Top

Environmental Management

Published in:

25-07-2020

Water Conservation with Managed Aquifer Recharge under Increased Drought Risk

Authors: Dat Q. Tran, Kent Kovacs, Steve Wallander

Published in: Environmental Management | Issue 4/2020

Activate our intelligent search to find suitable subject content or patents.

search-config

AI-assisted search

Off

Abstract

Economic analysis of managed aquifer recharge (MAR) typically focuses on identifying the quantity of water to add cost-effectively to natural rates of recharge. However, to the extent that MAR is successful, higher groundwater levels or at least slower depletion are likely to influence crop choice and groundwater pumping dynamics. Using a landscape-level model, we maximize farm net returns taking into account MAR and on-farm surface reservoir storage, crop choice, and the impacts of drought on groundwater use in Eastern Arkansas, USA, over 120 years. We find that drought frequency (risk) has a stronger influence on groundwater pumping and MAR use compared with drought severity. There is evidence of a substantial slippage, the percentage of the increase in groundwater use with versus without MAR divided by the MAR use, under a range of MAR cost and drought scenarios. Total slippage ranges from about 32 to 75% of total MAR water, indicating that only 68–25% of the MAR water raises groundwater levels. Even if the costs of MAR are relatively high and slippage is present, the total net returns to farms in this region are higher, and the variability in those returns are less with MAR.

previous article Steam and Flame Applications as Novel Methods of Population Control for Invasive Asian Clam (Corbicula fluminea) and Zebra Mussel (Dreissena polymorpha)

next article Experimental Study on the Rainfall-Runoff Responses of Typical Urban Surfaces and Two Green Infrastructures Using Scale-Based Models

Dont have a licence yet? Then find out more about our products and how to get one now:

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

über 102.000 Bücher
über 537 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

Automobil + Motoren
Bauwesen + Immobilien
Business IT + Informatik
Elektrotechnik + Elektronik
Energie + Nachhaltigkeit
Finance + Banking
Management + Führung
Marketing + Vertrieb
Maschinenbau + Werkstoffe
Versicherung + Risiko

Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

inform now

Springer Professional "Technik"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Technik" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

über 67.000 Bücher
über 390 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

Automobil + Motoren
Bauwesen + Immobilien
Business IT + Informatik
Elektrotechnik + Elektronik
Energie + Nachhaltigkeit
Maschinenbau + Werkstoffe

Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

inform now

Available only for authorised users

Agricultural lands in the study area currently do not have access to off-farm stored water that might have water rights from planned and/or under-construction United States of Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) reservoirs. Thus, in this case, water would need to be transported from one of the rivers that is downstream from one of the reservoirs. The capital costs of planned off-farm delivery projects in Arkansas are available, but highly speculative whereas MAR costs largely depend on piping cost from main rivers/streams to recharge sites (personal communications with Dr James Rigby, a research hydrologist at USDA). We vary the costs per unit of MAR and off-farm water based on the costs of irrigation projects in Arkansas and the costs provided by Agricultural Research Service personnel and Eley-Barkley Engineering and Architecture, Cleveland, MS.

The trends in irrigation practice use come the responses to a 2016 telephone survey of producers in the Mississippi River Delta conducted by the Mississippi State University Social Science Research Center.

Ahani Amineh ZB, Hashemian SJA-D, Magholi A (2017) Integrating spatial multi criteria decision making (SMCDM) with geographic information systems (GIS) for delineation of the most suitable areas for aquifer storage and recovery (ASR). J Hydrol 551:577–595. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2017.05.031CrossRef

ANRC (2006) Arkasas grounwater protection and management report for 2005. https://www.agriculture.arkansas.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/2005_gw_report1.pdf

ANRC (2017) Arkasas grounwater protection and management report for 2016. ANRC. https://static.ark.org/eeuploads/anrc/Final_groundwater_report_2016-2017.pdf

ANRC (2018) Arkasas grounwater protection and management report for 2017. ANRC. https://static.ark.org/eeuploads/anrc/Final_groundwater_report_2017-2018.pdf

ARNC (2014) Arkansas water plan. ARNC. https://arwaterplan.arkansas.gov/plan/ArkansasWaterPlan/Update.htm

Barnett TP, Pierce DW, Hidalgo HG, Bonfils C, Santer BD, Das T, Bala G, Wood AW, Nozawa T, Mirin AA, Cayan DR, Dettinger MD (2008) Human-induced changes in the hydrology of the western United States. Science 319(5866):1080–1083. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1152538CrossRef

Cayan DR, Das T, Pierce DW, Barnett TP, Tyree M, Gershunov A (2010) Future dryness in the southwest US and the hydrology of the early 21st century drought. Proc Natl Acad Sci 107(50):21271–21276. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0912391107CrossRef

Clark BR, Hart RM (2009) The Mississippi Embayment Regional Aquifer Study (MERAS): documentation of a groundwater-flow model constructed to assess water availability in the Mississippi embayment. U.S. Geologic Survey. https://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2009/5172/

Clark BR, Hart RM, Gurdak JJ (2011) Groundwater availability of the Mississippi Embayment, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Geologic Survey

Collados-Lara A-J, Pulido-Velazquez D, Pardo-Igúzquiza E (2018) An integrated statistical method to generate potential future climate scenarios to analyse droughts. Water 10(9):1224. https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/10/9/1224

Cooper HH, Jacob CE (1946) A generalized graphical method for evaluating formation constants and summarizing well field history. Am Geophys Union Trans 27:526–534CrossRef

Dewandel B, Gandolfi J-M, de Condappa D, Ahmed S (2008) An efficient methodology for estimating irrigation return flow coefficients of irrigated crops at watershed and seasonal scale. Hydrol Process 22(11):1700–1712. https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.6738CrossRef

Dillon P, Arshad M (2016) Integrated groundwater management: concepts, approaches and challenges. In: Jakeman AJ, Barreteau O, Hunt RJ, Rinaudo J-D, Ross A (eds), Springer International Publishing, Cham, pp. 435–452

Edward JF (2016) Crop irrigation survey; Arkansas Retrieved from the social science research laboratory, Social Science Research Center, Mississippi State University

EIA (2015) Gasoline and diesel fuel update. U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, D.C. http://www.eia.gov/petroleum/gasdiesel/

Falconer L, Tewari R, Johnson J (2017) Cost analysis of water management alternatives for the Mississippi Delta. Jackson, MS. http://www.wrri.msstate.edu/conference/pdf/larry_falconer2017.pdf

FEMA (2016) Methodology for aquifer storage and recovery benefit cost analysis. Federal Emergency Management Agency. https://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/1464288989120-5439c85896bf950c82009b95dbe2c16b/15_J_0051_ASR_BCA_Methodology_508.pdf

Fitzpatrick DJ (1990) A preliminary assessment of the potential for artificial recharge in eastern Arkansas. U.S. Geologic Survey. https://doi.org/10.3133/wri904123

Foster T, Brozović N, Butler AP (2014) Modeling irrigation behavior in groundwater systems. Water Resour Res 50(8):6370–6389. https://doi.org/10.1002/2014wr015620CrossRef

Grafton RQ, Williams J, Perry CJ, Molle F, Ringler C, Steduto P, Udall B, Wheeler SA, Wang Y, Garrick D, Allen RG (2018) The paradox of irrigation efficiency. Science 361(6404):748–750. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aat9314CrossRef

Harou JJ, Lund JR (2008) Ending groundwater overdraft in hydrologic-economic systems. Hydrogeol J 16(6):1039. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10040-008-0300-7CrossRef

Henry CG, Hirsh SL, Anders MM, Vories ED, Reba ML, Watkins KB, Hardke JT (2016) Annual irrigation water use for Arkansas rice production. J Irrig Drain Eng 142(11):05016006. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)IR.1943-4774.0001068CrossRef

Hignight JA, Watkins KB, Anders MM (2009) Economic analysis of zero-grade rice and land tenure. J ASFMRA 2009:1–10. http://www.jstor.org/stable/jasfmra.2009.143

Hogan R, Stiles S, Tacker P, Vories E, Bryant K (2007) Estimating irrigation costs. Agriculture and natural resources report FSA28-PD-6-07RV. University of Arkansas 221 Cooperative Extension Service, Little Rock, AR

Kemper N, Flanders A, Watkins B, Poop M (2012) Impact of the 2012 drought on field crops and cattle production in Arkansas. University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture. University of Arkansas Division of Agriculturehttps://www.uaex.edu/environment-nature/disaster/drought-effects/Ark_Drought_Report_August2012.pdf

Konikow LF (2013) Groundwater depletion in the United States (1900−2008). Reston, VA, U.S. Geologic Survey, p. 75. https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20135079

Kourakos G, Dahlke HE, Harter T (2019) Increasing groundwater availability and seasonal base flow through agricultural managed aquifer recharge in an irrigated basin. Water Resour Res 55(9):7464–7492. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018wr024019CrossRef

Kovacs K, Wailes E, West G, Popp J, Bektemirov K (2014) Optimal spatial-dynamic management of groundwater conservation and surface water quality with on-farm reservoirs. J Agric Appl Econ 46(4):409CrossRef

Kresse TM, Hays PD, Merriman KR, Gillip JA, Fugitt DT, Spellman JL, Nottmeier AM, Westerman DA, Blackstock JM, Battreal JL (2014) Aquifers of Arkansas: protection, management, and hydrologic and geochemical characteristics of groundwater resources in Arkansas. US Geological Survey. https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/sir20145149

Lorenz DJ, Otkin JA, Svoboda M, Hain CR, Anderson MC, Zhong Y (2017) Predicting the U.S. drought monitor using precipitation, soil moisture, and evapotranspiration anomalies. Part II: intraseasonal drought intensification forecasts. J Hydrometeorol 18(7):1963–1982. https://doi.org/10.1175/jhm-d-16-0067.1CrossRef

MacDonald GM (2010) Water, climate change, and sustainability in the southwest. Proc Natl Acad Sci 107(50):21256–21262. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0909651107CrossRef

Maliva RG, Guo W, Missimer TM (2006) Aquifer storage and recovery: recent hydrogeological advances and system performance. Water Environ Res 78(13):2428–2435CrossRef

Maliva RG (2014) Economics of managed aquifer recharge. Water 6(5):1257–1279CrossRef

Manning DT, Lurbé S, Comas LH, Trout TJ, Flynn N, Fonte SJ (2018) Economic viability of deficit irrigation in the Western US. Agric Water Manag 196:114–123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2017.10.024CrossRef

Martin DL, Dorn TW, Kranz WL, Melvin SR, Corr AJ (2010) Reducing the cost of pumping irrigation water. In: Proceedings of the 22nd Annual Central Plains Irrigation Conference, Kearney, NE, pp. 24–25

Moore MR, Gollehon NR, Carey MB (1994) Multicrop production decisions in western irrigated agriculture: the role of water price. Am J Agric Econ 76(4):859–874CrossRef

MSU (2016a) Row-crop Irrigation Science Extension and Research 227 (RISER) Program, 2015 Final Report. Mississippi Soybean Promotion Board

MSU (2016b) Row-crop Irrigation Science Extension and Research 229 (RISER) Program, Mississippi State University Cooperative Extension.

MSU (2017) 2014 Mississippi State University RISER Program results. MSU. http://www.mississippi-crops.com/2014/12/09/2014-mississippi-state-university-riser-program-results/

Niswonger RG, Morway ED, Triana E, Huntington JL (2017) Managed aquifer recharge through off-season irrigation in agricultural regions. Water Resour Res 53(8):6970–6992. https://doi.org/10.1002/2017WR020458CrossRef

NOAA (2018) Historical palmer drought indices. NOAA. https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/temp-and-precip/drought/historical-palmers/psi/197001-197001

O’Geen AT, Saal MBB, Dahlke HE, Doll DA, Elkins RB, Fulton A, Fogg GE, Harter T, Hopmans JW, Ingels C, Niederholzer FJ, Sandoval Solis S, Verdegaal PS, Walkinshaw M (2015) Soil suitability index identifies potential areas for groundwater banking on agricultural lands. Calif Agric 69(2):75–84. https://doi.org/10.3733/ca.v069n02p75CrossRef

Pardo-Igúzquiza E, Collados-Lara AJ, Pulido-Velazquez D (2019) Potential future impact of climate change on recharge in the Sierra de las Nieves (southern Spain) high-relief karst aquifer using regional climate models and statistical corrections. Environ Earth Sci 78(20):598. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-019-8594-4CrossRef

Poch-Massegú R, Jiménez-Martínez J, Wallis KJ, Ramírez de Cartagena F, Candela L (2014) Irrigation return flow and nitrate leaching under different crops and irrigation methods in Western Mediterranean weather conditions. Agric Water Manag 134:1–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2013.11.017CrossRef

Pulido-Velazquez M, Jenkins MW, Lund JR (2004) Economic values for conjunctive use and water banking in southern California. Water Resour Res 40(3). https://doi.org/10.1029/2003wr002626

Quintana Ashwell NE, Peterson JM, Hendricks NP (2018) Optimal groundwater management under climate change and technical progress. Resour Energy Econ 51:67–83. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.reseneeco.2017.10.005CrossRef

Reba ML, Massey JH, Adviento-Borbe MA, Leslie D, Yaeger MA, Anders M, Farris J (2017) Aquifer depletion in the lower Mississippi River Basin: challenges and solutions. J Contemp Water Res Educ 162(1):128–139. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1936-704X.2017.03264.xCrossRef

Reitz M, Sanford WE, Senay GB, Cazenas J (2017) Annual estimates of recharge, quick-flow runoff, and evapotranspiration for the contiguous U.S. using empirical regression equations. JAWRA J Am Water Resour Assoc 53(4):961–983. https://doi.org/10.1111/1752-1688.12546CrossRef

Ronayne MJ, Roudebush JA, Stednick JD (2017) Analysis of managed aquifer recharge for retiming streamflow in an alluvial river. J Hydrol 544:373–382. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2016.11.054CrossRef

Scanlon BR, Reedy RC, Faunt CC, Pool D, Uhlman K (2016) Enhancing drought resilience with conjunctive use and managed aquifer recharge in California and Arizona. Environ Res Lett 11(3):035013. http://stacks.iop.org/1748-9326/11/i=3/a=035013

Scherberg J, Baker T, Selker JS, Henry R (2014) Design of managed aquifer recharge for agricultural and ecological water supply assessed through numerical modeling. Water Resour Manag 28(14):4971–4984. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-014-0780-2CrossRef

Scherberg J, Keller J, Patten S, Baker T, Milczarek M (2018) Modeling the impact of aquifer recharge, in-stream water savings, and canal lining on water resources in the Walla Walla Basin. Sustain Water Resour Manag 4(2):275–289. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40899-018-0215-yCrossRef

Seager R, Ting M, Held I, Kushnir Y, Lu J, Vecchi G, Huang H-P, Harnik N, Leetmaa A, Lau N-C, Li C, Velez J, Naik N (2007) Model projections of an imminent transition to a more arid climate in southwestern North America. Science 316(5828):1181–1184. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1139601CrossRef

Sheffield J, Wood EF (2008) Projected changes in drought occurrence under future global warming from multi-model, multi-scenario, IPCC AR4 simulations. Clim Dyn 31(1):79–105. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-007-0340-zCrossRef

Smartt JH, Wailes EJ, Young KB, Popp JS (2002) MARORA (Modified Arkansas Off-Stream Reservoir Analysis) program description and user’s guide. University of Arkansas, Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness. http://agribus.uark.edu/2893.php

Tang Q, Feng G, Fisher D, Zhang H, Ouyang Y, Adeli A, Jenkins J (2018) Rain water deficit and irrigation demand of major row crops in the Mississippi Delta. Trans ASABE 61(3):927–935CrossRef

Theis CV (1935) The relation between the lowering of the piezometric surface and the rate and duration of discharge of a well using groundwater storage. Am Geophys Union Trans 16:519–524CrossRef

UARK (2018) Arkansas field crop enterprise budgets. Division of Agriculture, University of Arkansas (UARK), Fayetteville. https://www.uaex.edu/farm-ranch/economics-marketing/farm-planning/budgets/crop-budgets.aspx

USDA-NASS (2018a) CropScape and cropland data layer. USDA. https://www.nass.usda.gov/Research_and_Science/Cropland/SARS1a.php

USDA-NASS (2018b) USDA—National Agricultural Statistics Service—Quick Stats. https://quickstats.nass.usda.gov/

USDT (2018) Interest rate statistics. U.S. Department of the Treasury. https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/data-chart-center/interest-rates/Pages/TextView.aspx?data=yield

USGS (2019) National Hydrography Dataset. U.S. Geological Survey. https://www.usgs.gov/core-science-systems/ngp/national-hydrography/national-hydrography-dataset?qt-science_support_page_related_con=0#qt-science_support_page_related_con

Wang HF, Anderson MP (1982) Introduction to groundwater modeling: finite difference and finite element methods. Academic Press, Inc, California

Wang C, Segarra E (2011) The economics of commonly owned groundwater when user demand is perfectly inelastic. J Agric Resour Econ 36(1):95–120

Ward FA, Pulido-Velazquez M (2008) Water conservation in irrigation can increase water use. Proc Natl Acad Sci 105(47):18215–18220. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0805554105CrossRef

Young KB, Wailes EJ, Popp JH, Smartt J (2004) Value of water conservation improvements on Arkansas rice farms J ASFMRA 2004:119–126

Title: Water Conservation with Managed Aquifer Recharge under Increased Drought Risk
Authors: Dat Q. Tran
Kent Kovacs
Steve Wallander
Publication date: 25-07-2020
Publisher: Springer US
Published in: Environmental Management / Issue 4/2020
Print ISSN: 0364-152X
Electronic ISSN: 1432-1009
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-020-01329-x

Springer Professional

Abstract

Please log in to get access to your license.

Dont have a licence yet? Then find out more about our products and how to get one now:

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik"

Springer Professional "Technik"

Other articles of this Issue 4/2020

Steam and Flame Applications as Novel Methods of Population Control for Invasive Asian Clam (Corbicula fluminea) and Zebra Mussel (Dreissena polymorpha)

Experimental Study on the Rainfall-Runoff Responses of Typical Urban Surfaces and Two Green Infrastructures Using Scale-Based Models

Performance Measurement of Water Supply Services: A Cross-Country Comparison between India and the UK

The Knowledge and Value Basis of Private Forest Management in Sweden: Actual Knowledge, Confidence, and Value Priorities

Correction to: An Analytical Review of Different Approaches to Wastewater Discharge Standards with Particular Emphasis on Nutrients

Brackish Tidal Marsh Management and the Ecology of a Declining Freshwater Turtle