The impact of climatic patterns on runoff and irrigation water allocation in an arid watershed of northern Mexico

Abstract

The uncertainty of water availability is the main problem in planning for water resources in watersheds of agricultural drylands. Water availability for different uses depends on the runoff that is generated in the upper portion of the watersheds, where there are higher elevations and lower temperatures. Proximity to the ocean is a main factor that defines rainfall amounts. In this research we linked the effects of El Niño to a regional Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) and the subsequent impact on runoff production and irrigation water allocation. Findings indicate the cascading impacts of the El Niño on the SPI, the SPI on the runoff discharge to the irrigation reservoir, and the final impact on the planted area within the irrigation district. An optimization procedure was applied to maximizing net income in agriculture under different water availability scenarios. The restrictions to the optimization model were:total available water, crop water demand, and available land. Local criteria for defining the maximum allowable planted area by crop also were taken into account. The analysis with various water availability scenarios demonstrated that with limited amounts of water for irrigation, forage area would be limited, thereby increasing the area of crops with lower water demands. In both scenarios the area of forage maize was reduced from 11 300 to 1 764 ha.Increasing irrigation water use efficiency may save water for expanding the irrigated area, or for other uses.

Climatic influence on fire regime (1700 to 2008) in the Nazas watershed, Durango, Mexico

“…Our study sites were located in the upper watershed of the Nazas and Aguanaval rivers, in northwestern Mexico, from which surface runoff is stored in the Lazaro Cardenas Reservoir (Sánchez-Cohen et al 2018). The forested headwaters of the Upper Nazas yield nearly 90% of the water in the basin, which is used for agriculture and industry, as well as other activities, by a population of over one million people in the Comarca Lagunera, located in the lower watershed (Loyer et al 1993).…”

Review of water scarcity assessments: Highlights of Mexico's water situation

“…However, the management of surface water faces notable deficiencies. The central concern involves the pollution of surface water bodies due to industrial discharges, agricultural runoff, and untreated sewage discharge, which pose threats to water quality, ecosystem health, and inequitable access to clean water (Pórcel & Pérez, 2017; Sanchez Cohen et al, 2018). Moreover, significant water loss through leaks and inefficiencies within distribution systems results from deficient infrastructure and maintenance.…”

“…In addition, Sanchez Cohen et al (2018) analyzed food production despite water constraints due to the impacts of El Niño climate phenomena using a standardized precipitation index. The findings indicated that irrigation systems in northern Mexico could withstand future predictions of water scarcity, even with worsening El Niño impacts.…”

Reconstruction of Ancient Lake after Peat Excavation—A Case Study about Water Quality

“…Central Poland, especially the Wielkopolska region, is characterized with visible water shortage in agriculture, decreasing water levels in lakes, low precipitation (about 500 mm per year) and is inconvenient for farmers' distribution of rainfalls. This situation is partly related to water management strategies in municipalities and in watersheds [15,16]. The rebuilding and recultivation of small water reservoirs in rural landscape and the creation of pit lakes can be the partial answer to meet the goals of the EU Water Framework Directive [17].…”