Decoupling Urban Water Use and Growth in Response to Water Scarcity

Richter, Brian; Benoit, Kendall; Dugan, Jesse; Getacho, Gabriella; LaRoe, Natalie; Moro, Bailey; Rynne, Tyler; Tahamtani, Maria; Townsend, Allen

doi:10.3390/w12102868

Cited by 26 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…In Phoenix, sites with higher amounts of applied irrigation (e.g., croplands, golf courses) typically have higher NDVI than other areas that receive less irrigation water (e.g., xeric landscaping). It is noteworthy that the actual irrigation amount may be affected by irrigator behavior, policy changes, and water availability (Balling and Gober 2007;Wentz and Gober 2007;Gober et al 2016;Richter et al 2020). In this context, irrigators are agricultural producers organized into IDs and municipal water users who apply outdoor irrigation in residences, parks, and other areas.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, urban irrigators can often exceed plant watering needs (e.g., Volo et al 2014;Vivoni et al 2020). However, as warmer and drier conditions influence water policies, it is likely that residential areas and IDs will use less water in the future through irrigation technology, conservation incentives, water pricing, and regulation (e.g., Richter et al 2020).…”

Section: Limitations In Modeling Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Individualized and Combined Effects of Future Urban Growth and Climate Change on Irrigation Water Use in Central Arizona

Wang

Vivoni

2022

J American Water Resour Assoc

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Central Arizona will likely have higher irrigation water use under the combined effects of climate and land use changes.ABSTRACT: Irrigation in agricultural and urban settings is responsible for nearly 80% of the water use in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. Over the last three decades, there has been a continuous decrease in cropland area and its water consumption. Meanwhile, urbanization has increased outdoor irrigation to maintain residential areas and parks. Given these trends, irrigation water use (IWU) is subject to large uncertainties which challenge land and water management. In this work, we used a land surface model with an irrigation module to quantify urban and agricultural IWU under the individualized and combined effects of future urban growth and anticipated climate change. A large set of scenario combinations (96 in total) allowed us to bracket plausible pathways of IWU change in the 21st Century. We found that land use change reduced IWU by À4.6% to À0.1% due to savings from crop-urban conversion, while climate change effects led to increases in IWU by +3.8% to +8.6%. When combined, total IWU changed from +2.5% to +5.8% in the intermediate future and from À0.5% to 6.8% in the far future (2071-2100). These outcomes suggest that water savings from land use change will likely not be able to compensate for the increasing demand from urban irrigation when considering climate change, under current irrigation practices. Our approach to model the interconnections between land and water under climate change can be used to support sustainable water planning in cities in other arid regions.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Limitations In Modeling Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

Individualized and Combined Effects of Future Urban Growth and Climate Change on Irrigation Water Use in Central Arizona

Wang

Vivoni

2022

J American Water Resour Assoc

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“…The constraints on Colorado River supply and its relationship to demand have been apparent for decades and water managers in the basin have been faced with decisions about how to react. Individual communities, when threatened with less water at the local level, have demonstrated success at reducing their use when available supplies are curtailed [56]. The challenge we focus on here is managing the necessary changes in water allocation at the basin scale in order to bring those allocations for communities depending on the river into balance with the river's available supply.…”

Section: Past Successful Management Adjustmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Green Light for Adaptive Policies on the Colorado River

Fleck

Castle

2021

Water

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The Colorado River is a critical source of water supply for 40 million people in nine states spanning two nations in western North America. Overallocated in the 20th century, its problems have been compounded by climate change in the 21st century. We review the basin’s hydrologic and water management history in order to identify opportunities for adaptive governance to respond to the challenge of reduced system flows and distill the ingredients of past successes. While significant advances have been made in the first two decades of the 21st century, these past actions have not been sufficient to halt the declines in the basin’s reservoirs. We find that the mix of federal, state, and local responsibility creates challenges for adaptation but that progress can be made through a combination of detailed policy option development followed by quick action at hydrologically driven moments of opportunity. The role of directives and deadlines from federal authorities in facilitating difficult compromises is noted. The current state of dramatically decreased overall flows has opened a window of opportunity for the adoption of water management actions that move the river system toward sustainability. Specific measures, based on the existing institutional framework and on policy proposals that have circulated within the Colorado River community, are suggested.

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“…Water scarcity is one of the great challenges of the current century, a concern reflected in the United Nations' 6th Sustainable Development Goal: "Ensure the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all" [4]. Water scarcity can be mitigated through various strategies and technologies, including more eco-efficient industrial production approaches to reduce water consumption and loss [5], as well as in water supply systems [6], urban users [7], and irrigation of crops or green spaces [8]. The production these issues, using wastewater or reclaimed water can be a contribution to increasing the eco-efficiency of the algal biomass production process [38][39][40].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainable Production of Reclaimed Water by Constructed Wetlands for Combined Irrigation and Microalgae Cultivation Applications

Pinho

Mateus

2021

Hydrology

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Considering the increasing pressure on freshwater resources due to the constant increase in water consumption and insufficient wastewater control and treatment, recovering wastewater is a path to overcoming water scarcity. The present work describes the potential of reusing treated wastewater (reclaimed water) for irrigation and production of microalgae biomass in an integrated way, through experimental evaluation of plant and microalgae growth, and creation of an application model. First, two parallel experiments were conducted to evaluate the use of reclaimed water produced by a constructed wetland filled with a mix of solid waste: the irrigation of a set of small pots filled with soil and planted with Tagetes patula L., and the cultivation of microalgae Chlorella sp. and a mixed microalgae population with predominant species of the genus Scenedesmus sp. in shaken flasks and tubular bubble column photobioreactors. Results indicated no negative effects of using the reclaimed water on the irrigated plants and in the cultivated microalgae. The growth indicators of plants irrigated with reclaimed water were not significantly different from plants irrigated with fertilized water. The growth indicators of the microalgae cultivated with reclaimed water are within the range of published data. Second, to apply the results to a case study, the seasonal variability of irrigation needs in an academic campus was used to propose a conceptual model for wastewater recovery. The simulation results of the model point to a positive combination of using reclaimed water for the irrigation of green spaces and microalgae production, supported by a water storage strategy. Water abstraction for irrigation purposes can be reduced by 89%, and 2074 kg dry weight microalgae biomass can be produced annually. Besides the need for future work to optimize the model and to add economical evaluation criteria, the model shows the potential to be applied to non-academic communities in the perspective of smarter and greener cities.

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Decoupling Urban Water Use and Growth in Response to Water Scarcity

Cited by 26 publications

References 12 publications

Individualized and Combined Effects of Future Urban Growth and Climate Change on Irrigation Water Use in Central Arizona

Individualized and Combined Effects of Future Urban Growth and Climate Change on Irrigation Water Use in Central Arizona

Green Light for Adaptive Policies on the Colorado River

Sustainable Production of Reclaimed Water by Constructed Wetlands for Combined Irrigation and Microalgae Cultivation Applications

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