Economic Adjustments to Groundwater Depletion in the High Plains: Do Water‐Saving Irrigation Systems Save Water?

Peterson, Jeffrey M.; Ding, Yuanzhao

doi:10.1111/j.0002-9092.2005.00708.x

Cited by 119 publications

(84 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…The critical element in most of the published research is the existence of a good water accounting framework. Peterson and Ding (2005) used a risk programming method to analyse economic adjustments to groundwater depletion in the High Plains (Ogallala Aquifer, USA) as a response to water saving irrigation systems. They concluded that a cost share program would serve the dual objectives of conserving groundwater and improving irrigators' welfare.…”

Section: Mathematical Programmingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Literature Review on Rebound Effect of Water Saving Measures and Analysis of a Spanish Case Study

Berbel

Gutiérrez‐Martín

Díaz

et al. 2014

Water Resour Manage

180

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POST-PRINT VERSION AbstractThe hypothesis of a rebound effect as a consequence of water saving investments is taken analogically from the Jevons paradox models in energy economics. The European Commission (EC) alert about the consequences in water stressed regions that are investing heavily in modernization of irrigation networks and systems. This paper reviews the literature, linking water savings with water diversion and water depletion, both from theoretical models and empirical evidence from the published research. In order to increase knowledge of this phenomenon, a new empirical case study is presented based on a survey of 36,000 ha of recently modernized irrigated areas in the Guadalquivir basin (southern Spain). The results of the case study illustrates the conditions that may avoid rebound effect, although the results of the available empirical evidence and the published theoretical research are diverse and lead to contradictory results. Further research is therefore needed to determine the causes and solutions of water saving investment impacts and the possible speculative rebound effect.Keywords: Water conservation; Jevons paradox; Rebound effect; Water pricing; Water use; Water consumption; Spain Highlights The present study analyzes the theoretical and empirical evidence that water saving investments may lead to increased water use and/or consumption. Some authors suggest that if irrigated land expansion is not constrained, increased water abstractions are likely to occur. When land expansion is constrained and water rights are controlled, water depletion does not increase. The results of published research are diverse and have yielded contradictory results regarding the rebound effect as a consequence of water saving investments.

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Section: Mathematical Programmingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Literature Review on Rebound Effect of Water Saving Measures and Analysis of a Spanish Case Study

Berbel

Gutiérrez‐Martín

Díaz

et al. 2014

Water Resour Manage

180

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…More efficient irrigation systems reduce diversions from streams and increase crop both yield and gross revenue (18). Depending on the cost of installing drip irrigation, costs and returns of production, and the price of water, the farmer who uses the technology may experience increased yield and higher income per unit of land.…”

Section: Freely Available Online Through the Pnas Open Access Optionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Water conservation in irrigation can increase water use

Ward

Pulido-Velázquez

2008

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

592

323

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Climate change, water supply limits, and continued population growth have intensified the search for measures to conserve water in irrigated agriculture, the world's largest water user. Policy measures that encourage adoption of water-conserving irrigation technologies are widely believed to make more water available for cities and the environment. However, little integrated analysis has been conducted to test this hypothesis. This article presents results of an integrated basin-scale analysis linking biophysical, hydrologic, agronomic, economic, policy, and institutional dimensions of the Upper Rio Grande Basin of North America. It analyzes a series of water conservation policies for their effect on water used in irrigation and on water conserved. In contrast to widely-held beliefs, our results show that water conservation subsidies are unlikely to reduce water use under conditions that occur in many river basins. Adoption of more efficient irrigation technologies reduces valuable return flows and limits aquifer recharge. Policies aimed at reducing water applications can actually increase water depletions. Achieving real water savings requires designing institutional, technical, and accounting measures that accurately track and economically reward reduced water depletions. Conservation programs that target reduced water diversions or applications provide no guarantee of saving water.agriculture ͉ sustainability ͉ institutions ͉ hydrology

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“…Portions of several of these states (Nebraska, Kansas, and Texas) overlay parts of the High Plains Aquifer, located in the Midwest region of the United States. Previous studies on the High Plains Aquifer have considered different water management strategies (McGuire et al, 2002;Peterson and Ding, 2004;Scanlon et al, 2012;Musick et al, 1990;Sophocleous, 2010), and stories of possible depletion of the High Plains Aquifer have headlined recent news programs (Morris, 2013;Charles, 2013). Farmers in these regions have agreed to reduce their irrigation, but long-term impacts on available water resources and profitability of the associated farms remains largely unknown.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A decision making framework with MODFLOW-FMP2 via optimization: Determining trade-offs in crop selection

Fowler

Jenkins

Ostrove

et al. 2015

Environmental Modelling & Software

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a b s t r a c tFarmers in regions experiencing water stress or drought conditions can struggle to balance their crop portfolios. Periods of low precipitation often lead to increased, unsustainable reliance on groundwatersupplied irrigation. As a result, regional water management agencies place limits on the amount of water which can be obtained from groundwater, requiring farmers to reduce acreage for more water-intensive crops or remove them from the portfolio entirely. Real-time decisions must be made by the farmer to ensure viability of their farming operation and reduce the impacts associated with limited water resources. Evolutionary algorithms, coupled with accurate, flexible, realistic simulation tools, are ideal mechanisms to allow farmers to assess scenarios with regard to multiple, competing objectives. In order to effective, however, one must be able to select among a variety of simulation tools and optimization algorithms. Many simulation tools allow no access to the source code, and many optimization algorithms are now packaged as part of a suite of tools available to a user. In this work, we describe a framework for integrating these different software components using only their associated input and output streams. We analyze our strategy by coupling a multi-objective genetic algorithm available in the DAKOTA optimization suite (developed and distributed by Sandia National Laboratory) with the MODFLOW-FMP2 simulation tool (developed and distributed by the United States Geological Survey). MODFLOW-FMP2 has been used extensively to model hydrological and farming processes in agriculture-dominated regions, allowing us to represent both farming and conservation interests. We evaluate our integration by considering a case study related to planting decisions facing farmers experiencing water stress. We present numerical results for three competing objectives associated with stakeholders in a given region (i.e., profitability, meeting demand targets, and water conservation). The data obtained from the optimization are robust with respect to algorithmic parameter choices, validating the ability of the associated evolutionary algorithm to perform well without expert guidance. This is integral to our approach, as a motivation for this work is providing decision-making tools. In addition, the results from this study demonstrate that output from the chosen evolutionary algorithm provides a suite of feasible planting scenarios, giving farmers and policy makers the ability to compromise solutions based on realistic simulation data.

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Economic Adjustments to Groundwater Depletion in the High Plains: Do Water‐Saving Irrigation Systems Save Water?

Cited by 119 publications

References 22 publications

Literature Review on Rebound Effect of Water Saving Measures and Analysis of a Spanish Case Study

Literature Review on Rebound Effect of Water Saving Measures and Analysis of a Spanish Case Study

Water conservation in irrigation can increase water use

A decision making framework with MODFLOW-FMP2 via optimization: Determining trade-offs in crop selection

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