Theses and Dissertations

Issuing Body

Mississippi State University

Advisor

Tagert, Mary Love

Committee Member

Paz, Joel

Committee Member

Yasarer, Lindsey

Committee Member

Krutz, L. Jason

Date of Degree

4-30-2021

Original embargo terms

Visible to MSU only for 1 year

Document Type

Graduate Thesis - Open Access

Major

Biological Engineering

Degree Name

Master of Science (M.S.)

College

James Worth Bagley College of Engineering

Department

Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering

Abstract

Exploitation of groundwater and excess nutrient runoff are major issues plaguing agriculture and streams in the Lower Mississippi River Basin, and increased irrigation intensity has yielded a proportionate increase in water use. Quantifying the use and effects of conservation practices like on-farm water storage (OFWS) systems will justify continued adoption of these practices to mitigate groundwater decline and nutrient runoff. Since 2010, over 795 hectares of surface water storage has been added in the Big Sunflower River Watershed, and analysis of aquifer saturation shows a recent rise in the water table and a decrease in seasonal water table drawdowns. Modeling pre- and post- construction conditions of a small agricultural subwatershed shows little difference in runoff at the watershed outlet after the construction of an OFWS system, but field monitoring and modeling show more water retained within the system and the importance of management to maximize the benefits of conservation practices.

Sponsorship

Support for the research was from the USDA ARS Sustainable Water Management Research Unit agreement 58-6001-8-003, project title Developing Sustainable Production Systems that Improve Water Resources in the Lower Mississippi River Basin Sustainable Water Management Research Unit is a component of the National Center for Alluvial Aquifer Research. The agreement was with the Mississippi Water Resources Research Institute.

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