Showing papers in "Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering-asce in 2015"

Low-impact development practices to mitigate climate change effects on urban stormwater runoff: Case study of New York City

Abstract: Urban stormwater runoff management systems are usually designed to meet performance standards based on historical climate data, which are assumed to be stationary. Based on the evidence from climate change impact studies, in the near future, stormwater management systems, within the built environment, may need to meet performance expectations under climatic conditions different from historical climate. Considering the impacts of climate change on rainfall intensities and stormwater runoff peak flow and volumes, and in turn the effectiveness of mitigation, practices for urban stormwater management are desirable. This paper presents the results of a climate change impact study on urban stormwater runoff in the Bronx River watershed, New York City. Considering the impacts of climate change on watershed runoff, the potential for low-impact development (LID) controls to mitigate the impacts was investigated. Stormwater runoff and LID controls were modeled using the U.S. EPA Storm Water Management Model...

Application of the Water Cycle Algorithm to the Optimal Operation of Reservoir Systems

Abstract: Water resources, in time, place, and quantity, are often poorly matched to the needs of humanity. This disparity tends to be more accentuated in arid and semiarid regions, predominant in Iran. Reservoir systems are a common means to control and manage water resources. Due to limited resources and the increasing demands for water, these systems must be optimally operated to maximize the efficiency of water use. Evolutionary optimization algorithms provide reliable and simple methods for solving complex optimization problems. One of those methods, the water cycle algorithm (WCA), is used in this paper to find optimal operation strategies for the Karon-4 reservoir and a four-reservoir system in Iran. The results demonstrate the high efficiency and reliability of the WCA in solving reservoir operation problems.

Determination of Irrigation Allocation Policy under Climate Change by Genetic Programming

Abstract: This paper develops and evaluates rule curves of reservoir operation and compares them for baseline and future periods. The rules are calculated by genetic programming (GP). Also, the rules extracted are based on the rate of inflow, storage volume, and downstream irrigation network demand. The objective function used is the minimization of the average of squared monthly relative deficiencies in the allocation of water to irrigation demand. The study focuses on the reservoir system as well as the downstream irrigation network of Aidoghmoush dam in East Azerbaijan, Iran, under baseline conditions (time interval 1987–2000) and climate change conditions (time interval 2026–2039). To investigate the optimal allocation policy, three operational scenarios are considered: (1) development of current rules under baseline conditions; (2) employment of current rules for future conditions; and (3) development of future rules for future conditions. Results show that the current allocation policy (resulting from...

Quantifying Excess Stormwater Using SCS-CN–Based Rainfall Runoff Models and Different Curve Number Determination Methods

Abstract: Estimation of excess storm water is among the most basic hydrological challenges for hydrologists and engineers. The initial abstraction ratio λ (= 0.2) assumed in the original U.S. Soil Conservation Service curve number (SCS-CN) is ambiguous and must be calibrated from rainfall-runoff measurements for better runoff estimation. Eight different models including the original SCS-CN model, modified models inspired by it, and three newly proposed models were investigated to assess the accuracy of runoff estimation using rainfall-runoff measurements from 15 watersheds in South Korea. Different methods for CN determination were evaluated to see the effect of CN and λ on runoff estimation. The optimized λ and CN exhibited better results than fixed values as in the original SCS-CN model. Using three different goodness-of-fit statistics to assess the accuracy of the estimates, our proposed models outperformed in all watersheds in the study area when compared with the original SCS-CN model and some of its m...

Retracted: Levee Layouts and Design Optimization in Protection of Flood Areas

Abstract: This paper addresses a possible decrease in flood damages by using structural methods and determines proper locations (layout) to construct protective levees and height of levees (design of...

Interannual variation in long-term center pivot-irrigated maize evapotranspiration and various water productivity response indices. I: Grain yield, actual and basal evapotranspiration, irrigation-yield production functions, evapotranspiration-yield production functions, and yield response factors.

Abstract: Quantification of crop response to the amount of water applied, available, or used is important for decision making to ensure effective, profitable, conservative agricultural production. However, these variables and responses may have interannual attributes and long-term research has rarely quantified interannual variations of irrigation-yield production functions (IYPF), evapotranspiration-yield production functions (ETYPF), and yield response factors (Ky). This long-term research measured grain yield, actual crop evapotranspiration (ETa), increase in ETa attributable to various irrigation levels, basal evapotranspiration (ETb; ET required to establish grain yield), IYPF, ETYPF, and seasonal Ky for maize (Zea mays L.) from 2005 to 2010 growing seasons. Four full and limited irrigation levels [fully irrigated (FIT), 75% FIT, 60% FIT, and 50% FIT] and rainfed treatment were imposed. Seasonal ETa increased linearly with increasing irrigation and the slopes of the ETa versus seasonal irrigation relat...

Analytical Approach Determining the Optimal Length of Paired Drip Laterals in Uniformly Sloped Fields

Abstract: Microirrigation plants, if properly designed, allow for water use efficiency to be optimized and high values of emission uniformity to be obtained in the field. Disposing paired laterals, f...

Interannual Variation in Long-Term Center Pivot–Irrigated Maize Evapotranspiration and Various Water Productivity Response Indices. II: Irrigation Water Use Efficiency, Crop WUE, Evapotranspiration WUE, Irrigation-Evapotranspiration Use Efficiency, and Precipitation Use Efficiency

Abstract: Quantification of various water use efficiency (crop water productivity) indices for different irrigation regimes can aid in making effective in-season water management decisions and developing crop water productivity models. However, these critical variables can be affected by interannual variation in climatic conditions, and long-term research that provides such data and information is extremely rare. Maize (Zea mays L.) irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE), crop water use efficiency (CWUE), evapotranspiration water use efficiency (ETWUE), annual precipitation use efficiency (ANNPUE), growing season precipitation use efficiency (GRSPUE), and the newly developed growing season precipitation use efficiency with respect to rainfed yield (GRSPUErainfed) were measured under full and limited irrigation and rainfed conditions from 2005 to 2010 in south-central Nebraska. An additional new irrigation efficiency term [irrigation-evapotranspiration use efficiency (IRRETUE)] was developed and tested to ev...

Investigation of Reservoir Qualitative Behavior Resulting from Sudden Entry of Biological Pollutant

Abstract: In this paper, fluctuation in reservoir water quality is simulated and evaluated upon the sudden entry of a biological load. By using Version 3.2 of the two-dimensional quality simulation s...

Closure of "Methodology to Estimate the Hydraulic Efficiency of Nontested Continuous Transverse Grates"

Abstract: The aim of this paper is to improve and complete the results presented in a previous work published on this journal about an experimental campaign focused on the hydraulic efficiency of continuous transverse grates for draining paved areas. This type of surface drainage structure is commonly used in urban or impervious areas (public squares, airport pavements, parks, and pedestrian areas), where conventional inlets are not recommended because they are rendered ineffective by the lack of a well-defined channelized flow path and gradients capable of directing flows toward the collecting hydraulic structures. In this paper, a methodology is presented to estimate the hydraulic efficiency of nontested continuous transverse grates. Empirical expressions are proposed to relate grate hydraulic performance to flow parameters and grate geometry without the need for laboratory tests. Moreover, the spectrum of the grates was extended in terms of dimensions and hydraulic design with respect to the first study, to enlarge the range of validity of the proposed empirical expressions.

Monitoring of a Rain Garden in Cold Climate: Case Study of a Parking Lot near Montréal

Abstract: Poor stormwater management is one of the primary factors behind the environmental degradation of water bodies. As a result, best management practices (BMP) and low-impact development (LID) ...

Methodologies for Successful Implementation of Smart Irrigation Controllers

Abstract: Studies have shown minimal impact by smart irrigation controllers when installed indiscriminately, but targeting overirrigators increases the water conservation potential. The objective was to evaluate different methodologies defining residential overirrigators. Two independent smart controller studies were conducted by utilities in Hillsborough County [Hillsborough County Water Resource Services (HCWRS)] and Orange County [Orange County Utilities (OCU)], Florida. In HCWRS, the cooperators qualified when irrigation was in the top 50th percentile of potable water users in the county. Additionally, the 21 cooperators were located in three cities determined as having high water use relative to other cities in the same area. In OCU, 132 cooperators received smart controllers when frequently irrigating more than 1.5 times the gross irrigation requirement (GIR). Actual ratios of historical average irrigation to the GIR ranged from 1.45 to 2.37 in HCWRS and 6.04–8.33 in OCU. As a result, cooperators in O...

Climate Change Impacts in the Design of Drainage Systems: Case Study of Portugal

Abstract: This paper aims to assess the necessity of updating the intensity-duration-frequency (IDF) curves used in Portugal to design building storm-water drainage systems. A comparative analysis of the design was performed for the three predefined rainfall regions in Portugal using the IDF curves currently in use and estimated for future decades. Data for recent and future climate conditions simulated by a global and regional climate model chain are used to estimate possible changes of rainfall extremes and its implications for the drainage systems. The methodology includes the disaggregation of precipitation up to subhourly scales, the robust development of IDF curves, and the correction of model bias. Obtained results indicate that projected changes are largest for the plains in southern Portugal (5–33%) than for mountainous regions (3–9%) and that these trends are consistent with projected changes in the long-term 95th percentile of the daily precipitation throughout the 21st century. The authors concl...

Analytical Equation for Estimating the Stormwater Capture Efficiency of Permeable Pavement Systems

Abstract: Permeable pavement systems have been increasingly used for onsite storm water management. In this paper, an analytical equation is derived for calculating the long-term average storm water capture efficiency of permeable pavement systems. This analytical equation is obtained by using the derived probability distribution theory on the basis of the probabilistic models of rainfall event characteristics and the mathematical representations of the hydrologic processes occurring in permeable pavement systems. Simplifying assumptions are made in establishing these mathematical representations. The validity of these assumptions and the accuracy of the analytical equation are demonstrated by comparing the analytical equation results with those determined from a series of continuous simulations where no similar simplifying assumptions are made.

Clear Water Scour Downstream of Log Deflectors in Horizontal Channels

Abstract: Stream deflectors are in-stream hydraulic structures that limit the flow channel width, thereby accelerating the flow through the constricted section. Single-wing and double-wing log deflectors are the two most commonly used types of in-stream eco-friendly structures. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the scour phenomena downstream of log deflectors in straight horizontal channels. The main goal is to obtain design equations to predict the main scour parameters and describe the scour morphology. All the experiments have been carried out in a horizontal channel and in clear water conditions. Log deflectors with different heights and angles were tested. Different hydraulic conditions including densimetric Froude numbers, water head drops, and tailwater values were studied. Results show that the tailwater depth and deflector angle are important variables to determine the scour parameters. Dimensional analysis leads to design equations to estimate the maximum scour depth, maximum length of t...

Application of a Hybrid Optimization Method in Muskingum Parameter Estimation

Abstract: Two new mathematical forms of the nonlinear Muskingum model called NL4 and NL5, involving four and five parameters, respectively, can be used in river flood routing. The accuracy of the est...

Evaluation of the Potential Impact of Rainfall Intensity Variation due to Climate Change on Existing Drainage Infrastructure

Abstract: The potential impact of climate change on the existing drainage infrastructure has been an essential aspect of many hydrological studies. Climate change that will increase the intensity of precipitation will also increase the magnitude of the design discharge and thus would probably result in adverse effects on the existing drainage facilities. This paper aims to evaluate the potential impact of rainfall intensity variation due to climate change on the existing drainage infrastructure by investigating whether (1) the stormwater drainage infrastructure designed for preclimate conditions is able to sustain future higher discharges, and (2) new design guidelines are necessary to be established to include the potential rainfall intensity variation due to climate change. A case study was conducted using 34 years of rainfall data (1980–2013) obtained from the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). These data and the weather scenario data projected by the four run global circulation model (GCMs) under the...

Effect of Fertigation on Soil Salinization and Aggregate Stability

Abstract: Physicochemical properties of a Haplic Chernozem soil were measured while applying fertigation in a natural grassland during the growing season in a hemiboreal climate with irrigation management based on the decision support system–fertigation simulator (DSS-FS) model. The experimental field was divided into four parcels which were exposed to four different irrigation treatments: fertigation with nutritive solution A [electrical conductivity (EC)=2 mS·cm−1, pH=6), fertigation with nutritive solution B (EC=1 mS·cm−1, pH=6), irrigation with raw water without any injected fertilizers (EC=0.27 mS·cm−1, pH=6.5), and control parcel (no treatment). Rainfall effect on soil desalinization through salt leaching was monitored by comparing the evolution of soil electrical conductivity during and after the growing season. The soil electrical conductivity of the chemigated parcels (parcels A and B) was higher than the control parcels (parcels C and D) at the end of the growing season. This difference decreas...

Quantification of Soil Moisture Effects on Runoff Formation at the Hillslope Scale

Abstract: Pre-rain-event soil moisture (preSM) plays a crucial role when evaluating runoff formation during heavy rainfall. Using sprinkling experiments and numerical modeling, this study investigates the impact of preSM on runoff formation at the small hillslope scale (≤100 m2). Sprinkling experiments were conducted on three sites in the Austrian Alps and observed hydrological behavior was simulated by using the hillslope model HILLFLOW. For each site, runoff was modeled with different preSM scenarios, covering the whole soil moisture range between permanent wilting point and saturation. Depending on the dominant runoff processes, the results showed impacts of preSM on both the maximum runoff and the total runoff. A predominant threshold was observed near field capacity (35 and 32% by volume). In general, the results clearly showed that the consideration of preSM is a prerequisite to reproduce runoff formation and total runoff amounts accurately. Field capacity turned out to be a good indicator (threshold...

Drain Discharge and Salt Load in Response to Subsurface Drain Depth and Spacing in Paddy Fields

Abstract: Drainage continues to be a vital and necessary component of agricultural production systems in consolidated paddy fields in northern Iran. Agricultural and environmental sustainability in t...

Monitoring Agricultural Drought Using the Standardized Effective Precipitation Index

Abstract: Drought is a natural disaster that has always had a severe impact on agriculture, especially rain-fed agriculture. Many studies have indicated that different indices, for example the standardized precipitation index (SPI), do not show acceptable efficiency in quantifying agricultural drought. In the current study, an index was utilized that is the so-called standardized effective precipitation index (SEPI). The SEPI employs effective precipitation during the rain-fed wheat-growing season using a two-layer soil-water balance model. In order to assess the efficiency of SEPI in representing and capturing fluctuations of drought years, SEPI was compared with two SPI time series considering different inputs (annual precipitation and growing season precipitation) during 1981–2008 in seven agro-meteorological stations. The results showed that SEPI had better performance for monitoring variations of the normalized wheat yield time series than two SPI-based indices in different climates. For instance, the ...

Design of Zero Slope Microirrigation Laterals: Effect of the Friction Factor Variation

Abstract: Microirrigation has become quite a common practice in agricultural production in various parts of the world. To achieve the optimum (hydraulic and economic) system performance, designers are often faced with the problem of designing a maximum lateral length which results in a desired coefficient of uniformity (CU) or an allowable pressure head variation (δH). Previous theoretical design approaches are usually based on a constant Darcy–Weisbach (DW) friction factor along the lateral and this assumption can lead to substantial errors. In the research reported in this paper, a new analytical design approach does not require the constant DW assumption for zero-slope laterals while it still takes into account the emitter exponent and the effect of minor friction losses caused by emitters. Assuming a constant friction factor along the lateral might result in errors up to 14% in the calculation of the maximum lateral length. Conversely, the maximum relative error caused by the application of the proposed...

Effect of Temperature and Salinity on the Precision and Accuracy of Landscape Irrigation Soil Moisture Sensor Systems

Abstract: It has been demonstrated that soil moisture sensor systems (SMSs) designed for landscape irrigation can save water. However, SMSs have not been tested with reclaimed wastewater. Both salts contained in the irrigation water and temperature might alter the soil water content (SWC) sensed by SMSs. The objective of this research was to quantify the effect of salinity and/or temperature on the precision and accuracy of three different commercially available SMSs. The brands, controllers, and probes selected for this experiment were as follows: Acclima, SCX, and Digital TDT, Baseline, WaterTec S100, and biSensor, and Dynamax, IL200-MC, and SM200. Every SMS was replicated three times. Each SMS probe was installed in the center of different containers filled with an Arredondo fine sand. The containers were placed in a controlled-temperature chamber and were saturated and dried down across a combination of three temperatures (10, 25, or 35°C) and three electrical conductivities (0, 0.7, or 5 dS/m). Each c...

Soil Salt Accumulation and Crop Yield under Long-Term Irrigation with Saline Water

Abstract: An experiment has been conducted to investigate the salt evolution process in soil and the response of crops to continuous irrigation with saline water under no artificial drainage from 200...

Residential irrigation water use in the Central Piedmont of North Carolina. II: evaluation of smart irrigation technologies.

Abstract: A study was conducted in Cary, North Carolina, in the spring and summer of 2009 with the purpose of evaluating the effectiveness of two “smart irrigation” controllers based on the amount of irrigation applied and resulting turf quality in residential settings. Twenty-four residential sites were selected, in clusters of four, representing six geographical areas within the town. Each geographical cluster included one site of each treatment. The treatments were standard irrigation controller with an add-on soil moisture sensor system (SMS); standard irrigation controller with an add-on evapotranspiration-based adjustment system (ET); standard irrigation controller using seasonal runtimes based on historical climate data (ED); and a control group which used a standard irrigation controller with no intervention (CON). Weekly water usage was obtained from irrigation meter readings and turf quality was characterized using a visual rating and a normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) meter. Maximum ...

Response of Orange Trees to Deficit Irrigation Strategies: Effects on Plant Nutrition, Yield, and Fruit Quality

Abstract: Environmental and economic sustainability of agricultural systems has to face the general decreasing trend of water resources through the adoption of strategies aimed at improving water-use efficiency. In the study, during three consecutive summer seasons, the effects of deficit irrigation (DI) treatments applied on mature orange trees [Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck] cv. “Tarocco Meli” were analyzed. Two different DI strategies supplying 70 and 50% of crop evapotranspiration (ETc) were compared with irrigation at the full rate of ETc; the comparisons were carried out in terms of plant physiological response, crop production, quality, and nutritional status. The orange trees became less sensitive to moderate water restrictions (DI = 70% ETc) permitting approximately 80 mm of water saving (i.e., corresponding to a threshold for water stress integral of 60 MPa) per season without any significant impact on their water status and on agronomic performances. Severe water restrictions (DI=50% ETc) reduced f...

Curve Numbers for Olive Orchard Catchments: Case Study in Southern Spain

Abstract: The curve number (CN) method is widely applied around the world to estimate direct runoff and the corresponding hydrograph of a rainfall event However, there is no information on its perfo

Reduction of Flow Separation and Energy Head Losses in Expansions Using a Hump

Abstract: Irrigation channels need expansions to provide a cross-sectional transition. Expansions often cause flow separation, turbulent eddy motions, channel erosion, and flow energy dissipation. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effectiveness of fitting a hump at the expansion’s bottom in reducing flow separation and energy loss. This paper reports analytical solutions to the problem of flow transition and associated energy head loss, by using the momentum and energy concepts complementarily, as well as experimental results for verifying the solutions. The use of a triangular hump can effectively reduce head loss; the head loss coefficient drops by a factor of up to 4. The mechanism at work is that the presence of a hump forces the flow to accelerate, neutralizes the decelerating effects of expanding width, and creates favorable pressure gradients working against flow separation. Humps with a crest height of 5–9% of the depth of approach flow are recommended, with a good potential to save a ...

Unsaturated Flow Functions for Filter Media Used in Low-Impact Development—Stormwater Management Systems

Abstract: Moisture retention relationships for coarse, high-infiltration soils are difficult to empirically determine and estimate. Present day software models for stormwater management (SWM) that are used as sizing and performance prediction tools for filtration Low Impact Development-Stormwater Management (LID-SWM) systems typically assume that these systems function under saturated flow conditions. This directly impacts prediction of system drainage and hydrographs, as well as the estimates of physically-based water quality improvement. Yet real-time monitoring of these systems demonstrated that saturation of the filter media is rarely achieved. This article presents a framework for obtaining the moisture retention curves (MRC) and relative hydraulic conductivity Kr(θ) function for engineered filter media and other hydraulic control soils used in four LID-SWM systems: pervious pavement, sand filter, subsurface gravel wetland, and bioretention. These functions needed in routing water through the filter me...