April 2020 - 39

IRRIGATION & WATER MANAGEMENT
Adequate water supply is the heart of irrigation system
By Lyndon Kelley
Michigan State University
Drought periods remind all irrigators,
and those wishing they had irrigation, the
importance of an adequate and dependable
irrigation water supply. Most irrigation
systems in Michigan and Indiana are
designed to provide at least 1 inch of water
per four days of crop water use or roughly 5
gpm pumping capacity per irrigated acre. As
an example, a 500-gpm water supply would
be needed to irrigate 100 acres.
In many situations, unless the producer
starts irrigating early to bank soil water,
5 gpm per irrigated acres pumping
continuously will not be sufficient to
avoid drought stress over long periods,
15-25 days, depending on soil type.
Shutdowns from power brown-outs or
breakdowns make having additional
capacity an advantage. Many irrigators
are designing for or increasing their water
capacity to 1 inch every three days (7 gpm
per acre irrigated). This allows six days
a week pumping to meet peak summer
demands and capacity to catch up if they
have irrigation down time.
Availability of water in crucial weeks
in late July and early August dictates
the economic feasibility of irrigation
investments. Most specialty crop contracts
require the irrigation capacity to match crop
water use for even an extended drought.
The high returns given to irrigated land are
tightly correlated to the ability to produce
in the drought year when demand for the
crops will be their highest.
Many areas of Michigan and Indiana
do not have water available in quantities
to provide the security of adequate
irrigation in the driest conditions. This is
the major reason irrigation in both states
is concentrated where adequate water is
available and soil types are sands or sandy
loams that provide highest yield increases
from irrigation. Irrigation equipment
dealers familiar with your area will have a
good idea of well drillers and excavators
that do irrigation related work in the
area. Well drillers and pond excavating
businesses can also provide insight to
your areas water availability.
Michigan and Indiana have online
water information to get a rough idea
if water is available in large quantities.
Well log databases are available in
both states: Indiana's Well Record
Database and Michigan's Scanned Water
Well Record Retrieval System. The well
logs provide information about the depth
and capacity of wells drilled in your area.
However, since they are mostly domestic
wells requiring limited capacity to meet
household needs, they may not be fully
representative as they are not always drilled
into the most productive part of an aquifer
or as deep as large volume wells.
Good irrigation ponds are dependent on
recharge from ground water. They are often
deep and relatively small, less than an acre
in size. Recharge happens when the pond
draws from the porous saturated layer near
Depending on the surface water
source, large volume water users may be
legally limited to only parcels adjacent
to the water body. Learn your rights and
the rules that govern water use to avoid
complication when you irrigate. For more
information on your rights to use water
Many areas of Michigan and Indiana do not have water available in quantities to provide
the security of adequate irrigation in the driest conditions. Photo: Michigan State University
the surface that intersect with ground water.
Lined man-made reservoirs and natural
ponds not connected to ground water are
dependent on being filled by natural gravity
flow in the spring or pumping a smaller
supply to accumulate water for irrigation.
Their ability to serve as an irrigation water
resource is dependent on pump-able
capacity, less evaporative loss and water lost
to ground water from time of collection
to the day irrigation is needed. This is
dependent on the permeability of the liner
or nature of the seal at the bottom and sides
of the pond or reservoir and the time of use.
Monitor ponds or potential pond sites
for possible irrigation use in mid- to late
August after a period of no rain for a few
weeks. The ground water connection
to the pond will be limited at this time
and stored water will be at its low point.
Experienced pond excavators will often
dig a small test hole and monitor the
ground water entering the hole to judge
the irrigation feasibility of the site.
Indiana and Michigan have registration
requirements for water withdrawals from
surface or groundwater with capacities
greater than 70 gallons per minute. Indiana's
system is under the control of Indiana
Department of Natural Resources - Water
division. In almost all situations, registration
can be made after the construction of the
withdrawal, but before pumping starts, by
contacting their office at (313) 232-4160.
In Michigan, a water withdrawal
registration is required before pumping
starts, but is recommended before drilling
the well or construction of a surface
water withdrawal. The process starts
with the Michigan Water Withdrawal
Assessment Tool. (MIWWAT). In many
situations, a registration can be made
immediately online by completing the
MIWWAT process. For some withdrawal
sites, an automatic registration is not
available, and the Water Withdrawal
Assessment tool will require a site-specific
review. Water registration at these sites will
require additional time and potentially an
investment of money for a hydrogeological
study. Some areas withdrawals may not be
allowed under current rules.
In the summer of 2018, Michigan passed
Act 209 providing for an alternative sitespecific
review process. The legislation laid
out the specifications for the study of Large
Quantity Withdrawal (LQW) wells less
than 695 gpm. A qualified hydrogeologist
can submit to Michigan Department of
Environmental Quality (MDEQ) a study
quantifying the impact of the well on
streamflow. In many situations, estimates of
depletion to the local stream from the study
may be significantly less MIWWAT tool
provided. The difference between the study
estimate of impact and the MIWWAT tools
estimate would be water pumping capacity
available for registration. See Alternative
Analysis Submittal Pursuant to 2018 Public
Act 209 for more information on the new
alternative to the site-specific review.
Be aware, the cost of studies for the
new alternative site-specific review can
be thousands of dollars and may result in
no potential reduction stream impact and
would not result in registration.
In both states, well water use greater than
70 gpm, impacting neighboring home well
use, in quantity or quality of water, may
result in replacement or modification to the
home well at the expense of the irrigator.
More information on the Indiana well
conflict program can be found at Water
Rights: Emergency Regulation - Indiana
Code 14-25-4. For more information
about Michigan's program, see Michigan's
Groundwater Dispute Resolution
in large quantities in Michigan, look at
" An Overview of Existing Water Law in
Michigan Related to Irrigation Water Use
and Riparian Considerations. " In Indiana
look at Availability/Use/Rights website.
Now is the time to investigate the
irrigation projects you dreamed of. The
irrigation industry in Michigan and Indiana
went through five years of accelerated
expansion. During this time there was little
excess capacity among equipment suppliers,
installers or electrical power providers.
Irrigation expansion has been slow for a
third construction/sale season. Equipment
is readily available and irrigation suppliers
and related businesses are hungry to look at
new irrigation projects to work towards.
Many more areas of Indiana and
Michigan have adequate water for smaller
scale irrigation systems less than 100 gpm
than for large scale field crop systems.
These water supplies will often meet the
irrigation needs of truck crop, ornamental,
greenhouses or orchards. The complicating
factor of potential cross contamination
of potable water for human consumption
and irrigation water is more common
with smaller systems where housing and
production are closer together. Investigate
the legal requirement for potable well
isolation requirements and backflow
prevention devices for your proposed
withdrawal before finalizing any plans.
Steve Miller and Younsuk Dong,
Michigan State University Biosystems and
Agricultural Engineering also contributed
to this article. FGN
There is a Berkeley Pump to fit your growing needs:
irrigation, packing shed or green house.
Call us for a FREE product catalog
website: www.springbrooksupply.com
e-mail: sbs@springbrooksupply.com
877-396-1956 toll free
11291 Lakewood Blvd.,
Holland, MI 49424
FGN | APRIL 2020 | 39

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April 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of April 2020