Using target levels to develop a sustained yield pumping strategy

USING TARGET LEVELS TO DEVELOP A SUSTAINED YIELD PUMPING STRATEGY IN ARKANSAS, A "RIPARIAN RIGHTS STATE By Richard C Peralta and Ann W Peralta Authors are Assistant Professor, Agricultural Engineering Department; and Research Associate, Arkansas Water Resources Research Center; University of Arkansas, Fayetteville REVIEWERS Craig Burns Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation Joe Clements Little Rock District U.S Army Corps of Engineers James Ferguson Agricultural Engineering Department University of Arkansas-Fayetteville Carl Griffis Agricultural Engineering Department University of Arkansas-Fayetteville Warren Harris Agricultural Engineering Department University of Arkansas-Fayetteville A.H Ludwig U.S Geological Survey P Douglas Mays Arkansas Game & Fish Commission William Moorehead Attorney, Grand Prairie-White River Irrigation District Jim Pender Little Rock John Terry U.S Geological Survey ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors are grateful for the guidance and encouragement of Les Mack and for the pioneering work of H.J Morel-Seytoux in developing tools for water management The diligent efforts of Tim Skergan, Research Assistant, are appreciated support of the Inc., Riceland Foods, Commission, the Jacob Hartz Seed Company, the the Arkansas Soil and Arkansas Water Resources University of Arkansas gratefully acknowledged Producers Agricultural Finally, The financial Rice Mill, Water Conservation Research Center and Experiment Station are special thanks to those who invested their time to review the manuscript and make suggestions to improve it in style and content CONTENTS Introduction .•• • I_I •••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Developing a Sustained Yield Pumping Strategy to Maintain Target Levels Introduction and Background ••••••.•••.•.•••• •••••• ••• Theory • • • • Development of a Hypothetical Pumping Strategy •.•• • 14 Groundwater Management and the Riparian Rights/Reasonable Use Doctrine 19 Approach •• 26 Arkansas Water Law ••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Reasonable Use and the Target Level Summary and Conclusions 29 - References Cited • • • • • 31 Cases and Statutes Cited ••••••.••• •• •••••• • •••••• 33 INTRODUCTION Groundwater is the major source of water for consumptive use in Arkansas agricultural areas, Significant and pumping is concentrated in industrial production including much of the In a number of Grand Prairie Arkansas, average recharge As a result of this groundwater mining, are annual withdrawal from the aquifer compaction, unfeasible, and groundwater Generally, limited maintaining by these region aquifer of exceeds water levels level can accelerate salt water intrusion in cause of Mining which leads to excessive declines in dropping water areas make eventually irrigation disrupt these an problems groundwater an levels aquifer, economically economy can the be based upon prevented at or appropriate elevations and thereby maintaining favorable hydraulic gradients Once desired target groundwater levels are agreed upon, can they be Basically, maintained? maintaining how groundwater levels over the long term requires that as much water moves into The term the aquifer "sustained (and each part of it) as it yield" refers to a volume of annual withdrawal is, on the average, balanced recharge leaves The by an equivalent spatially distributed which volume of annual pattern of pumping which will maintain specific groundwater levels can be referred to as a sustained yield This pumping strategy report presents a simple approach for developing a sustained ,yield 1982 groundwater pumping It pumping levels strategy should possible be strategy as for the Grand Prairie Using hypothetical target the which will maintain those levels is presented emphasized that there are an infinite sustained yield pumping strategies for example levels, number any area of The given in this report is for demonstration purposes only and is not being proposed for implementation In to practice, maintain knowing how much groundwater should be pumped specific groundwater levels in useful for estimating where and how water needed to is much certain supplemental The target approach is a tool designed to aid water users to protecting use from yield available the pumping second objective legal feasibility strategy to of level obtain maximum while resources of the report implementing maintain groundwater levels in Arkansas water water amount existing rights Accordingly, the evaluate the is surface meet water requirements beyond the that the aquifer can supply year after year beneficial areas and/or a law is followed by an analysis of the legal target applicable modifications necessary to implement the target approach in Arkansas sustained achieve A brief overview of is to DEVELOPING A SUSTAINED YIELD PUMPING STRATEGY TO MAINTAIN TARGET LEVELS Introduction and Background A computer model is a which describes particular (Hall groundwater result which of a and Dracup, physical system system the essential elements of purpose quantitative levels the representation 1970) known or a Traditional models are used to predict from for water the estimated groundwater withdrawals They are not designed to determine the pumping which will maintain preselected target levels approach is maintain A different needed to calculate the pumping values specific levels The approach modeling which presented will here is designed to develop sustained yield pumping strategies capable of maintaining target ground·wa ter levels Its application is demonstrated for the Grand Prairie region of Arkansas The report Grand Prairie cover) It is in the Gulf Coastal Plain and most of the Plain are underlain extensive Quaternary aquifer the River clay Irrigation District (Figure 1) overlying responsible percolation (Engler,et for the moving aI, the from 1945) aquifer percolation bounded by the Grand by an in most small the ground surface Simulation based of impermeable the volume into upon area of the is deep aquifer 1915 (pre- that it is best to assume no for the area's interior White River on the east, Prairie-White A relatively comparatively development) water levels indicates deep the The study area encompasses most of Grand Prairie and includes most of the layer (See The study area is the Arkansas Post Canal ~ lO II 12 13 11 15 -1 o dE ! 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