OPTIMIZATION OF WATER RESOURCES FOR IRRIGATION IN EAST JORDAN1

The paper describes an approach towards optimal allocation of surface and ground water resources to three agricultural areas in the Jordan Valley under conditions of scarce water supply. The optimizing model allocates water from three main rivers, each with reservoir storage, and from two ground water sources to three irrigation regions. Productivity of irrigation water, expressed as the net present value of the regional agricultural output, but allowing for crop water deficits, is first maximized using nonlinear programming. The allocation process then adopts techniques of linear programming to determine the least cost alternative based on the unit cost of water from each resource at each destination, as it varies with time.     

MANAGING CRISIS: THE EFFECTIVENESS OF LOCAL DISTRICTS FOR CONTROL OF GROUND WATER MINING1

: This article examines the willingness and capacity of local districts to control ground water mining of the Ogallala Aquifer in the High Plains. The questions of willingness and capacity were approached through extensive field interviews and a survey of all district board members and managers. The analysis focuses on the policy alternatives board members and managers perceive and how they evaluate these alternatives. Methodologically, the study utilized factor analysis of responses rating the desirability of various policy alternatives to ascertain what alternatives were perceived by the sample. Then the sample's preferences for each of the identified factors were calculated. The results demonstrate that the sample of those who must regulate if ground water mining is to be controlled at the substate level are not oriented to regulatory policies and therefore lack the willingness to deal with ground water mining.     

OPTIMAL MANAGEMENT AND DESIGN OF HYDRAULIC SYSTEMS1

ABSTRACT: A possible methodology is developed to deal with the problem of designing complex pipeline systems, when they are subject to different rates of demand, and when a hypothesis of the flow distribution in different branches is not allowed. The mathematical algorithm used in linear programming. The problem, which is not linear, is dealt with by means of an iterative method; that is, by starting with a possible solution and inserting at each iteration the solution found in the preceding iteration. By taking as variables of the problem the piezometric heads of the ends for each branch of the network, the piezometric gradients and flows, and by thus considering the diameter as a derived variable, it is possible to isolate the nonlinearity in the cost function of the network. The latter is linearized each time close to the solution found in the preceding iteration.     

CENTER PIVOT IRRIGATION IN THE COLUMBIA BASIN OF WASHINGTON AND OREGON: DYNAMICS AND IMPLICATIONS1

ABSTRACT: As of 1976 over 225,000 acres were being irrigated by center pivot units in a five-county area of the Columbia Basin in Oregon and Washington. Most of the development took place since 1970. Dynamic application of center pivot technology altered the concept of irrigability in the study area, converting lands that were often rolling, sandy, and plagued by wind erosion from low grade grazing to productive irrigated units. This development was entirely by private enterprise, with large corporate farms accounting for much of the effort. Little prior comprehensive planning or coordination took place. When the circulation of water is altered on such a massive scale, however, unplanned impacts may be far reaching. In this case they include:1) acceleration of the shift to high cost thermoelectric generation, 2) alteration of state institutions designed to allocate water, and 3) possible significant alterations of the socioeconomic fabric of small rural service centers.     

MONTANA'S EXPERIENCE IN RESERVING YELLOWSTONE RIVER WATER FOR INSTREAM BENEFICIAL USES - LEGAL FRAMEWORK1

ABSTRACT: The Yellowstone River historically has produced an ample supply of high quality water which is widely used for irrigation, municipal and industrial purposes, recreation, and fish and wildlife. Recently, energy companies have attempted to obtain water rights in the Yellowstone basin for energy conversion facilities in coal-rich southeastern Montana. Existing users fear that energy diversions will impair their rights, preclude expansion of present beneficial users, degrade water quality, and adversely effect fish and aquatic life. In response to these concerns, the Montana Legislature enacted several laws to regulate water appropriations in the Yellowstone River basin, including means by which state and federal agencies could apply for reservations of water for future beneficial uses. Thereafter, both the Montana Fish and Game Commission and the State Water Quality Bureau formally requested relatively large instream flows to protect fish and wildlife and to maintain water quality. This paper describes Montana's experience through December of 1977 with the administration of water in the Yellowstone basin under these laws; emphasis is placed on the major requests for instream flows. The final resolution of the reservation applications, and the related ramifications, will be discussed in a future paper.     

WATER REUSE FROM SEWAGE EFFLUENT BY IRRIGATION: A PERSPECTIVE FOR HAWAII1

ABSTRACT: Surrounded by an ocean, the Hawaiian Islands are limited in their natural fresh water resources. The major readily developable potable sources are the high quality ground water sources which serve both domestic uses and sugarcane irrigation although irrigation water does not require as high a quality as drinking water. The increasing overall fresh water requirements for the island of Oahu will outstrip the potential yield of fresh ground water sources, as developed by present technology, by the year 2000 according to Honolulu Board of Water Supply projections. There are water shortage regions on other islands. Water reuse from sewage effluent for irrigation will augment natural water resources, furnish supplemental or alternative fertilizer, and reduce ocean water pollution and the costs of engineering systems. In cooperative field testing from 1971 to 1975, it was demonstrated that effluent can be applied as supplemental water for furrow irrigation of sugarcane without detriment to ground water quality and sugar yield. Studies are in progress to test different dilutions of effluent and its use with chemical ripeners to improve crop yield. Sugarcane plantations on Oahu, Maui, and Kauai are in various stages of water reuse by effluent irrigation. Reuse is presently practiced for irrigation of golf courses and is being planned for forage crops in Hawaii.     

HYDROLOGICAL,METEOROLOGICAL, AND AGRICULTURAL RELATIONS IN NORTHERN IRAQ1

ABSTRACT: The northern regions of Iraq, an area comprised of mountains and undulating plains, has for centuries been the main granary for the country. Its agricultural production is largely dependent upon natural rainfall which ranges from about 300 to 1,000 mm/yr. Grain yields can be greatly improved by use of improved varieties and management practices. Equations are developed to show relationships between various hydrologic and meteorologic parameters with yields of wheat and barley. The amount of supplementary water needed to maximize grain yields is also shown.     

THE IMPORTANCE OF SOIL IN EVALUATING POTENTIAL WASTE WATER DISPOSAL SITES IN THE MISSOURI OZARKS1

ABSTRACT: A number of criteria can be used in the selection of an area for the irrigation disposal of secondary treated waste water. The inherent capacity of the surface soil to retain, or at least detain, the various nutrient ions passing through the profile in the percolating waters becomes the prime consideration in regions with shallow water tables or in Karst areas such as the Missouri Ozarks where the risk of ground water supply contamination is high. A comprehensive study of the nutrient renovation potential of several soils was undertaken at a proposed effluent irrigation site along the Ozark National Scenic Riverways in south central Missouri. The surface soil hydrology was evaluated employing selected soil water parameters. Exchange equilibria studies determined the retention capacity for Ca and Mg while the concentrations of other selected ions were analyzed in the soil water to measure their retention time and net removal. The movement of a bromine tracer was monitored as an index of the renovation capacity of these soils for the more mobile anions such as nitrate. Neutron activation analysis proved to be a useful tool in the water quality analyses. All surface soil profiles demonstrated some degree of nutrient renovation for the various nutrients studied.     

THE ECONOMIC FEASIBILITY OF DUAL PURPOSE NUCLEAR DESALINATION OF GROUND WATER1

ABSTRACT: The economic feasibility of a large scale dual purpose (desalting water and power production) facility were evaluated. Although a site in the Tularosa basin of southern New Mexico was chosen as a case study for this analysis, it is believed that the approach and consequential results would be applicable to alternative sites in the Southwest. The basic project evaluated included: a) a ground water well field; b) a dual purpose, nuclear, desalination plant; c) a mineral recovery plant; and d) a reservoir for recreation and irrigation storage. Principle project outputs included electrical power, minerals, recreation, and water for either irrigated agricultural production or export to an adjoining river basin. Two alternative project designs were developed for detailed analysis. The first alternative encompassed all major project components. The results, in discounted net values used to assess the feasibility of the project, were essentially negative; that is, values were less than zero for full scale development. The net benefits ranged from $-986.57 million at a 5 percent discount rate, to $-1,137.528 million at a discount rate of 10 percent. In the second alternative, exportation of the desalted water from the Tularosa basin to two adjacent rivers was analyzed with somewhat better net benefits, ranging from $-382,527 million to $-478,612 million at the 5 and 10 percent discount rates.     

A HYBRID COMPUTER PROGRAM FOR PREDICTING THE CHEMICAL QUALITY OF IRRIGATION RETURN FLOWS1

ABSTRACT. A hybrid computer program was developed to predict the water and salt outflow from a river basin in which irrigation is the major user of water. The model combines a chemical model which predicts the quality of water percolated through a soil profile with a general hydrologic model. The chemical model considers the reactions that occur in the soil, including the exchange of calcium, magnesium, and sodium cations on the soil complex, and the dissolution and precipitation of gypsum and lime. The chemical composition of the outflow is a function of these chemical processes within the soil, plus the blending of undiverted inflows, evaporation, transpiration, and the mixing of sub surface return flows with groundwater. The six common ions of western waters, namely calcium (Ca⁺⁺), magnesium (Mg⁺⁺), sodium (Na⁺), sulfate (SO₄⁼), chloride (Cl^?), and bicarbonate (HCO₃^?) were considered in the study. Total dissolved solids (TDS) outflow was obtained by adding the individual ions. The overall model operates on a monthly time unit. The model was tested on a portion of the Little Bear River basin in northern Utah. The model successfully simulated measured outflows of water and each of the six ions for a 24-month period. The usefulness of the model was demonstrated by a management study of the prototype system. For example, preliminary results indicated that the available water supply could be used to irrigate additional land without unduly increasing the salt outflow from the basin. With minor adjustments the model can be applied to other hydrologic areas.