SWAT-Based Evapotranspirative Water Conservation Analysis Performed on Irrigated Croplands to Determine Potential Regional Water Savings
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Volume 139, Issue 6
Abstract
Significant water savings might be realized, regionally and nationally, if an additional fraction of cultivated land were converted to a more effective form of irrigation (e.g., from furrow flooding to center pivot or drip, where feasible). To quantify potential savings, the ArcMap-based USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) software was used to model hydrologic budgets in the San Miguel Creek watershed, Texas; findings were applied to regionally similar agricultural land in the Edwards Aquifer Groundwater Conservation District and Texas State Regional Water Planning Area L (RWPA-L). Up to 26.1 and of potential agricultural water savings were identified in these two areas, respectively. The straightforward approach can be used to predict water demand and potential water savings in closed rivers basins; across borders; or in other areas in which agricultural irrigation is prevalent, water scarcity may be a concern, or competing rural/urban interests persist among various user groups.
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Published In
Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering
Volume 139 • Issue 6 • June 2013
Pages: 456 - 462
Copyright
© 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jan 5, 2012
Accepted: Nov 16, 2012
Published online: Nov 20, 2012
Published in print: Jun 1, 2013
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