Connecting field scale performance to watershed health: the added power of sharing data/Calculating producer water use in real time

Lead Researchers: Dayle McDermitt, Billy Tiller, Mark Cox,
Amy Harcsh, Jim Schnieder, Erin Haacker
Contact: Dayle McDermitt
Industry Partners: Nebraska Water Balance Alliance, Paulman Farms,
Twin Platte Natural Resources District, Olsson Associates,
Grower Information Services Cooperative (GiSC) 

Abstract: Using two test areas in western Nebraska—one with stable well depths and outputs, the other with in-season variability in well depth and output—this project evaluated and compared the accuracy of a new tool that uses energy use records to estimate consumptive water use. This analysis will help improve the ability to use energy use data to provide producers accurate, real-time information about their water use, giving producers and regulators a common lens with which they can evaluate action and appropriate response at multiple scales.

Project Background: Knowing how much water to apply and when and related watershed impact is invaluable to both producers and watershed managers and critical information for effective near- and longer-term management of water and energy resources. This team is comparing the accuracy of flow calculations made by the AgHub tool, which measures pumped water in near-real time using power use data, well output, and field size, using a study population of ten wells.