Location: Sustainable Agricultural Water Systems Research
Project Number: 2032-13220-002-027-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Sep 1, 2024
End Date: Aug 31, 2026
Objective:
In this project, a current gap in understanding of the relationship between groundwater management strategies and hydrologic system behavior will be addressed. We will use an exemplar basin to model the spatial pattern of water elevations, and flows under these anticipated policy approaches to understand how they affect the spatial availability of groundwater across pumpers and the availability of surface water, via baseflow, to local ecological areas of interest.
Approach:
A postdoctoral scholar will be employed to determine the best modelling frameworks to achieve the project objectives. Models will be generated by a combination of platforms, including SWAT, Hydrus 1D, and GAMS. The Postdoc, cooperator, and USDA scientists will work closely with additional collaborators including a graduate student and current SAWS postdocs. Hydrologic findings will be compared to concurrent SAWS research. The study will enhance our understanding of groundwater systems including pumping estimates generated from PG&E rates.
Approach 1: Determine how economic policies (like markets) and managed recharge change patterns of extraction; Work with GSR to collect data on farm-level electricity use and crop choice to statistically analyze the outcomes of policies aimed at reducing water extraction, including the spatial distribution of policy effects across a basin.
Approach 2: Model water table elevation and how it changes with changing patterns of extraction and recharge provided by Approach 1 and concurrent research;
Approach 3: Model ecological water availability in local baseflow dependent ecosystems based on Approach 2;
Approach 4: Integrate findings from Approaches 1 to 3 to create a set of recommendations for best practices associated with the use of groundwater markets and managed recharge policies.
