HR: 0800h
AN: H51C-0639    [Abstracts]
TI: Water Transport Through the Unsaturated Zone and Shallow Groundwater Response Following Flood Irrigation in Three Different Soils of Northern New Mexico
AU: * Ochoa, C G
EM: carochoa@nmsu.edu
AF: New Mexico State University, Department of Animal and Range Sciences MSC 3-I, P.O. Box 30003, Las Cruces, NM 88003, United States
AU: Fernald, A G
EM: fernald@nmsu.edu
AF: New Mexico State University, Department of Animal and Range Sciences MSC 3-I, P.O. Box 30003, Las Cruces, NM 88003, United States
AU: Guldan, S J
EM: sguldan@nmsu.edu
AF: New Mexico State University, Alcalde Sustainable Agriculture Science Center, P.O. Box 159, Alcalde, NM 87511, United States
AB: Deep percolation from surface irrigation may be important for groundwater recharge in irrigated corridors. This is particularly important in irrigated valleys of northern New Mexico, where no or minimal chemicals are used in crop production. The study site is located at the New Mexico State University-Alcalde Sustainable Agriculture Science Center, in the agricultural corridor between the Rio Grande and a main irrigation ditch. The objective of this study was to characterize the continuum of water transport through the unsaturated zone and into the aquifer in different soil types. Six 12 m by 12 m infiltration plots were instrumented to measure, both the amount of water being transported through the unsaturated zone and the water level rise following flood irrigation. The infiltration plots were installed in three soil types (Fruitland sandy loam, Werlog clay loam, and Abiquiu-Peralta complex) that overlie a shallow aquifer that ranges from 1.5 m to 4 m depth from soil surface, depending on proximity to the river. These three soil types account for over eighty five percent of the total acreage in the agriculture corridor. Soil moisture, soil temperature, water level, and climatic data were collected to determine plot water budget, velocity of water transport through the soil profile, and water level response for the different soil profiles been evaluated. The model Hydrus was used for simulating the water movement through the soil and the water balance. Preliminary results showed a good agreement between field-measured and simulated results. Results of this study are being used to calculate the crop seepage contributions to the recharge of the shallow aquifer in a Rio Grande-main ditch irrigated corridor. Key words: Deep percolation, water level response, flood irrigation, water balance, Hydrus.
DE: 1865 Soils (0486)
DE: 1866 Soil moisture
DE: 1875 Vadose zone
DE: 1899 General or miscellaneous
SC: Hydrology [H]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting