71st SWCS International Annual Conference July 24-27, 2016 Louisville, KY

1. Addressing Clientele Needs: Recent Increased Installation of
Irrigation Wells in Western Kentucky
Dr. Brad Lee
Department of Plant and Soil Sciences
University of Kentucky
brad.lee@uky.edu
E. Glynn Beck
Kentucky Geological Survey
University of Kentucky
ebeck@uky.edu
71st Soil and Water Conservation Society International Annual Conference
Louisville, Kentucky
July 24-27, 2016

3. Data from the Central U.S. 2012 Drought Assessment
Kentucky Summary (Stu Foster, Kentucky State Climatologist)
• Parts of western Kentucky experienced intense drought and flash
drought
• Corn yields in western Kentucky typically average 150 bushels per acre.
• During the drought, irrigated corn yielded 200 to 225 bushels per acre.
• Non-irrigated corn yielded 50-70 bushels per acre.
Fuchs, B.A., Wood, D.A.,
and Ebbeka, D, (editors),
2013, Central U.S. 2012
Drought Assessment,
University of Nebraska
Lincoln Press.

4. Pivot-Irrigation Systems in Western Kentucky
Groundwater
Groundwater &
Surface Water
Groundwater

5. From Google Earth aerial photography
• 2012 photos: 74 center-pivot systems identified
• 2013 photos: 185 center-pivot systems identified
Data compiled by Beck in March 2014
Pivots installed before 2012 aerial photo
Pivots installed before 2013 aerial photo
Increased Pivot-Irrigation Systems in the Jackson Purchase

6. Newest additions
Kentucky Geological Survey

7. Murray State University Observation Wells

8. Granular (Ohio River and Mississippi River
alluvial aquifers)
Generalized aquifer type
Modified from Blair (2013)
UKREC

9. University of Kentucky Research
And Education Center at Princeton
Grains Center of Excellence
$15 million renovation and
new construction

10. Lateral irrigation
system well
Drip irrigation
system well
Unused irrigation well
Newly purchased property
Additional Land Purchase (300 acres; $2.4 million)
Irrigation and
nutrient management
research
(pressure transducer
installed)
(plans to install well for
pivot irrigation system)

11. University of Kentucky Research and Education Center at Princeton, Kentucky
Hydrograph of an Unused Irrigation Well
April 5 to July 6, 2016

12. Extension Products
• Kentucky Well Education website
• “Abandoned Wells” YouTube video
of a properly plugged water well
• “Water Wednesday” webinars with
Extension Agents
Existing Collaborations
• Kentucky Geological Survey
• Kentucky Division of Water
• Kentucky Certified Water Well Drillers
• Kentucky Agriculture Science and
Monitoring Committee
• Kentucky Farm Bureau Water
Management Working Group

13. Summary
• Since the 2012 drought, agricultural irrigation has increased and
continues to increase in western Kentucky
• UK College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment is actively
developing a Grains Center of Excellence in western Kentucky
(Princeton) to address irrigation and nutrient management research
needs in Kentucky.
• The Kentucky Geological Survey is actively establishing a state-wide
groundwater-observation network to better manage groundwater
resources in Kentucky.
• Research, observation data, and demonstration outcomes are being
and will be disseminated to Extension agents and the public via
interactive websites, educational seminars and webinars, and
Extension publications.