Category: Managing Water Resources and Restoration

Project Team: Costa Rica Water Resources

Team Location: University of Georgia – Athens, Georgia and Wise County Clerk of Court’s Office – Wise, Virginia

Landsat 8 image of the Costa Rica Water Resources team’s study site comprising the Arenal-Tempisque Irrigation District. The image depicts the output of the Watershed Delineator within the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model. Image Credit: Costa Rica Water Resources Team

Authors:

Rachel Will

Grant Bloomer

Sarah Medley

Benjamin Page

Xuan Zhang

Mentors/Advisors:

Javier Arti̱ano GuzmÌÁn (SENARA ‰ÛÒ Costa Rica’s National Service of Underground Water, Irrigation, and Drainage)

Dr. Marguerite Madden (University of Georgia)

Dr. Quint Newcomer (University of Georgia)

Steve Padgett-Vasquez (University of Georgia)

Dr. Kenton Ross (NASA DEVELOP)

Other Contributors:

Jordan Bates

Peter Hawman

Caren Remillard

Abstract:

For the past three years, the Arenal-Tempisque Irrigation District governed by Costa Rica’s National Service of Underground Water, Irrigation, and Drainage (SENARA), has experienced drought conditions complicating water management and agricultural production. To facilitate the responsive water management decision-making process, the Costa Rica Water Resources team collaborated with SENARA, the Costa Rican Embassy to the United States, and the University of Georgia, Costa Rica Campus. The team created a Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model based on NASA Earth observations and in situ data in order to study the local hydrological processes. From this model, the team developed a water resource inventory for the study area. The team utilized NASA Earth observations including Landsat 5, 7, and 8, Aqua and Terra, and Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Imagery to complete these tasks. The end user at SENARA was provided with continuous data to more efficiently manage water resources, benefitting local stakeholders including irrigators, and more than 1,000 individual users of the stream.

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