Water table control for water resource projects on sandy soils

C. W. Doty; J. E. Parsons; A. W. Badr; A. Nassehzadeh-Tabrizi; R. W. Skaggs

ABSTRACT:

Some 800 ha (2,000 acres) of land near Tarboro, North Carolina, are under study to assess water table management effects on water savings and crop yields. Stream water levels are controlled by a fabric dam built across Mitchell Creek. The stream's water level was increased about 2.0 m (6.6 feet) upstream, increasing upstream field water tables about 1.0 meter (3.3 feet) near the stream with no appreciable increase 620 meters (2,037 feet) away from the stream. Soil water storage was increased above the dam. Computer simulation showed that in 1982, without water level control, only 7% of the area could be irrigated with water pumped from Mitchell Creek. With stream water level control 50% of the area could be irrigated. Crop yields in 1982 increased 20% and 16% for corn and soybeans, respectively, in areas with water table control. Future planning of water resource projects must take into account water management as well as drainage and flood control.

Footnotes

C. W. Doty is an agricultural engineer at the Coastal Plains Soil and Water Conservation Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Florence, South Carolina 29502; J. E. Parsons is an agricultural engineer, ARS-USDA, Raleigh, North Carolina; and A. W. Badr is a research assistant, A. Nassehzadeh-Tabrizi is a research associate, and R. W. Skaggs is a professor, Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh. This article is a contribution from the Coastal Plains Soil and Water Conservation Research Center, ARS-USDA, Florence, South Carolina, in cooperation with the North Carolina Agricultural Research Service, North Carolina State University, Raleigh. Paper No. 8860 of the Journal Series of North Carolina Agricultural Research Service.
Copyright 1985 by the Soil and Water Conservation Society

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