Water Diversion For Irrigation Research Articles

Cumulative impact assessment for Sindh barrages

There are 19 barrages constructed on the Indus River to divert water to irrigate command areas for crop production and for flood control. The Guddu barrage is one such barrages, which requires rehabilitation and is the subject of the current study. There are two barrages, Sukkur and Kotri which are located downstream of Guddu barrage, whose impacts are also considered as part of the cumulative impact assessment. The objective of the study is to evaluate the cumulative impact as a result of the rehabilitation of the barrage. The construction of barrages and diversion of water for irrigation has resulted in negative and positive impacts on many valued environmental components including: (i) fragmentation of dolphins’ habitat and extirpation of dolphins in many river sections of the Indus and its tributaries, (ii) restriction of hilsa migration has resulted in drastic reduction in commercially important hilsa fish catch and its spawning area, and (iii) transformation of the arid barren lands of Sindh in to vast agricultural lands, which has resulted in significant socioeconomic benefits to Sindh.

The importance of base flow in sustaining surface water flow in the Upper Colorado River Basin

AbstractThe Colorado River has been identified as the most overallocated river in the world. Considering predicted future imbalances between water supply and demand and the growing recognition that base flow (a proxy for groundwater discharge to streams) is critical for sustaining flow in streams and rivers, there is a need to develop methods to better quantify present‐day base flow across large regions. We adapted and applied the spatially referenced regression on watershed attributes (SPARROW) water quality model to assess the spatial distribution of base flow, the fraction of streamflow supported by base flow, and estimates of and potential processes contributing to the amount of base flow that is lost during in‐stream transport in the Upper Colorado River Basin (UCRB). On average, 56% of the streamflow in the UCRB originated as base flow, and precipitation was identified as the dominant driver of spatial variability in base flow at the scale of the UCRB, with the majority of base flow discharge to streams occurring in upper elevation watersheds. The model estimates an average of 1.8 × 1010 m3/yr of base flow in the UCRB; greater than 80% of which is lost during in‐stream transport to the Lower Colorado River Basin via processes including evapotranspiration and water diversion for irrigation. Our results indicate that surface waters in the Colorado River Basin are dependent on base flow, and that management approaches that consider groundwater and surface water as a joint resource will be needed to effectively manage current and future water resources in the Basin.

Discharge Estimation for an Ungauged Inland River in an Arid Area Related to Anthropogenic Activities: A Case Study of Heihe River Basin, Northwestern China

In the arid areas, the discharge in some reaches is unsurveyed, which makes related works trapped. It is important to estimate a long-term discharge in an ungauged river using available fragmentary data including those on human activities. In this work, the authors proposed a procedure of monthly discharge estimation for an ungauged inland river based on spatiotemporally discontinuous information, such as water diversion for irrigation, water allocation planning, and statistical relations of discharge at different locations. A typical ungauged river reach of Heihe River in northwestern China was selected as a case study. Monthly discharge from 1991 to 2007 at one gauged section was estimated using this procedure to validate the procedure, and the results show its potential in estimating discharge for an ungauged area. Monthly discharge from 1979 to 2014 at four unmonitored sections was estimated using the same procedure, and the trend analysis was conducted to check the facticity of the estimated discharge. The annual and monthly trends could well describe the effects of anthropogenic activities on the flow at different sections. In general, the method is feasible to provide support pertaining to water management or eco-hydrological researches and could be easily extended to other similar places.

The influence of climate change and anthropogenic activities on annual runoff of Huangfuchuan basin in northwest China

In recent years, climate change and anthropogenic activities have threatened the water supply in the middle reaches of the Yellow River, prompting this study into the variation of water resources and the influencing factors, taking the Huangfuchuan basin as an example. Firstly, changes in climatic aridity and annual runoff in the Huangfuchuan basin from 1956 to 2009 were analysed. Then, the influence of changes in climatic aridity, water use for irrigation and soil conservation measures were calculated using an analysis of principal components regression. The results show that climatic aridity has increased in the recent three decades with two abrupt changes around 1961 and 1998, and that annual runoff has decreased continually with two abrupt changes around 1979 and 1999. The rapid development of sediment check dams in the 1970s could be the reason for the abrupt change around 1979. The abrupt change around 1999 could be the result of both the intensification of changes in climatic aridity and the large-scale construction of water and soil conservation measures after 1983, the further improvement of these measures after 1993 and ecological restoration measures of converting cropland to forest implemented since 1997. By quantifying the effects of those factors that influence runoff variation, it was found that anthropogenic activities were more important than climate change in the two periods between 1979–1998 and 1999–2006, but the influence of changes in climatic aridity increased from the first to the second period. For the runoff reduction related to anthropogenic activities, the primary cause was water diversion for irrigation in the first period, and it was soil conservation measures in the second period.

Groundwater responses to controlled water releases in the limitrophe region of the Colorado River: Implications for management and restoration

Flow regulation and water diversion for irrigation have considerably affected the exchange of surface water between the Colorado River and its floodplains. However, the way in which both have impacted groundwater–surface water interactions is not completely understood. The objective of this study was to conduct a hydrologic analysis of the 2009–2010 winter flows released into the limitrophe region of the Colorado River in order to characterize the surface flows along this dry reach and, for the first time, study the impact of winter flows on the groundwater conditions in the area. The study used existing data on groundwater levels that was collected from regional piezometers on both sides of the limitrophe every five years from 1980 to 2005. Regional flow direction from NE to SW was observed in all years. A groundwater depression cone in the southwest part of the limitrophe was identified from 1980 to 1995. A general rise of groundwater levels was observed from 2000 to 2005 on both sides of the limitrophe, but during the same time period, a depression cone formed along the border between Arizona and Sonora, in the Mesa Arenosa on the Mexican side of the border. In order to identify the water table evolution within the limitrophe riparian zone, nine sets of piezometers were constructed in an arrangement perpendicular to the main river channel. Water table levels were measured automatically every 30min and were also manually measured periodically. Nine geohydrological cross sections were constructed using the topographic relief from LIDAR elevation points and depth to groundwater measurements during water discharges in the Colorado River channel at Morelos dam. Groundwater seepage from irrigation canals, irrigation returns, and river discharge flows were identified and the depth to groundwater and its influence on riparian vegetation was analyzed. A strong correlation between flow discharge (up to 60.49hm3 from November 2009 to April 2010) and groundwater elevation (average elevation change of 1.62m on January 22, 2010) in time and space was found. The percentage of water retained in the main river channel decreased from 100% in the first discharge event (December 12–13, 2009) to 36% after the last discharge event (April 9–17, 2010), due to remaining moisture in the unsaturated soil. The total volume of water retained, infiltrated, and evaporated, was 60% (36.6×106m3) of the total water discharged. The delay time of the groundwater front during a discharge event was on average 6:30, 20:06, and 28:53h from section 1 to section 2, 1–3, and 1–4 respectively. This historical study provides insight into how floods affect the groundwater system, which is the foundation for aquatic and riparian biodiversity. This issue is of increasing relevance given growing international interest in rehabilitating the riparian and aquatic ecosystems of the Colorado River delta through intentional flood releases.

Stable isotope ratios of egg albumen of three waterbird species nesting in the Colorado River Delta indicate differences in foraging ground and isotopic niche breadth

ABSTRACTThe Colorado River Delta is one of the most impacted wetland systems in the world and has experienced massive habitat loss owing to severe restrictions in freshwater inflow as a result of dam construction and diversion of water for irrigation. However, the delta still offers nesting and foraging habitats for waterbirds, although the habitats available are highly fragmented and limited.Stable isotope ratio (SIR) analysis was used to assess quantitatively isotopic niche width of gull‐billed terns (Gelochelidon nilotica), laughing gulls (Leucophaeus atricilla) and snowy egrets (Egreta thula) that nest at an inland and coastal location.The variance in carbon and nitrogen SIR of egg albumen indicated that inland colonies have a much broader isotope niche width (range 2.9 to 23.9) than coastal colonies (<0.1 to 1.4).Species‐specific mean albumen δ13C values from inland nests were significantly more depleted in 13C than coastal colonies (−19.5 to −23.1‰ and −10.4 to −14.9‰, respectively). Comparison of albumen δ13C values corrected for trophic fractionation with those of potential prey and primary producers collected at 10 potential foraging grounds indicates that females of the three species that nest in inland colonies did not feed in habitats located in the vicinity of their nesting site, while coastal colonies had distinct isotopic signatures reflecting marine primary production. Inland colonies probably forage in a variety of habitats and for different prey, relying on food webs based mostly on C3 terrestrial plants.Differences in the isotopic composition of eggs from species nesting in the same area and between conspecifics nesting in different habitats indicate that foraging habitats vary substantially, suggesting that feeding varies as a function of local resource availability.These results suggest that a variety of habitat types fulfill the foraging needs of this suite of nesting waterbird species, especially in inland colonies. Since the specific feeding areas of nesting females from the inland colonies have not been identified, protection of the remaining wetlands within the Colorado River Delta is warranted. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Remote sensing temporal and spatial patterns of evapotranspiration and the responses to water management in a large irrigation district of North China

To deal with water resources crisis caused by climate change and intensified human activities, the Hetao Irrigation District of Inner Mongolia in North China has been experiencing rehabilitation for water-saving since 1999. This has significantly changed its regional hydrological cycle and thus water use patterns over different land use types. In this paper, Surface Energy Balance Algorithm for Land (SEBAL) model fed with MODIS data was applied in Hetao area from 2000 to 2010 to examine the spatial and temporal patterns of evapotranspiration (ET). The SEBAL estimated ET agreed well with that from other methods in the study area. The results indicate that inter-annual variability in ET over agricultural land, water body, woodland and irrigated grassland are primarily explained by the variation of reference ET. So it is with the seasonal variability in agricultural land ET on monthly basis. However, the inter-annual variations of ET over sandy land, Gobi desert and mountain areas are mainly controlled by precipitation. Over the study period, a reduction in river water diversion for irrigation has not reduced the agricultural land ET, indicating no significant impact on agricultural production. But ET over the non-irrigated grassland tends to decrease, which was likely caused by declining groundwater table in recent years.

Guarantee Analysis on Ecological Basic Flow in Baoji Reach, Weihe River

The major problems of the Weihe River include shortage of water resources, serious water pollution and loss of water and soil. The ecological basic flow of Baoji Section, Weihe River was 10m3/s. Based on it, quantitative analysis on the ecological basic flow of this section has been done. It shows that the effect of Baojixia Irrigation water diversion on the Weihe River is the main influence factor. The guarantee measures are rational use of water resources and water saving, management and policies, and water transfer projects.

Potential for Riverbank filtration in India

Riverbank filtration (RBF) has been used for many decades in Europe and the United States to provide drinking water to communities located on riverbanks. In India, the development of RBF has the potential to provide drinking water to many cities located on the Ganga Plains currently using surface water as a source for their public water supply. Water diversion for irrigation and discharge of wastewater to rivers with extremely low flows has aggravated the water supply situation for many Indian cities using surface water. A number of Indian cities, with source waters of significantly varying quality, are already using RBF. In most of these cities no significant additional treatment is provided to the filtrate for their water supply. The objective of this article is to examine selected operating bank filtration sites in India (that have been investigated since 2005) and to elucidate additional potential RBF sites based on water problems and hydrogeologic suitability. A summary of selected operational RBF systems in Ahmedabad, Delhi, Haridwar, Mathura, Medinipur and Kharagpur, Nainital, Patna and Srinagar and their ability to produce potable water is provided. Analysis of the suitability of RBF for Allahabad, Bhubaneswar, Guwahati, and Vijayawada, based on hydrogeology and land use, is also provided.

A framework for assessing the trade‐offs between economic and environmental uses of water in a river basin

AbstractSignificant increases in water diversion for irrigation and other uses have taken place worldwide throughout the twentieth century, often with negative consequences for environmental sustainability.In this paper a framework which can be used to undertake an assessment of this trade‐off problem is presented. The framework aims to achieve a balance between water extractions for irrigation and other uses and environmental demand. It involves, among many factors, an understanding of the hydrological, environmental, economic and social consequences of diverting water.The research component of the framework comprises three key elements: water cycle analysis, economic analysis and social analysis. At the core of the water cycle analysis is the characterisation of the water stocks and flows in the systems and a modelling framework to analyse system responses to water‐sharing policies and trade‐offs between extractive and environmental uses. The economic analysis focuses on the valuation of water allocated to each use including the environment, whilst the social analysis is centred on the relative values used to balance water extractions for society's needs and the environment. This framework is illustrated with examples from the Krishna Basin in India and the Murray– Darling Basin in Australia. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Remote Sensing-Measured Impacts of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) on Landscape Structure in Southwestern Kansas

Changes in landscape structure caused by the introduction of the U.S. Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) were examined. Using imagery-derived land cover maps for the pre- and post-CRP enrollment periods, we identified regions of cropland that had been converted to CRP in a six-county area in southwestern Kansas. The major impact of CRP in the study area has been the reversal of an overall trend of grassland fragmentation. The introduction of CRP has substantially modified the spatial structure of the southwest Kansas landscape, generally with important positive implications for wildlife habitat, by changing the count, size, shape, interior areas, and connectivity of grassland patches. The authors also concluded that CRP enrollments had a strong spatial association with the distribution of points of water diversion for irrigation.

Use of river‐wetland habitats in a declining population of the terrapin (Mauremys rivulata) along the Strymon River, northern Greece

AbstractA declining population of the freshwater turtle Mauremys rivulata (Chelonia, Geoemydidae) living in a human‐impacted area along the Strymon River, just upstream from Kerkini Lake (Prefecture of Serres, northern Greece), was investigated by capture–recapture and radio‐tracking. Fyke nets placed along the river and in ponds lying on the riparian lowland gave about 2000 catches in 6 years, permitting us to assess major inter‐habitat movements during ontogenesis and throughout the seasons. Annual intensive radio‐tracking of 15 females and 10 males gave finer details of movement patterns between different river‐wetland habitats. Younger specimens, including yearlings, inhabited the ponds almost exclusively, whereas the adult population shifted seasonally from the ponds during the mating season to a marsh area lying on the opposite side of the river for aestivation and overwintering. The river served mainly as a corridor for transit between the two habitats. Moreover, longitudinal movements along the river were observed, particularly in the males, which probably allow dispersal and gene flow between subpopulations living in the area. One major threat to the viability of M. rivulata in the study area is the diversion of water for irrigation during the summer, drying up the Strymon completely, which reduces the water level in the ponds. Livestock crossing the area for grazing and watering in the ponds is also of impact, as turtles in the ponds are trampled on and nests are disturbed.

Prospects and challenges of using hydropower for electricity generation in Lebanon

In a region characterized by low water resources, Lebanon stands as an exceptional country in the Middle East. Several waterways present ample opportunity for utilization of hydropower. Before the civil war, several projects were undertaken to generate electricity through hydropower. A total installed capacity of 283 MW has aided Lebanon in supplementing its need of electricity from local renewable sources, thus reducing the overall bill of imported energy. The available hydropower generation constitutes currently 4–7% of the electricity generation depending on rainfall, with future plans expected to install another 205 MW of capacity. This use is in competition with water diversion for irrigation. Four different scenarios were analyzed to indicate the share of hydropower in the total production of electricity, with and without future irrigation and power projects, indicating that, by 2020, hydropower's share of electricity generation will vary between a maximum of 6.9% and a minimum of 1.2% depending on government plans regarding water use. Current value of potential energy available when water from the Litani river is used for hydropower is estimated to be around 20 cents per m 3. Water uses planned should take this value into account.

Hydrogeochemical and lake level changes in the Ethiopian Rift

The Ethiopian Rift is characterized by a chain of lakes varying in size, hydrological and hydrogeological settings. The rift lakes and feeder rivers are used for irrigation, soda extraction, commercial fish farming and recreation, and support a wide variety of endemic birds and wild animals. The level of some lakes shows dramatic changes in the last few decades. Lakes Abiyata and Beseka, both heavily impacted by human activities, show contrasting lake level trends: the level of Abiyata has dropped by about 5 m over three decades while Beseka has expanded from an area of 2.5–40 km 2 over the same span of time. Changes in lake levels are accompanied by dilution in ionic concentration of lake Beseka and increase in salinity of lake Abiyata. Although the principal hydrogeochemical process in the rift lakes is controlled by the input and output conditions and carbonate precipitation, anthropogenic factors such as water diversion for irrigation and soda ash extraction played important role. The recent changes appear to have grave environmental consequences on the fragile rift ecosystem, which demands an integrated basin-wide water management practice. This paper demonstrates the drastic changes of lake levels and associated changes in lake chemistry of the two studied lakes. It also gives the regional hydrogeochemical picture of the other rift lakes that do not show significant response due to climate change and human impact.

Groundwater-surface water interactions in a large semi-arid floodplain: implications for salinity management

Flow regulation and water diversion for irrigation have considerably impacted the exchange of surface water between the Murray River and its floodplains. However, the way in which river regulation has impacted groundwater–surface water interactions is not completely understood, especially in regards to the salinization and accompanying vegetation dieback currently occurring in many of the floodplains. Groundwater–surface water interactions were studied over a 2 year period in the riparian area of a large floodplain (Hattah–Kulkyne, Victoria) using a combination of piezometric surface monitoring and environmental tracers (Cl−, δ2H, and δ18O). Despite being located in a local and regional groundwater discharge zone, the Murray River is a losing stream under low flow conditions at Hattah–Kulkyne. The discharge zone for local groundwater, regional groundwater and bank recharge is in the floodplain within ∼1 km of the river and is probably driven by high rates of transpiration by the riparian Eucalyptus camaldulensis woodland. Environmental tracers data suggest that the origin of groundwater is principally bank recharge in the riparian zone and a combination of diffuse rainfall recharge and localized floodwater recharge elsewhere in the floodplain. Although the Murray River was losing under low flows, bank discharge occurred during some flood recession periods. The way in which the water table responded to changes in river level was a function of the type of stream bank present, with point bars providing a better connection to the alluvial aquifer than the more common clay-lined banks. Understanding the spatial variability in the hydraulic connection with the river channel and in vertical recharge following inundations will be critical to design effective salinity remediation strategies for large semi-arid floodplains. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

CONSUMPTIVE USE PROGRAM (CUP) MODEL

Introduction A user-friendly Microsoft Excel application program “Consumptive Use Program +” or “CUP+” was developed to help growers and water agencies determine reference evapotranspiration (ETo), crop coefficient (Kc) values, crop evapotranspiration (ETc), and evapotranspiration of applied water (ETaw), which provides an estimate of the net irrigation water diversion needed to produce a crop. The application also can be used to study the impact of climate change on evapotranspiration and irrigation water needs. CUP+ computes reference evapotranspiration (ETo) from daily solar radiation, maximum and minimum temperature, dew point temperature, and wind speed using the daily Penman-Monteith equation. In addition, the program uses a curve fitting technique to derive one year of daily weather data from the monthly data and to estimate daily ETo. It also uses daily rainfall data to estimate bare soil evaporation as a function of mean of ETo and wetting frequency in days. A bare soil Kc value is calculated to estimate the offseason evapotranspiration and as a baseline for in-season Kc calculations. CUP+ accounts for the influence of orchard cover crops on Kc values and it accounts for immaturity effects on Kc values for tree and vine crops. Further, the program computes and applies all ETo and Kc values on a daily basis to determine crop water requirements by month, by season, by year. The water balance model is similar to that used in the Simulation of ET of Applied Water (SIMETAW) application program, which was also developed as a cooperative effort between the University of California (UC) and the Department of Water Resources (DWR). The application outputs a wide range of tables and charts that are useful for irrigation planning.

Macroinvertebrate-based index of biotic integrity for protection of streams in west-central Mexico

AbstractThe water and habitat quality of many streams in west-central Mexico are influenced by municipal and industrial effluent, as well as water diversion for irrigation, livestock, and deforestation. Restoration efforts have been hampered by a lack of clear standards against which to judge the degree and trend in environmental degradation. We describe the development and characteristics of a macroinvertebrate-based index of biotic integrity (IBI) designed to provide such standards. Eight metrics chosen a priori comprised the IBI: catch per unit effort, generic richness, % Ephemeroptera–Plecoptera–Trichoptera genera, % Chironomidae individuals, Hilsenhoff Biotic Index, % depositional individuals, % predator individuals, and % gatherer genera. Each metric distinguished sites with minimum or moderate human influence from sites with severe influence. The IBI was developed with data from 27 sites and validated with 6 others. Values from the development data set correlated well with the measures of human inf...

Australian waterbirds—products of the continent's ecology

Some aspects of the ecology of 93 waterbird species, found predominantly on freshwater ecosystems, are reviewed. These species, belonging to six major orders—Anseriformes (ducks, geese and Black Swan), Podicipediformes (grebes), Pelecaniformes (Australian Pelican and cormorants), Ciconiiformes (herons, ibis, spoonbills and bitterns), Gruiformes (cranes, rails, crakes and gallinules), and Charadriiformes (waders and terns)—use a wide range of habitats and about half occur throughout the continent. Knowledge of their ecology remains poor for many waterbirds, particularly cryptic and rare species, and is moderate to good for hunted species. Life histories of Australian waterbirds differ from their counterparts elsewhere. Australia's highly variable climate and river-flooding patterns create wetland habitats, the spatial and temporal variability of which strongly influence the ecology of local waterbirds. Many waterbirds respond to newly generated habitats to feed and/or breed and then disperse or die as wetlands dry. Regular movements are not common in most Australian species although some, particularly waders, migrate between Northern Hemisphere breeding grounds and non-breeding habitat in Australia. Breeding of Australian waterbirds coincides with food abundance in the southern spring, the wet season in the tropics and following floods inland. Habitat loss through draining of wetlands, regulation of rivers, diversion of water for irrigation and floodplain development are currently the major threats to waterbirds. Other potentially threatening processes include exotic plants and animals, pollution, climate change and over-harvesting but evidence for the impact of these factors remains poor. Understanding of waterbird, particularly waterfowl, ecology has contributed significantly to the conservation management of wetlands in Australia. Research on single species, studies of movements using satellite technology, further investigation of the effects of hunting, long-term monitoring and large-scale analyses of the availability of wetland habitat should be future research priorities.

Challenges in managing dryland rivers crossing political boundaries: lessons from Cooper Creek and the Paroo River, central Australia

1. Dryland rivers are a focal point of life. Highly variable flows that underpin the ecology of these rivers are the antithesis of requirements for regular water for irrigation. Proposals exist to divert water for irrigation on the dryland rivers, Cooper Creek and the Paroo River in central Australia, that cross political boundaries of three Australian states (Queensland, South Australia and New South Wales). 2. Poorly-planned water resource developments on dryland rivers incur unacceptably high ecological costs. Debate about the future of Cooper Creek and the Paroo River is challenging traditional political accountabilities for management hitherto focused on land rather than water. Diversion of water for irrigation threatens high conservation values of these unregulated rivers and livelihoods of rural communities who rely on floods. The current process whereby a Government water agency in one political jurisdiction assesses and judges the merits of proposals that have ecological consequences is restrictive. We critique current mechanisms for assessment, and approval of proposals to divert water from dryland rivers in Australia. 3. An alternative is to begin with a discussion of the impacts of such proposals and ecological and social values under threat that involves a ‘collaborative’ resource management partnership between scientists, landholders and conservationists. Two scientific workshops on Cooper Creek and the Paroo River distilled such a process. This paper reviews the background to these workshops and their importance for decisions on sustainable management of dryland rivers and their floodplain wetlands. Scientific workshops involve the wider community in decision-making that is traditionally the province of water managers and developers. Transparency, independence and a catchment focus remain challenges for decision-making on the Paroo and the Cooper but the foundations were laid by the workshops. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Value of an Acre‐Foot of Water

limited water supplies. With water limited in many areas and with demands thereon increasing, competition is bound to develop. Moreover, people are prone to look into the future and wonder if decisions and dedications made today concerning the use of water will prove sound tomorrow ; consequently, they are interested not only in today's conflicts, but they also endeavor to minimize those of tomorrow (1, Vol. 3, p. 1097). The US has reached a point in the development of its economy when only rarely can use be made of water for some particular purpose without adversely affecting its use for some other purpose. For instance, diversion of water for irrigation can result in lower navigable depths, lower power potentials, limited ability of streams to dilute and carry away industrial and human wastes, decreased recreational values, destruction of fish and wildlife habitats. It may permit the intrusion of salt water into bays and estuaries, with a consequent modification of the chemical composition of coastal waters, their character, and their aquatic life. The water that does return to streams after