Agricultural Water Use and Permitting

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Agricultural Water Use and Permitting

• Flint River Basin Water Conservation and
  Development Plan
• Technical Advisory Committee Jim Hook,
  presenting

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FRB Regional Water Conservation and Development
Plan Needs

• Understanding of why water use for irrigation
• (Who benefits)
• How did it develop, how is it regulated
• (who will have to change in response to the plan,
  who can be affected by changes)
• What is the nature and extent of the use
• (when, where, how much, which water sources are
  tapped)
• Potentials for reducing water consumption
• (what changes can be made to the existing
  irrigation infrastructure to reduce water use, if
  necessary)
• Potential of resource to sustain current and
  further use.
• (How well are the water sources supplying the
  system now how will they be affected in the
  future collateral damage)

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Irrigation Development in Georgia

• Relatively recent
• Individuals farm decisions
• Water resource put to work
• Water efficient
• No government regulation
• Economic benefit to region

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Why irrigation in a humid area

• Water resource put to work
• Risk aversion, banks and farmers
• Economic benefit to region
• Multiple efficiencies (land fertilizers)

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Irrigation Growth timeline
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Types of irrigation in Georgia

• Portable pipe guns or sprinklers
• Permanent sprinklers (Solid set)
• Travelers
• Center Pivots
• Drip microirrigation
• What is not used surface and subsurface
• What is being done and can be done to minimize
  wasting water during application

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Solid set/portable pipe
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Trends in irrigation equipment

• Strongest driving factor is labor savings
• Second highest is flexibility
• Trend is towards water application efficiency
  through system change-over
• Upgrades in existing equipment (save money
  through energy savings)
• Precision timing and application

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Water resources tapped

• Farm ponds
• Stream direct not large rivers
• Other surface water resources lagoons, wetland
  ponds, cypress swamps, bayou, sink holes, springs
• Groundwater deep wells
• Refilled sources well-to-pond
• Water supply systems

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Water Regulation

• 1972 legislation Non Ag Permitting
• 1988 legislation Ag Permitting
• 2000 legislation FRDPA
• 2003 legislation Meters required

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Sources of Information Irrigation Amounts -
depths

• Farmer estimates
• Irrigation research
• Irrigation surveys
• USDA, CES, IA, NRCS, USGS
• FSA data
• Water Withdrawal Permits
• Crop Models
• Field monitoring studies
• Benchmark
• Ag Water Pumping
• Comprehensive water metering
• Available Water Use Reports

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Irrigation Amounts - depths

• Ag Water Pumping
• 1999-2004
• Monthly
• Meters

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Sources of Information Irrigation amounts -
area

• Irrigation surveys
• USDA, CES, NRCS, NRI
• FSA data and imagery
• Water withdrawal permits
• Field paper based mapping
• 1980, 2003 (CZ)
• GIS-based mapping
• UGA aerial
• Permit mapping
• Meter mapping

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Lower Flint Basin
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