Best Practices in
Agricultural Water Use
Panel Discussion
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
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 Lev
Monitoring
Grid
• Measured 4x per yea
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
Photosynthesis – the key driver
Carbon dioxide +
Water
6CO2
+ 6O2
+ 6H2O
+
Oxygen
C6H12O6
Photosynthesis
Transpiration
Microscopic
view of stomata
on lower leaf
surface
• 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
Water Potential Gradient – Soil to Atmosphere
Atmospheric
Water Potential
-50 to -60 bars
Suction
Soil Water
Potential
-1/3 to -2
bars Suction
14.5 psi
per bar
suction
Tree Water
Potential
-2 to -35
bars 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, inches
Fresno
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
Average
Monthly Reference
Daily Reference
ETo Evapotranspiration
9
8
(inches/month)
7
ETo (in.)
6
5
4
Sacramento Valley
3
San Joaquin Valley
2
1
0
Month
Highest in July, followed closely by June and August.
ETo data…
 Available for locations
throughout California
 DWR website
www.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-sprinklers
Drip
Microsprinklers
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
Monitor soil moisture with tensiometers or
resistance blocks, irrigate at allowable depletion
Irrigation
DAILY
EVAPOTRANSPIRATION
Onset of Crop Water Stress
Can measure
plant stress
directly using a
Pressure
Bomb
Midday stem water potential
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
NRCS
Natural Resource Conservation Service
Butte County
Conservation Programs
Easement Programs
• Environmental Quality
Incentive Program (EQIP)
• Wetland Reserve
Program (WRP)
• Farm and Ranch
Protection Program
(FRPP)
– 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
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 Programs
Payment 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
www.nrcs.usda.gov
USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
Presented by
Scott Turnquist, PE
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.gov
USDA 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.gov
USDA 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.gov
USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
Irrigation System
• Water Savings
Estimator
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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.gov
USDA 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.gov
USDA 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.gov
USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
Thank You!
Questions?
Kelly Miller - District Manager (bc-rcd@carcd.org)
Butte County Resource Conservation District
Christina Buck - Water Resources Scientist (cbuck@buttecounty.net)
Butte County Dept. of Water & Resource Conservation
Joseph Connell - Farm Advisor and County Director (jhconnell@ucanr.edu)
University of California Cooperative Extension
Dan Taverner - District Conservationist (daniel.taverner@ca.usda.gov)
United States Department of Agriculture
Natural Resources Conservation Service
Scott Turnquist, PE - Agricultural Engineer (scott.turnquist@ca.usda.gov)
United States Department of Agriculture
Natural Resources Conservation Service