kelly miller, butte county resource conservation district christina buck, butte county water and...
TRANSCRIPT
Kelly Miller, Butte County Resource Conservation District Christina Buck, Butte County Water and Resource Department
Joseph Connell, University of California Cooperative Extension
Dan Taverner, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
Scott Turnquist, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
Best Practices in Agricultural Water Use
Panel Discussion
Introductions and Partnerships
Kelly Miller
District Manager
Butte County Resource Conservation District
Butte County Water Monitoring
Christina Buck
Water Resources Scientist
Butte County Water and Resource Conservation Department
Department of Water & Resource Conservation Monitoring
• Groundwater Levels
• Water Quality- saline intrusion– pH, temperature, electrical conductivity
• Land Subsidence
Water Use
Groundwater LevelMonitoring
Grid
• Measured 4x per year
Domestic well
Irrigation well
Multi-completion well
Water Level Hydrograph
17N03E03D001M
http://www.water.ca.gov/groundwater/casgem/
Groundwater Quality Trend Monitoring
• Since 2001• Summer
Measurement• 13 wells• pH, Temperature,
Electrical conductivity
Subsidence Monitoring
• 5 Extensometers
• Since 1999
• Continuous data
What drives plant water use and how do we match water applications to demand?
Joe Connell, UCCE Farm Advisor Butte County
University of California Cooperative Extension
Agriculture & Natural Resources
6CO2 + 6H2O C6H12O6 + 6O2
Carbon dioxide + Water
+ Oxygen
Photosynthesis
Transpiration
• Loss of water vapor from stomata in leaves• Rate depends on environmental factors &
available soil moisture– Water moves through the plant in the xylem
• Along a force gradient from high in the soil to low in the atmosphere
Microscopic view of stomata
on lower leaf surface
Water Potential Gradient – Soil to Atmosphere
Soil Water Potential -1/3 to -2 bars Suction
Tree Water Potential -2 to -35 bars Suction
Atmospheric Water Potential -50 to -60 bars Suction
14.5 psi per bar suction
Evapotranspiration (ET)
• Evaporation - water evaporation from soil• Transpiration - water evaporation from leaves– ET increases– As day length (solar radiation), temperatures, and wind
increase– Also, as humidity decreases• Total ET is affected by leaf area – % cover of ground surface – > 50% cover = 100% ET
Schedule irrigations based on Reference ET (ETo)
• Evapotranspiration from a standard grass surface– With a constant and complete canopy coverage
• Calculated from measurements – solar radiation – air temperature– humidity – wind speed
Average Reference Water Use, ETo, inchesFresno Orland St. Helena
March 3.3 3.1 2.8
April 4.8 4.8 3.9
May 6.7 6.7 5.1
June 7.8 7.4 6.1
July 8.4 8.8 7.0
August 7.1 7.3 6.2
September 5.2 5.6 4.8
October 3.2 3.8 3.1
November 1.4 1.7 1.4
TOTAL 47.9 49.2 40.4
Daily Reference ETo (inches/month)
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
ETo
(in.)
Month
Average Monthly Reference Evapotranspiration
Sacramento Valley
San Joaquin Valley
Highest in July, followed closely by June and August.
ETo data…Available for locations throughout California
DWR websitewww.cimis.water.ca.gov
Station #12 Durham
ETc data… Published weekly in ER
Low volume irrigation scheduling• Determine how much water
to apply– ETc – canopy size (% cover), climate (temp & day length) – Days between irrigations
• Determine how long to irrigate– ETc between irrigations– Efficiency of irrigation
system– Application rate of drippers
or micro-sprinklersMicrosprinklers
Drip
Low volume irrigation scheduling
• ETo 7.4 inches in June / 30 days = 0.25 inches/day• Irrigated 2 days ago, assume ETc = 0.25 inch/day• So, must replace 0.5 inch of water use
– 1 acre inch = 27,154 gal / 2 = 13,577 gallons/acre ½ inch– An almond tree 22’ x 22’ = 484 ft2
– 484 ft2 / 43,560 ft2/ac = 0.011 of an acre– 13,577 gal/half-inch/acre x 0.011 = 149 gallons per tree
• Determine how long to irrigate– Assume double line drip w/ eight, 1 gal/hr emitters/tree – 149 gallons use / 8 gal/hr application rate = 18.5 hrs run time
every other day
Water budget method of irrigation scheduling
Irrigation
DAILY EVAPOTRANSPIRATION
Onset of Crop Water Stress
Monitor soil moisture with tensiometers or resistance blocks, irrigate at allowable depletion
Additional information
Management strategies• http://ucmanagedrought.ucdavis.edu• http://cetehama.ucdavis.edu
Soil moisture monitoring• http://www.irrigate.net/• http://www.irrometer.com/
Pressure chamber• http://www.pmsinstrument.com• http://www.soilmoisture.com/
Natural Resource Conservation Service Program Overview
Dan Taverner
District Conservationist
USDA NRCS
NRCSNatural Resource Conservation Service
Butte County
Conservation Programs
• Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP)– Agriculture Water
Enhancement Program (AWEP)
– Cooperative Conservation Initiative Program (CCPI)
– Bay Delta Initiative (BDI)– Wild Life Habitat Incentive
Program (WHIP)• Conservation Stewardship
Program– Conservation Payments for
continuing conservation
Easement Programs
• Wetland Reserve Program (WRP)
• Farm and Ranch Protection Program (FRPP)
Easement ProgramsWetland Reserve Program
Three levels– Permanent Easement: A
conservation easement in perpetuity. USDA pays 100 percent of the easement value and up to 100 percent of the restoration costs.
– 30-Year Easement: An easement that expires after 30 years. USDA pays up to 75 percent of the easement value and up to 75 percent of the restoration costs.
– Restoration Cost-Share Agreement: An agreement to restore or enhance the wetland functions and values without placing an easement on the enrolled acres. USDA pays up to 75 percent of the restoration costs.
Ground remains on tax rolls.
Farm and Ranch Protection Program• Removes developing rights from
high quality agriculture production ground
• Privately owned • Meet at least one of the three
following eligibility requirements:– Contain at least 50% prime,
unique, statewide, or locally important farmland
– Contain historical or archaeological resources
– Further a State or local policy consistent with the purposes of the program
• Be subject of a pending offer from the entity
• Contain cropland, grassland, pasture land, or forest land that contributes to the economic viability of an agricultural operation
Conservation Programs
• Agriculture producers are given a cost share incentive to install conservation measures– Three payment rates 50% typical producer, 75% Beginning
farmer and socially disadvantaged, 90% limited resource farmers• Program areas are defined by a geographical area- political,
watershed, resource, and land use– EQIP multiple counties (cluster)– AWEP came to Butte County as a partnership, range production,
Rangeland Coalition– CCPI was brought to Butte County by a partnership with
Yuba/Sutter RCD, Butte RCD and the NRCS offices. Along the Lower Feather and Honcut watersheds
– BDI based on a geographical area with resource issues affecting the Bay Delta includes the Central Valley from Redding to Bakersfield
Conservation ProgramsPayment Programs
• Conservation Stewardship Program (CStP)– Payments based on conservation an
agriculture producer is currently doing– Payments increase as the level of
conservation increases– Payments are on all types of
agriculture enterprises
Agricultural BMPs
USDA – NRCS
Butte County, CA
Presented by Scott Turnquist, PE
www.nrcs.usda.govUSDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
NRCS BMPs = Conservation Practices• NRCS has developed a collection of
conservation practices to be utilized where specific resource concerns are identified –Resources – Soil, Water, Air, Plants,
Animals, Energy and Humans.
• Each practice has a standard and specification to be utilized in evaluating the resource concern and designing/implementing the practice.
• Electronic field office technical guide (eFOTG)–http://efotg.sc.egov.usda.gov/efotg_locator.aspx.
www.nrcs.usda.govUSDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
Water Conservation Practices
• Irrigation systems – Micro, sprinkler & flood– Replace inefficient system with new system
• Pipeline– Replace leaky ditch or old
concrete pipe with PVC• Lined ditch
– Concrete or plastic lined– Particularly effective in coarse soils
• Land leveling / land smoothing• Tailwater return system
– Reuse irrigation tailwater
www.nrcs.usda.govUSDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
Water Conservation Practices, Cont.
• Irrigation water management (IWM)–Required for any new irrigation
system contracted w/NRCS
• Wetland restoration/enhancement–Water bank, attenuates flows,
helps to replenish groundwater
• Many other practice that conserve water collaterally but not as a primary resource concern–Ex. Cover crop, conservation tillage…
www.nrcs.usda.govUSDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
Irrigation System• Water Savings
Estimator
SURFACE IRRIGATION (No change) SURFACE IRRIGATION (Replace Unlined ditch with Pipeline/lining) SURFACE IRRIGATION (Replace a leaky pipeline with a pipeline) SURFACE IRRIGATION (Improve DU (Split runs, higher Q, etc.) SURFACE IRRIGATION (Install a tailwater recovery system) SURFACE IRRIGATION (Landleveling (previously leveled) SURFACE IRRIGATION (Landleveling (previously unleveled) SPRINKLER IRR. (Hand Move/Side Roll) (No change) SPRINKLER IRR. (Hand Move/Side Roll) (Replace Surface irrigation) SPRINKLER IRR. (Solid Set, Undertree) (No change) SPRINKLER IRR. (Solid Set, Undertree) (Replace surface irrigation) SPRINKLER IRR. (Solid Set, Undertree)(Replace hand move sprinkler) TRICKLE IRRIGATION (No change) TRICKLE IRRIGATION (Replace surface irrigation) TRICKLE IRRIGATION (Replace under tree, solid set sprinkler or drip) TRICKLE IRRIGATION (Replace hand move sprinkler) CENTER PIVOTS (No change) CENTER PIVOTS (Replace suface irrigation) CENTER PIVOTS (Replace wheel lines)
Irrigation Water Management (IWM) Video
www.nrcs.usda.govUSDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
Success Story – Belden Family Farm• Conservation Practices addressing water conservation:
– Land leveling, land smoothing, irrigation pipeline, tailwater recovery and irrigation water management.• Estimated savings:
» Land leveling & Smoothing = 145 acre-ft/year» Pipeline and tailwater = 65 acre-ft/year» That’s roughly 160 ft of water covering
an area the size of a football field!
www.nrcs.usda.govUSDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
Success Story – One World Ranch• 74 acre prune orchard & 100 acre walnut
orchard
• Flood irrigation to Sprinkler & Microsprinkler
• Estimated water savings = 410 acre-ft/year
www.nrcs.usda.govUSDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
Thank You!Questions?
Kelly Miller - District Manager ([email protected])Butte County Resource Conservation District
Christina Buck - Water Resources Scientist ([email protected])Butte County Dept. of Water & Resource Conservation
Joseph Connell - Farm Advisor and County Director ([email protected]) University of California Cooperative Extension Dan Taverner - District Conservationist ([email protected])United States Department of AgricultureNatural Resources Conservation Service Scott Turnquist, PE - Agricultural Engineer ([email protected])United States Department of AgricultureNatural Resources Conservation Service