Sustainable Water Management in Agriculture—The Impact of Drainage Water Management on Groundwater Table Dynamics and Subsurface Outflow

Abstract

The paper presents the results of the effects of control drainage (CD) on the groundwater table and subsurface outflow in Central Poland. The hydrologic model DRAINMOD was used to simulate soil water balance with drain spacing of 7 and 14 m, different initial groundwater Table 40, 60 and 80 cm b.s.l., and dates at the beginning of control drainage of 1 March, 15 March, 1 April, and 15 April. The CD restricts flow at the drain outlet to maintain a water table during the growing season. Simulations were made for the periods from March to September for the years 2014, 2017, and 2018, which were average, wet, and dry, respectively. The simulations showed a significant influence of the initial groundwater tables and date blocking the outflow from the drainage network on the obtained results. In the conditions of central Poland, the use of CD is rational only when it is started between 1 and 15 March. In this case, the groundwater table can be increased from 10 to 33 cm (7 m spacing) and from 10 to 41 cm (14 m spacing) in relation to the conventional system (free drainage—FD). In the case of blocking the outflow on 1 March, the reduction is about 80% on average in the period from March to September. With a delay in blocking the outflow, the impact of CDs decreases and ranges from 8% to 50%. Studies have shown that the proper use of the drainage network infrastructure complies with the idea of sustainable development, as it allows efficient water management, by reduction of the outflow and, thus, nitrates from agricultural areas. Furthermore, CD solutions can contribute to mitigating the effects of climate change on agriculture by reducing drought and flood risk.