Remote (and Not So Remote) Ways of Estimating Groundwater Use in Agriculture
Presented on Tuesday, April 30, 2013
According to the U.S. Geological Survey – Estimated Use of Water in the United States in 2005 – there are 60 million irrigated acres across the nation using 144 million acre-feet of freshwater annually. Irrigation from groundwater accounts for 42 percent of this total, or 60 million acre-feet per year. This represents the largest consumptive use of groundwater: 67 percent of fresh groundwater withdrawals nationwide are for irrigation purposes. This illustrates the importance of accurate estimates of irrigation water use, and the need for adoption of best available science, technologies, and information sharing. Presentations will cover a broad spectrum of topics including remote sensing, evapotranspiration calculations, and collaborative efforts involved with a ground-up approach and offer a perspective on the various technologies and methods available to estimate irrigation water use and groundwater withdrawals for irrigation purposes.
Moderators:
Robert E. Mace, Ph.D., PG
Water Science and Conservation, Texas Water Development Board, Austin, TX
Robert E. Mace joined the Texas Water Development Board in 1999 to manage the Groundwater Availability Modeling Program. Over the next nine years, he rose from a unit leader to director for the Groundwater Resources Division to assuming his present role in 2009 as a Deputy Executive Administrator to lead the Water Science & Conservation program area for the agency. Prior to Texas Water Development Board, Dr. Mace worked eight years at the Bureau of Economic Geology at The University of Texas at Austin as a hydrologist and research scientist.
Cameron G. Turner
Agricultural Water Conservation, Texas Water Development Board, Austin, TX
Cameron Turner is a team lead at the Texas Water Development Board. He manages the Agricultural Water Conservation program at the agency, a group that promotes agricultural water conservation through education, grant projects, and cooperation with other entities. The team is responsible for compiling annual irrigation estimates and managing the irrigation metering program. Turner has a B.S. in Agricultural Economics from Texas A&M University and is a Certified Agricultural Irrigation Specialist. He has a background in production agriculture, experience in land development, and six years at promoting agricultural water conservation in Texas.
