Assessment of groundwater storage depletion by overexploitation using simple indicators in an irrigated closed aquifer basin in Iran

In arid and semi-arid regions irrigation is usually needed to provide enough water for crop growth in cultivated areas. As surface waters are scarce, especially in summertime when the water is needed, groundwater is heavily used to supply the water demand. Overexploitation of the aquifer in dry years causes depletion of the groundwater storage and systematical lowering of the piezometric levels. This is a particular problem in aquifers developed in closed basins where lateral inflow is nearly absent and replenishment is constrained by rainfall recharge. In this paper, simple indicators derived from meteorological data, abstraction rates and piezometric time series are compared with the groundwater storage depletion as obtained from a calibrated groundwater flow model. Application of the method to the overexploited Shahrekord basin in Iran shows that for the simulated period 1989-2003 an accumulative index of the difference of aquifer recharge, as calculated by a soil moisture balance method, and groundwater abstraction has a correlation coefficient of nearly one with model calculated storage. Indicators based on the filling index derived from piezometric time series or on the ratio of aquifer discharge to recharge have slightly lower correlations. The accumulated index indicator can be used to follow aquifer storage in the future without the need to run the full groundwater flow model. This simple approximation is restricted to aquifer systems with a limited lateral inflow and outflow.     

Decision support framework for assessment of non-point-source pollution of groundwater in large irrigation projects

Agriculture is the main non-point polluter of groundwater in irrigated areas as fertilizers and other agrochemicals are the main contaminants in the water that drains out of the root zone to recharge the aquifer. Nitrates from fertilizers, dissolved in percolation losses from rice fields, are the source of pollution considered. The concentration of nitrates in the percolated water depends on the distributed field water and nitrogen balances over the area. Its concentration in the groundwater depends on the total recharge, pollution loading, groundwater flow and solute transport within the aquifer. The development and application of a GIS based decision support framework that integrates field scale models of these processes for assessment of non-point-source pollution of groundwater in canal irrigation project areas is presented. The GIS is used for representing the spatial variations in input data over the area and map the output of the recharge and nitrogen balance models. The latter are used to provide the spatially distributed recharge and pollutant load inputs to the distributed groundwater flow and transport models, respectively. Alternate strategies for water and fertilizer use can be evaluated using this framework to ensure long-term sustainability of productive agriculture in large irrigation projects. The development and application of the framework is illustrated by taking a case study of a large canal irrigation system in India.     

Assessing the groundwater dynamics and impacts of water saving in the Hetao Irrigation District, Yellow River basin

Water resources allocated to the agricultural sector in the Yellow River basin are being reduced due to severe water scarcity and increased demand by the non-agricultural sectors. In large-scale irrigation districts, the application of water-saving practices, e.g., improving the canal system, using water-saving irrigation technology and adjusting cropping patterns, is required for the sustainable agricultural development and the river basin environmental equilibrium. Adopting water-saving practices leads to lowering the groundwater table and to controlling salinity impacts related to excessive irrigation. However, assessing the effects of water-saving practices on the groundwater system requires further investigation. The Jiefangzha Irrigation Scheme of the Hetao Irrigation District is used as a case study for analyzing the temporal and spatial dynamics of the groundwater table. A lumped parameter groundwater balance model has been developed with this purpose and to assess impacts of various water-saving practices. The model was calibrated with monthly datasets relative to the non-frozen periods of 1997-1999 and validated with datasets from 2000 to 2002. Results indicate that canal seepage and deep percolation account for respectively 48% and 44% of the annual groundwater recharge. Groundwater discharge by direct evaporation and plant roots uptake represents 82% of the total annual groundwater discharge. After validation, the model was applied to assess the impacts of various canal and farm irrigation water-saving practices. It was observed that improvements in the canal system (e.g., canal lining, upgrading the hydraulic regulation and control structures, improving delivery schedules) might lower the groundwater table by 0.28-0.48 m, depending upon the level of implementation of these measures. Higher declines of the groundwater table are predicted when water-saving technologies are applied at both the canal and the farm systems. That decline of the water table favours salinity control and reduces capillary rise, thus reducing the groundwater evaporation and uptake by plant roots; that reduction may attain 128 mm. However, predictions may change depending on the way how water-saving measures are applied, which may be different of assumptions made; therefore, there is the need to perform a follow-up of the interventions in order to update predictions. Results indicate the need for appropriate research leading to improved irrigation management when the decline of the groundwater level will reduce groundwater contribution to vegetation growth.     

Flexible delivery schedules to improve farm irrigation and reduce pressure on groundwater: a case study in southern Italy

This study was conducted on an irrigated area of southern Italy to analyze the current operation of a large-scale irrigation delivery system and the effects of the operation procedures on crop irrigation management and aquifer salinity increase. The area is characterized by relatively high levels of groundwater salinity in the summer that are probably due to intensive groundwater pumping by farmers during periods of peak irrigation demand, with the resulting seawater intrusion. Two alternative delivery schedules, namely the rotation delivery schedule and the flexible delivery schedule, referred to as RDS and FDS, respectively, were simulated using a soil-water balance model under different combinations of crop, soil and climatic conditions. The first set of simulations concerned the farm irrigation management constrained by the rotational delivery used by the local water management organization. The second scenario simulated the farm irrigation schedule most commonly used by growers in the area for maximizing crop yields. Based on crop irrigation management under RDS and FDS, two alternative operational scenarios were also developed at the scheme level and then compared for evaluation. Winter and summer salinity maps of the aquifer were developed by interpolating salinity measurements of the groundwater samples collected during the 2006 irrigation season. From these maps, a close relationship can be inferred among delivery schedule, aquifer exploitation and salinity increase, which justifies the need for implementing FDS that might reduce the groundwater demand for irrigation.     

基于地下水均衡的灌区合理渠井用水比例

基于地下水均衡模型,分析了陕西泾惠渠灌区不同频率典型年的地下水均衡状况,结果表明降水入渗补给、渠系渗漏及田间灌溉入渗补给、井灌回归补给是灌区地下水的主要补给源,占总补给量的85.99%~82.89%;而人工开采是灌区地下水的主要排泄途径,农灌地下水开采量、人畜和工业用水开采量占总排泄量的69.7%~72.86%.以2010年为现状基准年,2020年为规划水平年,结合灌区发展规划,设置了4种不同的灌区发展情景模式,运用所建立的地下水均衡模型计算了不同情景模式下的地下水位埋深,其变化范围为0~0.07 m;以地下水位变幅最小为准则,得出了不同频率典型年合理的渠井用水比例范围为1.49~1.53,从而为灌区地下水资源的高效持续利用提供了依据.     

Role of Groundwater in Irrigation Water Management in the Downstream Part of the Yellow River

Water scarcity in the Bojili irrigation District, which is located in the Shandong province in China, affects the management of the irrigation system and has led to the development of water storage functions inside the system. In particular, the irrigation and drainage scheme is used for short-term water storage whereas groundwater is used for long-term storage which is replenished during the monsoon season and drawn from when crop water requirements are not satisfied by surface irrigation.In this paper the storage functions are quantified. The role of groundwater, in relation to rainfall and irrigation depths, is analysed in detail. This analysis, which was carried out at the district and at sub-system scales, is based on data collected from fifty five observation wells between 1991 and 1996 at a 10-day time intervals. The sub-systems, called “divisions”, represent the areas for which irrigation-related information is available.Rainfall, groundwater levels and irrigation data are consistent. They demonstrate the inequity of water allocation between upstream and downstream water users. Accordingly strategies for water management differ between these users. These strategies only partially compensate the effects of scarcity demonstrated by decreasing cropping intensities from upstream to downstream parts of the District.     

Flexibility analysis of irrigation outlet structures using simulation of irrigation canal hydrodynamic model

The Upper Swat Canal (USC) System became operational in 1917–1918 in North West Frontier Province (NWFP) of Pakistan. The rehabilitation and modernization of the USC was undertaken with a view to overcoming the shortage of water supplies for irrigation. The water allowance was enhanced from 0.39 to 0.77 Ls⁻¹ ha⁻¹ in the study area. Recently, the operation and management of a secondary canal or ‘distributary’ was transferred to the Farmers Organization (FO). This distributary named ‘Chowki’ offtakes from the Maira Branch of the USC. The cultivable command area (CCA) of this distributary is 4,306 ha and it serves 1,485 beneficiaries. A management committee on Chowki Distributary was formed in 2003. This distributary consists of one main and two minor channels having twenty-eight direct outlets. The Simulation of Irrigation Canal (SIC) hydrodynamic model was used to evaluate the flexibility of Chowki Distributary. The model was calibrated at 100, 80 and 70% of the design discharge (Q _d) and it was validated at 90, 85 and 60% of the design discharge. The observed and simulated water levels were in close agreement with each other for the calibration and validation periods. The statistical analysis and paired t-test indicate that the model results are not statistically different from the measured values at 1% significance level. The simulated results of the SIC model were applied to studying flexibility of the outlet structures along the Chowki Distributary. The flexibility analysis demonstrates that poor performance is inbuilt into the system due to inadequate control over the accuracy of the crest setting during the construction of the outlets.     

Modelling surplus canal water releases for artificial recharge of groundwater through surface drainage systems

 Intensive agriculture in various countries has resulted in over-exploitation of groundwater resources leading to a decline in the water table. Artificial groundwater recharge offers a good method of preventing the water table from declining further. The Indo-Gangetic plain is currently facing the problem of a declining water table. The network of surface drains constructed to control previous waterlogging could now be used for recharging groundwater with surplus canal water during the low irrigation requirement period, as most of the drains cut across the irrigation canals. Therefore, a model was developed to determine the optimum discharge to be released at the head of each drain under natural flow conditions and with interruption in the flow by providing check structures across the drains at suitable intervals. In the proposed method, water is released in such a way that outflow becomes zero at the outfall of the drain. The results obtained reveal that the strategy developed could be adopted for recharging the declining water table through surface drainage systems. Received: 3 February 1999     

Rising water table: A threat to sustainable agriculture in an irrigated semi-arid region of Haryana, India

The sustainability of the rice-wheat cropping system in an irrigated semi-arid area of Haryana State (India) is under threat due to the continuous rise in the poor quality groundwater table, which is caused by the geo-hydrological condition and poor irrigation water management. About 500,000 ha in the State are waterlogged and unproductive and the size of the waterlogged area is increasing. We analyse the hydrology and estimate seasonal net groundwater recharge in the study area. Rainfall is quite variable, particularly in the monsoon season, and the mean monthly reference evapotranspiration shows a high inter-annual variation, with values between 2.45 and 8.47 mm/day in December and May. Groundwater recharge analysis during the study period (1989-2008) reveals that percolation from irrigated fields is the main recharge component with 57% contribution to the total recharge. An annual groundwater table rise of 0.137 m has been estimated for the study area. As the water table has been rising continuously, suitable water management strategies such as increasing groundwater abstraction by installing more tubewells, using the groundwater conjunctively with good quality canal water, changes in cropping patterns, adoption of salt tolerant crops, changes in water-pricing policy, and matching water supply more closely with demand, are suggested to bring the water table down to a safe limit and to prevent further rising of the water table.     

On-farm water management in saline groundwater area under scarce canal water supply condition in the Northwest India

The study investigates the possibility of enhancing crop water productivity in the parts of Northwest India where groundwater quality is marginal and canal water supply is severely scarce. Soil, Water, Atmosphere and Plant (SWAP) model was calibrated and validated in three farmers’ fields with varying canal water availability and groundwater quality in the Kaithal Irrigation Circle of the Bhakra Canal system, Haryana. On the basis of predicted and observed soil water content, pressure heads, salt concentration at 2 week intervals and crop yields, the model was found suitable for use in the region. A few nomographs were prepared to provide a graphical method to predict the effect of different combinations of water quality and depth of water application on crop yield and soil salinity and to help develop some guidelines to the farming community. Water management alternatives at the field level were suggested to increase the yield and to maintain soil salinity below threshold level. The application of frequent irrigation in precisely leveled field would help in achieving 10% higher yield even when saline groundwater of 11 dS/m is used for irrigation.     

Combining hydrological modeling and GIS approaches to determine the spatial distribution of groundwater recharge in an arid irrigation scheme

Accurate quantification of the rate of groundwater (GW) recharge, a pre-requisite for the sustainable management of GW resources, needs to capture complex processes, such as the upward flow of water under shallow GW conditions, which are often disregarded when estimating recharge at a larger scale. This paper provides (1) a method to determine GW recharge at the field level, (2) a consequent procedure for up-scaling these findings from field to irrigation scheme level and (3) an assessment of the impacts of improved irrigation efficiency on the rate of GW recharge. The study is based on field data from the 2007 growing season in a Water Users Association (WUA Shomakhulum) in Khorezm district of Uzbekistan, Central Asia, an arid region that is characterized by a predominance of cotton, wheat and rice under irrigation. Previous qualitative studies in the region reported irrigation water supplies far above the crop water requirements, which cause GW recharge. A field water balance model was adapted to the local irrigation scheme; recharge was considered to be a fraction of the irrigation water losses, determined as the difference between net and gross irrigation requirements. Capillary rise contribution from shallow GW levels was determined with the HYDRUS-1D model. Six hydrological response units (HRUs) were created based on GW levels and soil texture using GIS and remote sensing techniques. Recharge calculated at the field level was up-scaled first to these HRUs and then to the whole WUA. To quantify the impact of improved irrigation efficiency on recharge rates, four improved irrigation efficiency scenarios were developed. The area under cotton had the second highest recharge (895 mm) in the peak irrigation period, after rice with 2,514 mm. But with a low area share of rice in the WUA of <1 %, rice impacted the total recharge only marginally. Due to the higher recharge rates of cotton, which is grown on about 40 % of the cropped area, HRUs with a higher share of cotton showed higher recharge (9.6 mm day^?1 during August) than those with a lower share of cotton (4.4 mm day^?1). The high recharge rates in the cotton fields were caused by its water requirements and the special treatment given to this crop by water management planners due to its strategic importance in the country. The scenario simulations showed that seasonal recharge under improved irrigation efficiency could potentially be reduced from 4 mm day^?1 (business-as-usual scenario) to 1.4 mm day^?1 (scenario with maximum achievable efficiency). The combination of field-level modeling/monitoring and GIS approaches improved recharge estimates because spatial variability was accounted for, which can assist water managers to assess the impact of improved irrigation efficiencies on groundwater recharge. This impact assessment enables managers to identify options for a recharge policy, which is an important component of integrated management of surface and groundwater resources.     

Sensitivity of groundwater recharge under irrigated agriculture to changes in climate, CO2 concentrations and canopy structure

Estimating groundwater recharge in response to increased atmospheric CO₂ concentration and climate change is critical for future management of agricultural water resources in arid or semi-arid regions. Based on climate projections from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, this study quantified groundwater recharge under irrigated agriculture in response to variations of atmospheric CO₂ concentrations (550 and 970 ppm) and average daily temperature (+1.1 and +6.4 °C compared to current conditions). HYDRUS 1D, a model used to simulate water movement in unsaturated, partially saturated, or fully saturated porous media, was used to simulate the impact of climate change on vadose zone hydrologic processes and groundwater recharge for three typical crop sites (alfalfa, almonds and tomatoes) in the San Joaquin watershed in California. Plant growth with the consideration of elevated atmospheric CO₂ concentration was simulated using the heat unit theory. A modified version of the Penman-Monteith equation was used to account for the effects of elevated atmospheric CO₂ concentration. Irrigation amount and timing was based on crop potential evapotranspiration. The results of this study suggest that increases in atmospheric CO₂ and average daily temperature may have significant effects on groundwater recharge. Increasing temperature caused a temporal shift in plant growth patterns and redistributed evapotranspiration and irrigation water use earlier in the growing season resulting in a decrease in groundwater recharge under alfalfa and almonds and an increase under tomatoes. Elevating atmospheric CO₂ concentrations generally decreased groundwater recharge for all crops due to decreased evapotranspiration resulting in decreased irrigation water use. Increasing average daily temperature by 1.1 and 6.4 °C and atmospheric CO₂ concentration to 550 and 970 ppm led to a decrease in cumulative groundwater recharge for most scenarios. Overall, the results indicate that groundwater recharge may be very sensitive to potential future climate changes.     

Impacts of concrete lining of irrigation canals on availability of water for domestic use in southern Sri Lanka

Irrigation schemes have contributed to the availability of water not only for agriculture but also for domestic use by rural households. In the Uda Walawe irrigation scheme in southern Sri Lanka, irrigation canals are being lined with concrete to save water, meant to enable extension of the irrigated area. The effects of lining on the availability of water for multiple uses were investigated by field measurements of water levels and by an inventory of the perceptions of changed water availability by the population through focus group discussions. From the measurements it was determined that canal seepage provides an important contribution to groundwater recharge. It was estimated that after concrete lining the annual groundwater recharge in the irrigated areas will be reduced by approximately 50%. This saves a substantial amount of water that can be used to extend the irrigation area so more people can benefit from the available irrigation water. However, in the currently irrigated areas lining will have negative impacts by lowering groundwater levels due to a reduction in seepage from canals. This seepage contributes to the recharge of shallow wells used by the population to obtain water for drinking and cooking. The perception of the population was that enough water remains for domestic use. Other changes, such as reduced yields from home gardens were considered to be more important. Despite these negative impacts the expected positive impacts in the extension area justify, from a social equity point of view, concrete lining as a measure to redistribute the available water over the Uda Walawe area.     

Water use efficiency and economic feasibility of growing rice and wheat with sprinkler irrigation in the Indus Basin of Pakistan

With a population of more than 150 million, Pakistan cannot meet its need for food, if adequate water is not available for crop production. Per capita water availability has decreased from 5600 m³ in 1947 to 1000 m³ in 2004. Water table has gone down by more than 7 m in most parts of the country. Present need is to identify and adopt measures, that will reduce water use and increase crop production. This study was conducted in farmers’ fields during 2002–2004 to evaluate the water use efficiency and economic viability of sprinkler irrigation system for growing rice and wheat crops. Yields and water use were also measured on adjacent fields irrigated by basin flooding, which were planted with the same crop varieties. Sprinkler irrigation of rice produced 18% more yield, while reducing consumption of water to 35% of that used in the traditional irrigation system. Sprinkler irrigation of wheat resulted in a water use efficiency of 5.21 kg of grain per cubic meter of water used compared to 1.38 kg/m³ in the adjacent flooded basins. Benefit–cost analysis showed that adoption of rain-gun sprinkler irrigation for rice and wheat is a financially viable option for farmers. While these findings show large potentials for improving water use efficiency in crop production they also indicate that a large portion of the water applied in traditional flooded basin irrigation is going to groundwater recharge, which has high value near large cities which draw their water from the aquifer.     

Water, nitrogen and yield losses for a nonhomogeneous furrow set

Water distribution can be nonuniform along the furrow length under surface irrigation. This “down field” nonuniformity is combined with “inter-row” non-uniformity which is a consequence of differences in infiltration characteristics across the plot. Global nonuniformity of application depth causes variation of yield, drainage and nitrogen leaching. In addition to that, due to year-to-year variability of climate, irrigation depths range significantly (from 0 to 360 mm/season). The objective of this paper is to study the impact of the nonuniformity of irrigation-water distribution within a furrow plot on yield, water and nitrogen losses when climate variation is taken into account. Six maize vegetation seasons on a Chromic Luvisol soil in the Sofia region with varying irrigation requirements are considered. Irrigation water is distributed in relative terms over the plot at different levels of nonuniformity (coefficient of variation C_v ranging from 13 to 66%) by the FURMOD model. Water and nitrogen cycle and crop growth are simulated then compared at 30 representative points in the set with various “climate-irrigation nonuniformity” combinations by the CERES-maize model. It was established that non-uniformity of irrigation is not important in wet vegetation periods. The drier the irrigation season, the higher the yield loss and risk to environment due to nonuniformity of irrigation water distribution. In moderate and dry irrigation seasons it causes yield losses of 2–14%, significant variation (30% < C_v < 200%) of drainage, nitrogen leaching and residual soil nitrate over the furrow set. Surface irrigation performances can be improved by reducing lateral nonuniformity of stream advance.     

考虑地下水人工回灌的灌区水资源管理研究

主要探讨人工回灌情况下的灌区水资源管理问题。将研究区域的整个地下含水层视为单一单元 ,分别介绍了该单一单元的各个输入变量和输出变量 ,基于地下水的水均衡方程 ,得到了可用于对灌区的水资源进行有效管理的数学模型。文中举一示例介绍该模型的应用 ,结果表明该模型可用来确定需要抽取的地下水量以及地下含水层的蓄水量 ,为灌区的水资源规划管理提供有益的指导。     

Evaluation of partial root-zone drying for potential field use as a deficit irrigation technique in commercial vineyards according to two different pipeline layouts

The use of partial root-drying (PRD) irrigation implies doubling pipelines instead of using a conventional single pipeline. However, pipelines can be spaced a short distance apart (e.g. 1 m) along the vine row (“D” layout) or joined with cable ties and laid as a single pipeline (“S” layout). Pipelines in “S” configuration are laid under the vine row, and in “D” at both sides of the vine row. These two different layouts can change the wetted soil zone and affect grapevine response to irrigation. The focus of this study was therefore on establishing the role of pipeline layout in vine-grape (cv. ‘Tempranillo’) response under semi-arid conditions in which PRD is managed as a deficit irrigation technique. Six irrigation treatments were applied, which resulted from the combination of Control (C, full irrigation), PRD and seasonal sustained deficit irrigation (SSDI), and “S” and “D” pipeline layouts. SSDI and PRD were irrigated to 50% C throughout the irrigation season, and C irrigation was scheduled according to a crop water balance technique. Midday stem water potential (Ψ_stem) and leaf conductance (g_l) indicated that, on the whole, PRD treatments had a slightly higher water status than SSDI treatments, but a substantially lower status than C treatments. Use of the “D” pipeline layout significantly reduced Ψ_stem in both PRD and SSDI treatments and in some instances for Control conditions, too. Berry yield, vine intercepted radiation, leaf abscisic acid (ABA) and g_l were highly correlated with Ψ_stem. Differences in water status between PRD-S and SSDI-S, according to a sub-surface irrigation test, seemed to be more related to changes in soil evaporation losses and irrigation efficiency than to any intrinsic PRD effect. PRD-S accounted for water savings equivalent to 10% according to the ratio between applied water and grape production for the SSDI-S treatment, whereas PRD-D berry yield was not significantly different from that associated with the SSDI-S treatment. In conclusion, under the growing conditions of this experiment, PRD-S offered the possibility of slightly improving water conservation when irrigation was applied to the soil surface.     

Identifying sources of recharge to shallow aquifers using a groundwater model

The poor water quality of sub-surface drainage, hereafter drainage, water generated in the western San Joaquin Valley in California creates management challenges for farmers and water managers. Elevated concentrations of salt and trace elements in agricultural drainage limit the disposal options. In this constrained environment, determining the original source of drainage water is a crucial step in developing appropriate drainage management policies. Numerical modeling results of near-surface water-table fluctuations indicate that the substantial groundwater rise observed in the vicinity of the region's major water supply canal could not be attributed solely to seepage from overlying irrigated fields. An inverse solution approach is used herein to test the theory that seepage from the canal itself and/or that from surface water retention ponds (designed to protect the structure from flash floods) is responsible for an accentuated groundwater mound. The results suggest that canal seepage is the more likely source of non-agricultural aquifer recharge.     

Water ‘banking’ in Fergana valley aquifers—A solution to water allocation in the Syrdarya river basin?

The Syrdarya river is an example of a transboundary basin with contradictory water use requirements between its upstream and downstream parts. Since the winter of 1992-93, the operational regime of the upstream Toktogul reservoir on the Naryn river - the main tributary of the Syrdarya - has shifted from irrigation to hydropower generation mode. This significantly increased winter flow and reduced summer flow downstream of the reservoir. Consequently, excessive winter flow is diverted to the saline depression called Arnasai, while water for summer irrigation is lacking. This study suggests to store the excessive winter flows temporarily in the upstream aquifers of the Fergana valley and to use it subsequently for irrigation in summer. It is estimated that groundwater development for irrigation could be practiced on one-third of the irrigated land of the valley, and conjunctive use of groundwater and canal water on another third; the rest will remain under canal irrigation. This strategy will lower the groundwater table and create aquifer capacity for temporal storage of excessive water—“water banking”. This use of the term is only one of many concepts to which “water banking” or “groundwater banking” is applied. In this paper, the term is applied for temporary storing of river flow in subsurface aquifers. Pilot modeling studies for the Sokh aquifer - one of the 18 aquifers of the Fergana valley - supported that this strategy is a feasible solution for the upstream-downstream issues in the Syrdarya river basin. Field studies of water banking are required to determine the scale of adoption of the proposed strategy for each aquifer of the Fergana valley.     

Impacts of water saving on groundwater balance in a large-scale arid irrigation district,Northwest China

Water saving practices are essential for sustainable use of water resources in semiarid regions. To understand the impacts of different water saving measures on groundwater resources, the Hetao Irrigation District in Northwest China was chosen in this study. Based on the data from 1991 to 2010, a groundwater balance model was calibrated and validated. The simulation results showed that irrigation-induced infiltration (92 % of the total groundwater recharge) and groundwater evaporation (92 % of the total groundwater discharge) were the primary factors controlling groundwater table fluctuations during irrigation seasons. The impacts of different water saving scenarios on groundwater balance components were then evaluated. The results revealed that the conjunctive use of water resources was the most effective way to improve water use efficiency (reducing surface water diversions by 52 %) and the depth to groundwater table increased by up to 79 cm. However, deeper groundwater tables may have a negative effect on crop growth due to reduced upward fluxes of groundwater into root zones. Therefore, future studies are needed to evaluate the impacts of different water saving measures on both water resources and crop yields. The results of this study provide further insights into effectively managing water resources in water-limited agricultural areas.