Paso Robles vineyard irrigation study provides benchmark data to assist future area groundwater management

Accurate information on irrigation water usage does not exist in many areas where groundwater is the primary water source. This lack of information will hinder efforts to manage these groundwater basins sustainably according to current and future water regulations and policies. Using a low-cost meth...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Berkeley undergraduate journal of classics 2018-01, Vol.72 (1), p.76-83
Main Authors: Battany, Mark C, Tindula, Gwen N
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Basins
Environmental aspects
Environmental regulations
Evapotranspiration
Groundwater
Groundwater basins
Groundwater management
Hydrologic data
Information management
Irrigation
Irrigation (Agriculture)
Irrigation water
Management
Methods
Pressure sensors
Rainfall
Sustainability
Vineyards
Water consumption
Water resource management
Water use
Wineries & vineyards
Winter
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Summary:Accurate information on irrigation water usage does not exist in many areas where groundwater is the primary water source. This lack of information will hinder efforts to manage these groundwater basins sustainably according to current and future water regulations and policies. Using a low-cost methodology of irrigation-line pressure sensors connected to data loggers, we estimated irrigation applications at 84 vineyard sites in the Paso Robles Groundwater Basin over 4 years (2010-2013). We compared irrigation amounts with the preceding winter s rainfall and with the growing season reference evapotranspiration (ETo). Over the study period, the average annual irrigation application was 11.46 inches (291 millimeters). The average annual application correlated inversely to the preceding winter s rainfall, while the irrigation over the growing season (April-October) correlated directly with the ETo over this same period. This study provides an initial data framework that can be used by groundwater sustainability agencies to help manage groundwater in the Paso Robles area. The methodology also could be utilized in other regions to estimate regional irrigation usage while maintaining anonymity for participants.
ISSN:0008-0845
2373-7115
2160-8091
DOI:10.3733/ca.2018a0003