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ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #94692
Title: DESIGN OF CONTROLLED-DRAINAGE AND SUBIRRIGATION FACILITIES FOR WATER TABLE MANGEMENT

Author
item Fouss, James
item EVANS, ROBERT - NC STATE UNIV., RALIEGH
item BELCHER, HAROLD - MI STATE UNIV., LANSING

Submitted to: American Society of Agronomy Monograph Series
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/10/1998
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Water table management systems for agricultural croplands are designed and installed to reduce the durations of excessive and deficient soil water conditions in the root-zone that limit crop production, and to reduce agrochemical (fertilizer and pesticide) losses by controlling drainage discharge (runoff and subsurface effluent). The integrated design of a water table control system includes determination of the suitability of the site, required drain depth and spacing, preparation of a field layout and installation plan, and selection of a method for operating the system in the controlled-drainage and subirrigation modes to maintain the desired water table depth and to efficiently utilize rainfall received. The optimum mode of system operation (conventional subsurface drainage, controlled-drainage, or subirrigation modes) varies from day-to-day and year-to-year, which complicates system design. Thus, it is recommended that a simulation model approach be used to conduct a comprehensive analysis to select the final design for the water table management system, and to predict its performance over a period of 10 to 30 years for the climatological conditions at the specific site; an example model is DRAINMOD. A water table management system design that results in the optimum net profit, while minimizing the agrochemical losses, should be the system and management strategy to be recommended to the farm manager.