Surface Water–Groundwater Interactions Between Irrigation Ditches, Alluvial Aquifers, and Streams

Fernald, Alexander G.; Guldan, Steven J.

doi:10.1080/10641260500341320

Cited by 64 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Much recent work has focused on acequia hydrology, including surface water-groundwater interactions [13], deep percolation and shallow groundwater levels [14], water movement through the vadose zone during irrigation [14], and effects of hydrology on riparian habitat and agroecosystem functions [4]. Other approaches have focused on acequia preparedness for climate change or community restructuring [2], or the economics related to acequia participation, alternative water sources, and land fragmentation impacts on acequia resilience (i.e., the ability of the system to quickly respond to disruptive events) [4].…”

Section: Populationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeling Acequia Irrigation Systems Using System Dynamics: Model Development, Evaluation, and Sensitivity Analyses to Investigate Effects of Socio-Economic and Biophysical Feedbacks

et al. 2016

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Agriculture-based irrigation communities of northern New Mexico have survived for centuries despite the arid environment in which they reside. These irrigation communities are threatened by regional population growth, urbanization, a changing demographic profile, economic development, climate change, and other factors. Within this context, we investigated the extent to which community resource management practices centering on shared resources (e.g., water for agricultural in the floodplains and grazing resources in the uplands) and mutualism (i.e., shared responsibility of local residents to maintaining traditional irrigation policies and upholding cultural and spiritual observances) embedded within the community structure influence acequia function. We used a system dynamics modeling approach as an interdisciplinary platform to integrate these systems, specifically the relationship between community structure and resource management. In this paper we describe the background and context of acequia communities in northern New Mexico and the challenges they face. We formulate a Dynamic Hypothesis capturing the endogenous feedbacks driving acequia community vitality. Development of the model centered on major stock-and-flow components, including linkages for hydrology, ecology, community, and economics. Calibration metrics were used for model evaluation, including statistical correlation of observed and predicted values and Theil inequality statistics. Results indicated that the model reproduced trends exhibited by the observed system. Sensitivity analyses of socio-cultural processes identified absentee decisions, cumulative income effect on time in agriculture, and land use preference due to time allocation, community demographic effect, effect of employment on participation, and farm size effect as key determinants of system behavior and response. Sensitivity analyses of biophysical parameters revealed that several key parameters (e.g., acres per animal unit or percentage of normal acequia ditch seepage) which created less variable system responses but which utilized similar pathways to that of the socio-cultural processes (e.g., socio-cultural or physical parameter change → agricultural profit → time in spent in agriculture → effect on socio-cultural or physical processes). These processes also linked through acequia mutualism to create the greatest variability in system outputs compared to the remainder of tests. Results also point to the important role of community mutualism in sustaining linkages between natural and human systems that increase resilience to stressors. Future work will explore scenario development and testing, integration with upland and downstream models, and comparative analyses between acequia communities with distinct social and landscape characteristics.

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Section: Populationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeling Acequia Irrigation Systems Using System Dynamics: Model Development, Evaluation, and Sensitivity Analyses to Investigate Effects of Socio-Economic and Biophysical Feedbacks

et al. 2016

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“…For example, studies indicate that typical canal losses range from 16% to 43% of channel flow [13][14][15], and percolation rates below crop rooting zones as a percentage of irrigation water applied range from less than 23% to 60% or more [16][17][18][19]. Unlike evapotranspiration losses that take water out of the system and preclude future use, canal seepage and field percolation perform the important function of recharging groundwater as demonstrated with hydrodynamic, chemical, stable isotope, and simulation modeling approaches [19][20][21][22][23][24][25]. This water that recharges the shallow aquifer can then become groundwater flow that returns through the subsurface to connected streams [15].…”

Section: Hydrologic Connections Between Acequia Irrigation Systems Amentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeling Sustainability of Water, Environment, Livelihood, and Culture in Traditional Irrigation Communities and Their Linked Watersheds

et al. 2012

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Water scarcity, land use conversion and cultural and ecosystem changes threaten the way of life for traditional irrigation communities of the semi-arid southwestern United States. Traditions are strong, yet potential upheaval is great in these communities that rely on acequia irrigation systems. Acequias are ancient ditch systems brought from the Iberian Peninsula to the New World over 400 years ago; they are simultaneously gravity flow water delivery systems and shared water governance institutions. Acequias have survived periods of drought and external shocks from changing economics, demographics, and OPEN ACCESSSustainability 2012, 4 2999 resource uses. Now, climate change and urbanization threaten water availability, ecosystem functions, and the acequia communities themselves. Do past adaptive practices hold the key to future sustainability, or are new strategies required? To explore this issue we translated disciplinary understanding into a uniform format of causal loop diagrams to conceptualize the subsystems of the entire acequia-based human-natural system. Four subsystems are identified in this study: hydrology, ecosystem, land use/economics, and sociocultural. Important linkages between subsystems were revealed as well as variables indicating community cohesion (e.g., total irrigated land, intensity of upland grazing, mutualism). Ongoing work will test the conceptualizations with field data and modeling exercises to capture tipping points for non-sustainability and thresholds for sustainable water use and community longevity.

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“…Here these losses were found to provide a significant amount of recharge to the shallow groundwater system; this water returns to the river maintaining stream baseflows after peak runoff (Fernald and Guldan 2006, Fernald et al 2007. Within the study area groundwatersurface water dynamics in the irrigated agriculture driven by decreased surface water infiltration and increased groundwater pumping during period of limited surface supply can be addressed indirectly.…”

Section: Surface Water-groundwater Connectionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Water quantity and quality challenges from Elephant Butte to Amistad

Hogan¹

2013

Ecosphere

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Abstract. Management of the Rio Grande between Elephant Butte and Amistad Reservoirs involves a number of distinct water quantity and quality challenges. These challenges arise from both ''natural'' stressors, such as climate variability and geologic sources of salinization, and ''human'' stressors, such as bacterial and nutrient contamination from urban storm water, agricultural return flows, and wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), altered hydrology, and increasing/changing water demands. The discussion does not argue for a single approach to surface water ''sustainability'' as these decisions are properly made by elected officials and decisions makers. Rather it provides an overview of the surface water system contrasting the pre-development system with the present day to help inform how the stressors mentioned above impact this resource. Current efforts to address these issues are also discussed.

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Surface Water–Groundwater Interactions Between Irrigation Ditches, Alluvial Aquifers, and Streams

Cited by 64 publications

References 36 publications

Modeling Acequia Irrigation Systems Using System Dynamics: Model Development, Evaluation, and Sensitivity Analyses to Investigate Effects of Socio-Economic and Biophysical Feedbacks

Modeling Acequia Irrigation Systems Using System Dynamics: Model Development, Evaluation, and Sensitivity Analyses to Investigate Effects of Socio-Economic and Biophysical Feedbacks

Modeling Sustainability of Water, Environment, Livelihood, and Culture in Traditional Irrigation Communities and Their Linked Watersheds

Water quantity and quality challenges from Elephant Butte to Amistad

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