Impact of Land Use Changes in the Surface Hydrodynamics of a Water-harvesting Basin

Abstract

Watershed management requires systematic measurements in order to reach good resources control. Some processes conditioning water transfers in the environment such as rain, run-off, infiltration, deep percolation, water uptake by plants, and evapotranspiration should be quantified to improve our knowledge of hydrological characterization and of the best management practices (Descroix/Nouvelot, 1997; Descroix et al., 2004). This work presents infiltration measurements and results produced with the Suction Disc Infiltrometer method realized in the Upper Nazas River Basin. This basin is the main water supply for Irrigation District 017 in northern Mexico, called the Lagunera region. Results show that soil surface controls the hydrodynamic behaviour of the watershed. Land use changes can be linked with productive practices that are causing strong hydrological consequences.