Water Use Monitoring for Irrigation in the United States: A Case Study in Alabama and Lessons Learned for Achieving Sustainability

Abstract

Accurate monitoring of water use is an important step in managing water resources in an efficient, sustainable manner. Irrigation is especially important as the largest consumptive use of freshwater in the United States. The U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) monitor water use for irrigation at the national level, but many states have their own programs. Alabama collects data for irrigation, but there are concerns about participation and accuracy. We investigated the effectiveness of the program in southeastern Alabama for 2011 to 2015, with a focus on center pivot irrigation. The number of pivots increased by about 50 percent (461 to 712), but the number of pumps registered with the state remained the same (126), and water use reporting was consistently low at 50 percent. An attempt to match registered pumps with center pivots for calculating depth of irrigation applied to fields was obstructed by inaccurate pump location data provided on application forms and other issues. Recommended changes to the program include adopting North American Industry Classification System codes for identifying types of water use, adopting the USDA’s classification system for methods of irrigation, revising instructions about mapping pump and center pivot locations, and conducting workshops to inform farmers about updates and to encourage participation.

准确地监控用水情况是高效、可持续地管理水资源的重要步骤。灌溉是美国淡水消耗量最大的用水途径, 因此尤为重要。美国地质调查局和美国农业部从国家层面监控灌溉用水, 但很多州也有自己的项目。阿拉巴马州虽然收集了灌溉数据, 但有人担心数据的参与程度和准确性。我们调查了 2011 年至 2015 年阿拉巴马州东南部项目的效果, 重点关注中心枢转灌溉系统。这种系统的数量增加了约 50% （461 增至 712, 但在该州登记的水泵数量未变（126 台）, 汇报的用水量始终较低, 仅为 50%。由于申请表提供的泵位置数据不准确和其它问题, 登记泵台数与中心枢转灌溉系统的数量无法匹配, 导致无法计算田地的灌溉深度。对这些灌溉计划提出的变更建议包括：采用北美工业分类系统代码识别用水类型、采用美国农业部灌溉方法分类系统、修订水泵和中心枢转灌溉系统位置地图的说明, 通过召开研讨会让农民了解最新信息并鼓励农民参与。

El monitoreo preciso del uso del agua es un paso importante en el manejo de los recursos hídricos de manera eficiente y sustentable. La irrigación es especialmente importante en cuanto que es el uso consuntivo más grande de agua dulce de los Estados Unidos. El Servicio Geológico y el Departamento de Agricultura (USDA) de los EE.UU. monitorean el uso de agua para riego a nivel nacional, aunque muchos de los estados tienen sus propios programas al respecto. Alabama recoge datos sobre irrigación, pero hay preocupación acerca de participación y exactitud. Investigamos la efectividad del programa en el sudeste de Alabama entre 2011 y 2015, centrando nuestro interés en irrigación del pivote central. El número de pivotes se incrementó en cerca del 50 por ciento (461 a 712), pero el número de bombas registradas con el estado siguió siendo el mismo (126), y el informe sobre el uso del agua fue consistentemente bajo al 50 por ciento. Un intento por emparejar las bombas registradas con los pivotes centrales para calcular la profundidad del riego aplicado a los campos se obstruyó por los datos inexactos sobre localización de la bomba suministrados en formularios de la solicitud y por otros inconvenientes. Los cambios recomendados al programa incluyen adoptar los códigos del Sistema Norteamericano de Clasificación de la Industria para identificar los tipos de uso del agua, adoptar el sistema de clasificación del USDA para los métodos de irrigación, revisar las instrucciones acerca del mapeo de las bombas y de las localizaciones de los pivotes centrales y realizar talleres para informar a los granjeros acerca de actualizaciones y para estimular la participación.

Key Words:

• Alabama
• center pivot
• irrigation
• sustainability
• water use

关键词:

• 阿拉巴马州
• 中心枢纽
• 灌溉
• 可持续发展
• 用水。

Palabras clave:

• Alabama
• pivote central
• irrigación
• sustentabilidad
• uso del agua

Acknowledgments

We thank Cameron Handyside, Earth Systems Science Center, University of Alabama–Huntsville, for consultation in mapping center pivots. Thanks also to Zachary Reichle, MS Geography candidate, for assistance with preparing graphics. Finally, we thank the anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments and suggestions and the editors for their assistance in navigating this project to completion.

Additional information

Funding

We thank Brian Atkins, Tom Littlepage, and Michael Harper of the Alabama Office of Water Resources for providing funding and support for this project. Thanks also to Auburn University and the Department of Geosciences for graduate assistantship support.

Notes on contributors

Philip L. Chaney

PHILIP L. CHANEY is an Associate Professor of Geography in the Department of Geosciences at Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849. E-mail: [email protected]. His research interests include sustainable use of water resources, policy, and law.

Jarrett Roland

JARRETT ROLAND is a 9-1-1 GIS and Addressing Coordinator for the Henderson County 9-1-1 Communication District, Athens, TX 75751. E-mail: [email protected]. He is a recent graduate from the Department of Geosciences at Auburn University and his current work focuses on GIS applications in public safety.

Meredith Moore

MEREDITH MOORE is the Sustainability Programs Coordinator at the University of Illinois at Urbana– Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801. E-mail: [email protected]. She is a recent graduate from the Department of Geosciences at Auburn University and her research and professional interests include water resource management and conservation and sustainable program development.

Christopher G. Burton

CHRISTOPHER G. BURTON is an Assistant Professor of Geography in the Department of Geosciences at Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849. E-mail: [email protected]. His research interests include human–environmental interactions within the context of vulnerability and resilience to climate-induced hazard events.