Model for the Simulation of Water Flows in Irrigation Districts. II: Application
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Volume 132, Issue 4
Abstract
In a companion paper a model for the simulation of water flows in irrigation districts was formulated. The model combines a series of modules specialized in surface irrigation, open channel distribution networks, crop growth modeling, irrigation decision making, and hydrosaline balance. The objective of this paper is to calibrate, validate, and apply the model, using the Irrigation District Five of Bardenas (Spain) as a study area. Two years of study were used for the analysis, which could be classified as normal (2000) and dry (2001) from the point of view of crop water requirements. Model calibration was performed in one of the 11 hydrological sectors in which the district is divided. The control variable was the monthly water demand, while the calibration variables were related to irrigation operation and scheduling. The seasonal differences in observed and simulated water demand amounted to 0.9 and 1.9% for 2000 and 2001, respectively. Model validation was performed in the rest of the sectors, and the regression line of observed versus simulated monthly water demand could not be distinguished from a 1:1 line in both years. Model application explored scenarios based on management improvement (controlling the irrigation time) and structural improvement (increasing drainage water reuse for irrigation). These scenarios permitted one to sharply reduce water demand, halve the irrigation return flows, and reduce the daily irrigation period from .
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Acknowledgments
This research was funded by the Plan Nacional de of the Government of Spain, by the FEDER funds of the European Union through Grant 2FD97-0547-C02, and by the of the Autonomous Government of Aragón (awarding a research scholarship to S. Lecina). Thanks are due to the management, technical services, ditch riders, and farmers of the Irrigation District V of Bardenas for their unconditional support.
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Published In
Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering
Volume 132 • Issue 4 • August 2006
Pages: 322 - 331
Copyright
© 2006 ASCE.
History
Received: Jul 26, 2004
Accepted: Aug 1, 2005
Published online: Aug 1, 2006
Published in print: Aug 2006
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