Location: Delta Water Management Research
Project Number: 6024-13000-004-089-I
Project Type: Interagency Reimbursable Agreement
Start Date: Dec 15, 2024
End Date: Dec 14, 2027
Objective:
Further understanding of the tradeoffs in nutrient and carbon losses when using on-farm reservoirs used for irrigation.
Approach:
The objective of this project is to measure the tradeoffs farmers might face in nutrient and carbon management when deciding to install on-farm reservoirs used for irrigation. The Mississippi River Valley Alluvial Aquifer has experienced declining groundwater water levels due to pumping of farm wells and limited aquifer recharge. In response, on-farm reservoirs have emerged as a proven strategy to encourage use of surface water instead of groundwater, but farmers need to take land out of production to create on-farm reservoirs. This project will develop metrics of on-farm reservoir characteristics that NRCS will use to improve the APEX/SWAT models they employ to help farmers understand how reservoirs will change how they need to manage nutrients and carbon on farms for soil health, water quantity, and water quality outcomes. Current versions of APEX/SWAT are challenged due to limited or insufficient field measurement data from these sites. Targeted field measurements and supporting data are critical to improving model structure, parameterization, and process representation, as well as understanding interactions among site characteristics, management practices, and environmental variables.