Abstract

Water management has quite a broad scope, including all practices that influence any component of the hydrologic cycle. Within this broad scope are many practices, including things such as cloud seeding to increase precipitation, reservoir management to minimize flood events and to store water for municipal use, use of plastic mulches to reduce evaporation, and the use of infiltration basins to enhance recharge of groundwater aquifers. Municipal water supply, public safety issues related to flood forecasting, minimization, and urban storm water management, recreational needs, and agricultural production are examples of why water may need to be managed. Agricultural water management practices generally fall into one of five primary categories: irrigation, drainage, soil erosion control, water supply for animal needs, and waste water disposal. Irrigation involves adding water to assure an adequate supply for crop needs. Irrigation water may be applied on the soil surface or below the soil surface by various methods. One of the methods used to apply water below the soil surface is sub-irrigation.