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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Columbus, Ohio » Soil Drainage Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #331643
Title: On-Farm Water Recycling as an Adaptation Strategy for Drained Agricultural Land in the Western Lake Erie Basin

Author
item FRANKENBERGER, JANE - Purdue University
item BROWN, LARRY - The Ohio State University
item Allred, Barry
item BAULE, WILLIAM - University Of Michigan
item ANDRESEN, JEFF - Michigan State University
item Gamble, Debra
item GUNN, STEPHEN - The Ohio State University

Submitted to: Government Publication/Report
Publication Type: Other
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/15/2016
Publication Date: 4/15/2016
Citation: Frankenberger, J., Brown, L.C., Allred, B.J., Baule, W., Andresen, J., Gamble, D.L., Gunn, S. 2016. On-Farm Water Recycling as an Adaptation Strategy for Drained Agricultural Land in the Western Lake Erie Basin. In: Project Reports. D. Brown, W. Baule, L. Briley, E. Gibbons, and I. Robinson, eds. Available from the Great Lakes Integrated Sciences and Assessments (GLISA) Center. 10 pages.

Interpretive Summary: On-farm water recycling ponds are rare in the landscape today, but a few examples exist in the Great Lakes region. They have been implemented primarily where both irrigation is needed for high value crops and groundwater is inadequate to provide the rates needed. Regulatory considerations related to groundwater withdrawals impacts have also played a role, although that was not explored in depth and more study is needed. Crop yield benefits of irrigation from ponds can be considerable. At the WRSIS sites, corn yield increased by an average of 20% under historical precipitation and was projected to increase by 28-30% (depending on the model) under modeled climate for 2041-2070. For soybeans, the yield benefit increased from 12-13% under historical precipitation to 20-24% in the modeled 2041-2070 climate. Construction costs can be more than $100,000 per pond, but can be reduced by opportunities such as sand or aggregate removal or serving as the borrow pit for road construction. Recreational use of these ponds is theoretically possible, but we did not see that as a co-benefit of the ponds we identified. The on-farm economic benefits will depend on the price of the crops, the specific soils at each location, and other considerations.

Technical Abstract: On-farm water recycling is in agricultural landscapes today, and a few examples exist in the Great Lakes region. They have been implemented primarily where both irrigation is needed for high value crops and groundwater is inadequate to provide the rates needed. Crop yield benefits of irrigation from storage reservoirs can be considerable. Systems that capture drainage/runoff, store the water, and then recycle it for irrigation may be a solution that provides sustainable crop yields in the future. At Wetland Reservoir Subirrigation System (WRSIS) water recycling sites in northwest Ohio, corn yield increased by an average of 20% under historical precipitation and was projected to improve to 28-30% (depending on the model) under modeled climate for 2041-2070. For soybeans, the yield benefit rose from 12-13% under historical precipitation to 20-24% for the modeled 2041-2070 climate. These results indicate that systems such as WRSIS can help maintain agricultural production even under the adverse climate conditions likely to occur in the future. Construction costs can be more than $100,000 per storage reservoir, but can be reduced by opportunities such as sand or aggregate removal or serving as the borrow pit for road construction. Recreational use of these reservoirs is theoretically possible, but was not identified in this study as a co-benefit. The on-farm economic benefits will depend on the price of the crops, the specific soils at each location, and other considerations.