Calibration of SWAT2009 Using Crop Biomass, Evapotranspiration, and Deep Recharge: Calera Watershed in Zacatecas, Mexico Case Study

• Published in: Journal of water resource and protection 2012-07, Vol.4 (7), p.439-450
• Main Authors: R. Ávila-Carrasco, Jose, Mojarro Dávila, Francisco, N. Moriasi, Daniel, H. Gowda, Prasanna, Bautista-Capetillo, Carlos, G. Echavarria-Cháirez, Francisco, D. Garbrecht, Jurgen, L. Steiner, Jean, A. Howell, Terry, T. Kanemasu, Edward, J. Verser, Alan, Wagner, Kevin, Hernandez, Jairo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1945-3094; 1945-3108
• DOI: 10.4236/jwarp.2012.47051

Groundwater is the main source of water in the semi-arid Calera watershed, located in the State of Zacatecas, Mexico. Due to increasing population, rapid industrial growth, and increased irrigation to meet growing food demand, groundwater extraction in the Calera watershed are exceeding recharge rates. Therefore, development and evaluation of alter-native water management strategies are needed for sustainable development of the region. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model was selected for this purpose as it has been used to simulate a wide range of agricultural production, the extensive testing and application in diverse watersheds worldwide, and the potential for future linkage of this model to groundwater models. This paper describes a novel calibration methodology that uses a biomass and water balance approach which has potential for calibration of hydrologic models in ungauged or data-scarce watersheds, which are prevalent in many parts of the world. It is concluded that the calibrated SWAT model can be used in evaluating alternative water management scenarios for the Calera watershed without further validation.