A model for conjunctive use of groundwater and surface waters for control of irrigation salinity

Abstract

Changes in the hydrologic balance in many irrigation areas, including those in the Murray Basin, Australia, have resulted in high watertables and salinity problems. However, where suitable aquifers exist, groundwater pumping and subsequent irrigation application after mixing with surface waters (referred to as conjunctive water use) can control salinity and watertable depth and improve productivity of degraded land. In order to assess where conjunctive water use will successfully control salinity, it is necessary to estimate the effects of pumped groundwater salinity on rootzone salinity. A simple steady rate model is derived for this purpose from mass conservation of salt and water. The model enables an estimate to be made of rootzone salinity for any particular salinity level of the groundwater being used in conjunction with surface water; this enables calculation of the required crop salt tolerance to prevent yield reductions. The most important input parameters for the model are groundwater salinity, the annual depth of class ‘A’ pan evaporation, the annual depth of rainfall, the salinity of irrigation water, and a leaching parameter. For model parameters nominated in this paper, where groundwater salinity reaches 5 dS/m a crop threshold salt tolerance greater than 1.6 dS/m is required to avoid yield reductions. Where groundwater salinity approaches 10 dS/m, a crop threshold tolerance of 3 dS/m is required. Whilst the model derived indicates that rootzone salinity is sensitive to groundwater salinity, rootzone salinity is insensitive to leaching for leaching fractions commonly encountered (0.1 to 0.4). The insensitivity to leaching means that it could be expected that similar yields could be attained on heavy or light textured soils. This insensitivity also implies that there is no yield penalty from increasing the mass of pumped salt by pumping to achieve maximum watertable control in addition to leaching. The model developed is also used to estimate yield reductions expected under conjunctive use, for any particular levels of groundwater salinity and crop salt tolerance.