umrikar
Keyword(s):  
Groundwater Resources ◽  
Drainage Density ◽  
Groundwater Potential ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Thematic Layers ◽  
Groundwater Availability ◽  
Basaltic Terrain ◽  
Thematic Layer ◽  
Increasing Demand ◽  
Gis Environment

Groundwater is an important source of drinking water in rural parts of India. Because of the increasing demand for water, it is essential to identify new sources for the sustainable development of this resource. The potential mapping and exploration of groundwater resources have become a breakthrough in the field of hydrogeological research. In the present paper, a groundwater prospects map is delineated for the assessment of groundwater availability in Kar basin on basaltic terrain, using remote sensing and Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques. Various thematic layers such as geology, slope, soil, geomorphology, drainage density and rainfall are prepared using satellite data, topographic maps and field data. The ranks and weights were assigned to each thematic layer and various categories of those thematic layers using AHP technique respectively. Further, a weighted overlay analysis was performed by reclassifying them in the GIS environment to prepare the groundwater potential map of the study area. The results show that groundwater prospects map classified into three classes low, moderate and high having area 17.12%, 38.26%, 44.62%, respectively. The overlay map with the groundwater potential zones in the study area has been found to be helpful for better planning and managing the resources.

Uzbekistan’s Aquatic Environment and Water Management as an Area of Interest for Hydrology and Thematic Tourism

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 642
Author(s):  
Jacek RÓŻKOWSKI ◽  
Mariusz RZĘTAŁA
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Groundwater Resources ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Aral Sea ◽  
Irrigated Agriculture ◽  
Human Consumption ◽  
Irrigation Systems ◽  
Natural Lakes ◽  
Area Of Interest

The functioning of Uzbekistan’s economy is closely linked to the water resources of its huge cross-border rivers: the Amu Darya and the Syr Darya, as well as to the groundwater present within their basins. Both natural lakes and artificial reservoirs (e.g. the Aydar-Arnasay system of lakes, the Kayrakkum Reservoir, the Chardarya Reservoir) are present there, which retain significant amounts of water, and large canals with lengths of up to several hundred kilometres which involve complex hydraulic structures are used for irrigation purposes. All these are components of a water management system which needs optimisation; as much as 80% of agricultural land is irrigated, with 70% of the water being lost due to inefficient irrigation systems. The consequence of this allocation of river flows and the overuse of water in irrigation systems has been the disappearance of the Aral Sea (1960 year – 68,900 km2, 2017 year – 8,600 km2) and the inflow of water into the Sarygamysh Lake as well as the reduction of Uzbekistan’s groundwater resources by about 40%. The intensive development of irrigated agriculture is associated with changes in surface and groundwater quality caused, inter alia, by the increased use of chemicals in agriculture and the discharge of collector-drainage waters into river systems as well as their reuse. The extent of environmental degradation in some areas (especially in the Aral Sea region) is unique on a global scale. The origins of Uzbekistan’s other hydrological tourist attractions are related to attempts to ensure the availability of water for both human consumption and industrial use under conditions of water scarcity in the country’s arid and semi-arid climates. Not just the spectacular watercourses and water bodies present there (e.g. rivers, lakes, canals), but also small water retention facilities and minor infrastructure elements (e.g. wells, springs and retention basins, canals, ditches and flow control structures) are of potential tourist importance.

Mobile-phone-based colourimetric analysis for determining nitrite content in water

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (7) ◽  
pp. 403 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chanida Puangpila ◽  
Jaroon Jakmunee ◽  
Somkid Pencharee ◽  
Wipada Pensrisirikul
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Phone ◽  
Water Samples ◽  
Diazonium Salt ◽  
Field Measurements ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Environmental Water ◽  
Sulfanilic Acid ◽  
Calibration Graph ◽  
Nitrite Ion ◽  
Griess Reaction

Environmental contextA widespread pollutant in groundwater, rivers and lakes is nitrite, which is commonly determined batchwise by using colourimetry. The batchwise method, however, requires relatively large and expensive instrumentation, and hence is unsuitable for in-field measurements. This work introduces a simple and portable colourimetric analyser based on a mobile-phone camera for monitoring nitrite concentrations in environmental water samples. AbstractA cost-effective and portable colourimetric analyser installed on a mobile phone was used to measure nitrite in water samples in Chiang Mai City, Thailand. The colourimetric detection was based on the Griess reaction, in which nitrite ion reacts with sulfanilic acid under acidic conditions to produce a diazonium salt that further reacts with N-(1-naphthyl)-ethylenediamine dihydrochloride to form a red–violet azo dye. Under controlled conditions using a light-tight box with LED flash lights, images of the red–violet solution were captured using a built-in camera and further analysed by a program, Panalysis, on the mobile phone. The calibration graph was created by measuring the red colour intensity of a series of standard nitrite solutions from 0.09–1.8 mg N L−1. The calibration equation was then automatically stored for nitrite analysis. The results demonstrated good performance of the mobile phone analyser as an analytical instrument. The accuracy (RE <4%) and precision (RSD ≤ 1%, intra- and inter-day) were also obtained with a detection limit of 0.03 mg N L−1 and a sample throughput of 40 samples per hour. Our results establish this simple, inexpensive and portable device as a reliable in-field monitor of nitrite in environmental waters.

scholarly journals Climate Changes Impacts on Groundwater Recharge in the UAE

10.29007/kdpc ◽  
2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed Mostafa Mohamed
Keyword(s):  
Groundwater Recharge ◽  
Groundwater Resources ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Water Source ◽  
Eastern Region ◽  
Continuous Increase ◽  
Groundwater Availability ◽  
Groundwater Aquifer ◽  
Abu Dhabi Emirate ◽  
Desalination Plants

Despite the continuous increase in water supply from desalination plants in the UAE, groundwater remains the major source of fresh water satisfying domestic and agricultural demands. Additionally, groundwater has always been considered as a strategic water source towards groundwater security in the country. Quantification of groundwater recharge is a prerequisite for efficient and sustainable groundwater resources management in arid regions. Therefore, groundwater recharge from the ephemeral Wadi beds and subsurface flow from mountainous valley beds play an important role in water management. Although, both surface and groundwater resources in UAE are scarce; the anticipated climate change impacts could make these resources even scarcer. As such, the main aim of this paper is to assess the potential impacts of future climate variability and change on groundwater recharge in the eastern region of UAE. This paper will explore rainfall characteristics in the region, their projections and their impacts on Wadi hydrology and groundwater recharge processes. Another objective of the study is to identify groundwater recharge regions to the shallow unconfined groundwater aquifer in the northeastern part of Abu-Dhabi Emirate. Outcomes of this study will help to accurately estimate current and future sustainable extraction rates, assess groundwater availability, and identify pathways and velocity of groundwater flow as crucial information for determining the best locations for artificial recharge.

scholarly journals Causes and consequences of long-term groundwater overabstraction in Jordan

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florian Brückner ◽  
Rebecca Bahls ◽  
Mohammad Alqadi ◽  
Falk Lindenmaier ◽  
Ibraheem Hamdan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Supply ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Flow Direction ◽  
Groundwater Resources ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Irrigated Agriculture ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
Contour Lines ◽  
Hydraulic Conditions ◽  
Groundwater Basins

AbstractIn 2017, a comprehensive review of groundwater resources in Jordan was carried out for the first time since 1995. The change in groundwater levels between 1995 and 2017 was found to be dramatic: large declines have been recorded all over the country, reaching more than 100 m in some areas. The most affected areas are those with large-scale groundwater-irrigated agriculture, but areas that are only used for public water supply are also affected. The decrease of groundwater levels and saturated thickness poses a growing threat for drinking water supply and the demand has to be met from increasingly deeper and more remote sources, causing higher costs for drilling and extraction. Groundwater-level contour lines show that groundwater flow direction has completely reversed in some parts of the main aquifer. Consequently, previously established conceptual models, such as the concept of 12 “groundwater basins” often used in Jordan should be revised or replaced. Additionally, hydraulic conditions are changing from confined to unconfined; this is most likely a major driver for geogenic pollution with heavy metals through leakage from the overlying bituminous aquitard. Three exemplary case studies are presented to illustrate and discuss the main causes for the decline of the water tables (agriculture and population growth) and to show how the results of this assessment can be used on a regional scale.

The spatio-temporal evolution of groundwater dependent precipitation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristina Passet ◽  
Lan Wang-Erlandsson ◽  
Yoshihide Wada ◽  
Agnes Pranindita ◽  
Agatha De Boer
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Evolution ◽  
Groundwater Resources ◽  
Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Groundwater Abstraction ◽  
Groundwater Availability ◽  
Basin Scale ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Selection Of

&lt;div&gt;&lt;span&gt;A&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;substantial portion of groundwater abstracted from aquifers is used for irrigation and evaporated to the atmosphere, potentially contributing towards downwind precipitation. While the fate of evaporation fluxes from land have been analysed, the atmospheric pathways of evaporation originating from groundwater have not yet been globally quantified. This study analysed the geographical distribution, the seasonality and the magnitude of groundwater-dependent precipitation (Pgw)&amp;#160;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;at a global scale and for a selection of countries and river basins. The Eulerian moisture tracking WAM-2layers model was used to process meteorological and groundwater abstraction input data from 1980 to 2010. &amp;#160;Results show considerable contributions of groundwater to precipitation downwind of the most heavily irrigated areas, leading to net groundwater losses over these areas. Globally, 40% of the Pgw&amp;#160;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;precipitates directly in the oceans, and do not contribute to biomass production in terrestrial ecosystems. Some of the countries with the highest rates of groundwater abstraction (India, the USA, Pakistan and Iran), receive low volumes of Pgw&amp;#160;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;and are net losers of groundwater resources. The countries with the highest net gain of groundwater are China, Canada and Russia. At river basin scale, the Indus, Ganges and Mississippi basins are net losers of groundwater to downwind Pgw&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;, while the Yangtze, Tarim and Brahmaputra basins receive more Pgw&amp;#160;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;than their groundwater withdrawals. The share of precipitation that originates from groundwater varies considerably with seasons, and can be especially high when low local precipitation levels occur in combination with high upwind groundwater abstraction. Furthermore, precipitation dependence on&amp;#160;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;groundwater (&amp;#961;gw)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;, has steadily increased between 1980 to 2010 in all studied areas and globally. Our study suggests that the countries and basins with a high and increasing dependency on &amp;#961;gw&amp;#160;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;to support their precipitation can be vulnerable to groundwater availability upwind.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;

Impact of irrigated agriculture on groundwater resources in a temperate humid region

2018 ◽  
Vol 613-614 ◽  
pp. 1302-1316 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Tweed ◽  
H. Celle-Jeanton ◽  
L. Cabot ◽  
F. Huneau ◽  
V. De Montety ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Groundwater Resources ◽  
Irrigated Agriculture ◽  
Humid Region

Environmental water governance in federal rivers: opportunities and limits for subsidiarity in Australia's Murray–Darling River

Water Policy ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 915-936 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dustin Garrick ◽  
Rosalind Bark ◽  
Jeff Connor ◽  
Onil Banerjee
Keyword(s):  
Water Policy ◽  
Economies Of Scale ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Recovery Process ◽  
Environmental Water ◽  
Irrigated Agriculture ◽  
Federal State ◽  
Reform Process ◽  
National Interests ◽  
Subsidiarity Principle

A reform process is underway in the Murray–Darling Basin (Australia) to reallocate water from irrigated agriculture to the environment. The scale, complexity and politics of the recovery process have prompted interest in the role of local environmental water managers within state and federal governance arrangements. This paper examines prospects for a local role in environmental water management through the lens of the subsidiarity principle: the notion that effective governance devolves tasks to the lowest level with the political authority and capacity to perform them. The article defines and applies the subsidiarity principle to assess evolving federal–state–local interactions in environmental water policy, planning and practice in Australia's Murray–Darling River. In this context, subsidiarity is useful to clarify institutional roles and their coordination at a whole-of-river level. This analysis demonstrates opportunities for a local role in information gathering, innovation and operational flexibility to respond to opportunities in real time. It identifies significant limits to local action in upstream–downstream tradeoffs, economies of scale, capacity building and cost sharing for basin-wide or national interests, and accountability mechanisms to balance local, state and national rights and responsibilities. Lessons are relevant internationally for regions confronting complex allocation tradeoffs between human and environmental needs within multi-jurisdictional federal systems.

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