Performance analysis of on-farm irrigation tanks on agricultural drainage water reuse and treatment

Abstract Water reuse and pollutant removal efficiency analysis of the on-farm irrigation tanks (OFTs) was carried out in rice paddy field region of Zhanghe Irrigation District, Southern China through field experiments during the rice growing season of 2009–2011. Water flow measurements indicate that 20.6–68.9% of drainage water captured by OFTs was reused for supplemental irrigation. Rainfall was the most important factor that determines the water reuse efficiency (WRR) of OFTs, since higher rainfall resulted in higher surplus irrigation water draining out of OFTs without reuse, and thus decreased WRR. Fully using the storage capacity for storing return flow, and releasing totally for supplemental irrigation also enhanced WRR of OFTs. Water quality analysis shows that OFTs removed 47.2% of total phosphorous (TP) and 60.8% of total nitrogen (TN) of inflow and have a great effect on increasing sedimentation for return flow as the mean of removal efficiency of pollutant load (REL) for suspended solids (SS) amounted to 68.4%. For water treatment effectiveness of OFTs, high hydraulic retention time (HRT) is most beneficial to increase REL of TN whereas REL of TP is not sensitive to HRT. These results confirm that OFTs can effectively increase agricultural return flow reuse and remove pollutants. As the cascade OFTs irrigation system recycle return flow for several times, the irrigation water demand from outside of region was reduced significantly for rice production. Coupling with the effect of cyclic irrigation on the nutrients recycling by paddy fields, OFTs irrigation system also considerably mitigate the N and P off-site emission. Therefore, it is advisable to integrate the role of OFTs on water reuse and treatment for water saving irrigation and ecological management of paddy fields landscape.

[1]  B. Wehrli,et al.  Phosphorus retention in small constructed wetlands treating agricultural drainage water. , 2005, Journal of environmental quality.

[2]  Q. Shen,et al.  Effect of phosphate fertilizer application on phosphorus (P) losses from paddy soils in Taihu Lake Region. I. Effect of phosphate fertilizer rate on P losses from paddy soil. , 2003, Chemosphere.

[3]  F. Takeda,et al.  Evaluation of a wetland system designed to meet stringent phosphorus discharge requirements , 1996 .

[4]  A. O'Geen,et al.  Effect of constructed wetlands receiving agricultural return flows on disinfection byproduct precursors. , 2009, Water research.

[5]  Larry C. Brown,et al.  Irrigation ponds: Possibility and potentials for the treatment of drainage water from paddy fields in Zhanghe Irrigation System , 2009 .

[6]  H. A. H. Jayasena,et al.  Spatial and temporal changes of hydrogeochemistry in ancient tank cascade systems in Sri Lanka: evidence for a constructed wetland , 2008 .

[7]  Wubbo Boiten,et al.  Flow measurement structures , 2002 .

[9]  Sudhindra N. Panda,et al.  Water balance simulation model for optimal sizing of on-farm reservoir in rainfed farming system , 2009 .

[10]  H. Wittgren,et al.  How hydrological and hydraulic conditions affect performance of ponds , 2003 .

[11]  Larry C. Brown,et al.  WATER TABLE MANAGEMENT TO ENHANCE CROP YIELDS IN A WETLAND RESERVOIR SUBIRRIGATION SYSTEM , 2003 .

[12]  Y. Feng,et al.  Characteristics and behavior of nutrients in a paddy field area equipped with a recycling irrigation system , 2004 .

[13]  Shahbaz Mushtaq,et al.  Economic evaluation of small multi-purpose ponds in the Zhanghe irrigation system, China , 2007 .

[14]  Takehide Hama,et al.  Effectiveness of cyclic irrigation in reducing suspended solids load from a paddy-field district , 2010 .

[15]  David Molden,et al.  Adapting to intersectoral transfers in the Zhanghe Irrigation System, China. Part I. In-system storage characteristics , 2008 .

[16]  Luca G. Lanza,et al.  Performance analysis of domestic rainwater harvesting systems under various European climate zones , 2012 .

[17]  T. Jordan,et al.  Nutrient and sediment removal by a restored wetland receiving agricultural runoff. , 2003, Journal of environmental quality.

[18]  L. S. Pereira,et al.  Crop evapotranspiration : guidelines for computing crop water requirements , 1998 .

[19]  B. C. Mal,et al.  Rainwater conservation and recycling by optimal size on-farm reservoir , 2007 .

[20]  X. Liang,et al.  Economic and financial analysis on rainwater harvesting for agricultural irrigation in the rural areas of Beijing , 2011 .

[21]  S. I. Bhuiyan,et al.  Hydrological analysis of farm reservoirs in rainfed rice areas , 1990 .

[22]  Dongguo Shao,et al.  Effects of alternate wetting and drying irrigation on percolation and nitrogen leaching in paddy fields , 2012, Paddy and Water Environment.

[23]  Ikuo Takeda,et al.  Non-point pollutant reduction in a paddy-field watershed using a circular irrigation system , 1997 .

[24]  John Gowing,et al.  A Daily Water Balance Modelling Approach for Simulating Performance of Tank-Based Irrigation Systems , 2005 .

[25]  Yu-Chuan Chang,et al.  The reasonable scale of water reuse system in irrigation area: a case study of Chitong irrigation district in Taiwan , 2011, Paddy and Water Environment.

[26]  I. Takeda,et al.  Long-term changes in pollutant load outflows and purification function in a paddy field watershed using a circular irrigation system. , 2006, Water research.

[27]  Shin-ichi Misawa,et al.  Characteristics of water reuse and its effects on paddy irrigation system water balance and the riceland ecosystem , 1996 .

[28]  V. Anbumozhi,et al.  Towards Improved Performance of Irrigation Tanks in Semi-Arid Regions of India: Modernization Opportunities and Challenges , 2001 .

[29]  S. Mushtaq,et al.  An assessment of the role of ponds in the adoption of water-saving irrigation practices in the Zhanghe Irrigation System, China , 2006 .

[30]  Yu-Chuan Chang,et al.  Reuse of return flow from wetland paddy to supplement industrial water needs. , 2009 .

[31]  S. Kawashima,et al.  Effects of cyclic irrigation on water and nitrogen mass balances in a paddy field , 2011 .

[32]  Koichi Unami,et al.  Optimal water management in small-scale tank irrigation systems , 2005 .

[33]  R. Dahlgren,et al.  Efficacy of constructed wetlands for removal of bacterial contamination from agricultural return flows. , 2010 .

[34]  Lin-zhang Yang,et al.  Nitrogen Runoff and Leaching Losses During Rice-Wheat Rotations in Taihu Lake Region, China , 2007 .

[35]  B. Braskerud,et al.  Factors affecting phosphorus retention in small constructed wetlands treating agricultural non-point source pollution , 2002 .

[36]  Tasuku Kato,et al.  Evaluation of pollutant removal in a constructed irrigation pond , 2007, Paddy and Water Environment.

[37]  I. Makin,et al.  A simple water balance modelling approach for determining water availability in an irrigation tank cascade system , 2003 .

[38]  Chun-Hung Lin,et al.  A probabilistic approach to rainwater harvesting systems design and evaluation , 2009 .