IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/agiwat/v289y2023ics0378377423003815.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Characterization and control of irrigation canal seepage losses: A review and perspective focused on field data

Author

Listed:
  • Lund, A.A. Rehman
  • Gates, Timothy K.
  • Scalia, Joseph

Abstract

Canals compose the arterial structure of irrigated agriculture, transporting free-surface flows to the vast majority of the world’s most productive farmland. Here we present a critical review and perspective of studies that describe the widespread and serious issue of seepage losses that occur as flows move through this critical network of watercourses. Such losses impact the hydrologic setting and pose challenges to water conservation, agricultural productivity, and water quality. With an aim to better understand the characterization and control of irrigation canal seepage in actual field settings, studies employing the most common field methods (inflow-outflow, ponding, and point measurements) in canals with different perimeter types (earthen, or treated with hard-surface, flexible membrane, compacted earth, and polymer sealants) are considered. Information from 44 peer-reviewed journal articles (impact factor > 1.5) is summarized, synthesized, and evaluated. Statistics of measured seepage categorized by different units, methods of measurement, and type of canal treatment indicate significant variation within and across categories. Given the variation in site-specific conditions, reported seepage rates also vary markedly, with seepage from earthen canals ranging on the order of 0.1–1 m3/day per m2 of canal perimeter area. We find that much of the canal treatment literature lacks consistent and comparable reporting, with only a few studies providing both pre-and-post-treatment seepage values for a specific treatment method to assess effectiveness. Nevertheless, field data point to achievable levels of seepage reduction ranging from about 50–95% across treatment methods. Given the current state of knowledge and availability of refined measurement devices and protocols, we recommend the inflow-outflow method as the standard field technique for canal seepage characterization. Recognizing cost and the need for flexibility to allow groundwater recharge as key deciding factors for canal treatments, while acknowledging the need for further investigation, we recommend further consideration be given to the use of polymer sealants as a broadly promising means of canal seepage control.

Suggested Citation

  • Lund, A.A. Rehman & Gates, Timothy K. & Scalia, Joseph, 2023. "Characterization and control of irrigation canal seepage losses: A review and perspective focused on field data," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 289(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:289:y:2023:i:c:s0378377423003815
    DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2023.108516
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378377423003815
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.agwat.2023.108516?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Salmasi, Farzin & Abraham, John, 2020. "Predicting seepage from unlined earthen channels using the finite element method and multi variable nonlinear regression," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 234(C).
    2. Dench, William E. & Morgan, Leanne K., 2021. "Unintended consequences to groundwater from improved irrigation efficiency: Lessons from the Hinds-Rangitata Plain, New Zealand," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 245(C).
    3. C. Dionisio Pérez-Blanco & Arthur Hrast-Essenfelder & Chris Perry, 2020. "Irrigation Technology and Water Conservation: A Review of the Theory and Evidence," Review of Environmental Economics and Policy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 14(2), pages 216-239.
    4. Mohamed Bakry & Ahmed Awad, 1997. "Practical Estimation of Seepage Losses Along Earthen Canals in Egypt," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 11(3), pages 197-206, June.
    5. Arnald Puy & Razi Sheikholeslami & Hoshin V. Gupta & Jim W. Hall & Bruce Lankford & Samuele Lo Piano & Jonas Meier & Florian Pappenberger & Amilcare Porporato & Giulia Vico & Andrea Saltelli, 2022. "The delusive accuracy of global irrigation water withdrawal estimates," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-4, December.
    6. Lund, A.A. Rehman & Martin, Chad A. & Gates, Timothy K. & Scalia, Joseph & Babar, M. Munir, 2021. "Field evaluation of a polymer sealant for canal seepage reduction," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 252(C).
    7. Meredith, Elizabeth & Blais, Nicole, 2019. "Quantifying irrigation recharge sources using groundwater modeling," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 214(C), pages 9-16.
    8. Kahlown, M. A. & Kemper, W. D., 2004. "Seepage losses as affected by condition and composition of channel banks," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 65(2), pages 145-153, March.
    9. R. Aaron Hrozencik & Nicholas A. Potter & Steven Wallander, 2022. "A National Estimate of Irrigation Canal Lining and Piping Water Conservation," NBER Working Papers 30123, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    10. Robinson, A. R. & Rohwer, Carl, 1959. "Measuring Seepage From Irrigation Channels," Technical Bulletins 170463, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    11. Kahlown, Muhammad Akram & Kemper, W.D., 2005. "Reducing water losses from channels using linings: Costs and benefits in Pakistan," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 74(1), pages 57-76, May.
    12. Alam, M. M. & Bhutta, M. N., 2004. "Comparative evaluation of canal seepage investigation techniques," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 66(1), pages 65-76, April.
    13. Robinson, A.R. & Rohwer, Carl, 1959. "Measuring Seepage from Irrigation Channels," Technical Bulletins 157420, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    14. Kinzli, Kristoph-Dietrich & Martinez, Matthew & Oad, Ramchand & Prior, Adam & Gensler, David, 2010. "Using an ADCP to determine canal seepage loss in an irrigation district," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 97(6), pages 801-810, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Mao, Wei & Zhu, Yan & Huang, Shuang & Han, Xudong & Sun, Guanfang & Ye, Ming & Yang, Jinzhong, 2024. "Assessment of spatial and temporal seepage losses in large canal systems under current and future water-saving conditions: A case study in the Hetao Irrigation District, China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 291(C).
    2. Liao, Xiangcheng & Mahmoud, Ali & Hu, Tiesong & Wang, Jinglin, 2022. "A novel irrigation canal scheduling model adaptable to the spatial-temporal variability of water conveyance loss," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 274(C).
    3. Qingfu Li & Huade Zhou & Qiang Ma & Linfang Lu, 2021. "Evaluation of Serviceability of Canal Lining Based on AHP–Simple Correlation Function Method–Cloud Model: A Case Study in Henan Province, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-25, November.
    4. Qingfu Li & Lixin Guo & Huade Zhou, 2022. "Construction Quality Evaluation of Large-Scale Concrete Canal Lining Based on Statistical Analysis, FAHM, and Cloud Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-30, June.
    5. Kinzli, Kristoph-Dietrich & Martinez, Matthew & Oad, Ramchand & Prior, Adam & Gensler, David, 2010. "Using an ADCP to determine canal seepage loss in an irrigation district," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 97(6), pages 801-810, June.
    6. Meredith, Elizabeth & Blais, Nicole, 2019. "Quantifying irrigation recharge sources using groundwater modeling," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 214(C), pages 9-16.
    7. Sara Azargashb Lord & Seied Mehdy Hashemy Shahdany & Abbas Roozbahani, 2021. "Minimization of Operational and Seepage Losses in Agricultural Water Distribution Systems Using the Ant Colony Optimization," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 35(3), pages 827-846, February.
    8. Lund, A.A. Rehman & Martin, Chad A. & Gates, Timothy K. & Scalia, Joseph & Babar, M. Munir, 2021. "Field evaluation of a polymer sealant for canal seepage reduction," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 252(C).
    9. Drew, Mark & Crase, Lin, 2023. "‘More Crop per Drop’ and water use efficiency in the National Water Policy of Pakistan," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 288(C).
    10. Najihah Dor & Syafalni Syafalni & Ismail Abustan & Mohd Rahman & Mohd Nazri & Roslanzairi Mostafa & Lakam Mejus, 2011. "Verification of Surface-Groundwater Connectivity in an Irrigation Canal Using Geophysical, Water Balance and Stable Isotope Approaches," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 25(11), pages 2837-2853, September.
    11. Anna Boser & Kelly Caylor & Ashley Larsen & Madeleine Pascolini-Campbell & John T. Reager & Tamma Carleton, 2024. "Field-scale crop water consumption estimates reveal potential water savings in California agriculture," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-10, December.
    12. Salmasi, Farzin & Abraham, John, 2020. "Predicting seepage from unlined earthen channels using the finite element method and multi variable nonlinear regression," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 234(C).
    13. Feng, Zhuangzhuang & Miao, Qingfeng & Shi, Haibin & Feng, Weiying & Li, Xianyue & Yan, Jianwen & Liu, Meihan & Sun, Wei & Dai, Liping & Liu, Jing, 2023. "Simulation of water balance and irrigation strategy of typical sand-layered farmland in the Hetao Irrigation District, China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 280(C).
    14. Wang, Jiaxin & He, Xinlin & Gong, Ping & Heng, Tong & Zhao, Danqi & Wang, Chunxia & Chen, Quan & Wei, Jie & Lin, Ping & Yang, Guang, 2024. "Response of fragrant pear quality and water productivity to lateral depth and irrigation amount," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 292(C).
    15. Hassani, Yousef & Hashemy Shahdany, Seied Mehdy & Maestre, J.M. & Zahraie, Banafsheh & Ghorbani, Mohammad & Henneberry, Shida Rastegari & Kulshreshtha, Suren N., 2019. "An economic-operational framework for optimum agricultural water distribution in irrigation districts without water marketing," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 221(C), pages 348-361.
    16. Arslan, Fırat, 2024. "Production-water user association performance nexus in mediterranean irrigated agriculture: The case of banana in Türkiye," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 292(C).
    17. Wang, Ce & Ye, Jinyang & Zhai, Yaming & Kurexi, Wuerkaixi & Xing, Dong & Feng, Genxiang & Zhang, Qun & Zhang, Zhanyu, 2023. "Dynamics of Moistube discharge, soil-water redistribution and wetting morphology in response to regulated working pressure heads," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 282(C).
    18. Muhammad Arif Watto & Amin W. Mugera, 2014. "Measuring Production and Irrigation Efficiencies of Rice Farms: Evidence from the Punjab Province, Pakistan," Asian Economic Journal, East Asian Economic Association, vol. 28(3), pages 301-322, September.
    19. Lankford, Bruce A., 2023. "Resolving the paradoxes of irrigation efficiency: Irrigated systems accounting analyses depletion-based water conservation for reallocation," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 287(C).
    20. Fishman, Ram & Giné, Xavier & Jacoby, Hanan G., 2023. "Efficient irrigation and water conservation: Evidence from South India," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:289:y:2023:i:c:s0378377423003815. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/agwat .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.