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

Dongguo Shao, Xuezhi Tan, Huanhuan Liu, Haidong Yang, Chun Xiao and Fengshun Yang

Resources, Conservation & Recycling, 2013, vol. 75, issue C, 1-13

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.

Keywords: On-farm irrigation tanks; Water reuse; Water treatment; Removal efficiency; Hydraulic retention time (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:recore:v:75:y:2013:i:c:p:1-13

DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2013.03.011

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