Assessing the Need for Adopting Flexible Delivery Schedules to Improve Farm Irrigation and Reduce Pressure on Groundwater: A Case Study in Southern Italy
Location
Eccles Conference Center
Event Website
http://water.usu.edu/
Start Date
3-29-2011 9:20 AM
End Date
3-29-2011 9:40 AM
Description
A study was conducted on an irrigated area located in southern Italy to analyze the current operation of a large-scale irrigation delivery system and the effects of the operation procedures on crop irrigation management and aquifer salinity increase. The area is characterized by relatively high levels of groundwater salinity in the summer, likely due to intensive groundwater pumping by farmers during periods of peak irrigation demand, with the resulting seawater intrusion. Two alternative delivery schedules were simulated using a soil-water balance model under different combinations of crop, soil and climate conditions. The first set of simulations addressed the farm irrigation management constrained by the rotational delivery used by the local water management organization. The second scenario simulated the farm irrigation schedule most commonly used by growers in the area for maximizing crop yields. Winter and summer salinity maps of the aquifer were developed based on interpolating salinity measurements obtained from groundwater samples collected during the 2006 irrigation season over the irrigated area. These maps implementing a flexible delivery schedule, which could reduce groundwater use for irrigation.
Assessing the Need for Adopting Flexible Delivery Schedules to Improve Farm Irrigation and Reduce Pressure on Groundwater: A Case Study in Southern Italy
Eccles Conference Center
A study was conducted on an irrigated area located in southern Italy to analyze the current operation of a large-scale irrigation delivery system and the effects of the operation procedures on crop irrigation management and aquifer salinity increase. The area is characterized by relatively high levels of groundwater salinity in the summer, likely due to intensive groundwater pumping by farmers during periods of peak irrigation demand, with the resulting seawater intrusion. Two alternative delivery schedules were simulated using a soil-water balance model under different combinations of crop, soil and climate conditions. The first set of simulations addressed the farm irrigation management constrained by the rotational delivery used by the local water management organization. The second scenario simulated the farm irrigation schedule most commonly used by growers in the area for maximizing crop yields. Winter and summer salinity maps of the aquifer were developed based on interpolating salinity measurements obtained from groundwater samples collected during the 2006 irrigation season over the irrigated area. These maps implementing a flexible delivery schedule, which could reduce groundwater use for irrigation.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/runoff/2011/AllAbstracts/10