Impoundments of San Luis: water access, management and governance in these arid lands
The inhabitants of the arid plain of northwest San Luis harvest rainwater in impoundments (small dams) to support cattle and goat production in native forests. This ancient technology has been complemented, in the last two decades, by aqueducts that transport water from the central mountains of San Luis (Nogolí dam). In this study, we 1) present an approach to social perceptions and local knowledge about impoundments; 2) implement technological improvements in six of them to increase the efficiency of water harvesting and storage, and 3) characterize the temporal dynamics of the regional water resource (impoundments and Nogolí dam). To achieve this, we conducted surveys with impoundment users, installed water level sensors, hired road machinery for improvements, and analyzed existing databases. The survey results showed that the impoundments, far from being mere water reservoirs, constitute the cultural heritage of rural families. The application of technological improvements significantly increased the maximum average water level of the enhanced impoundments, from 144 to 220 cm (P<0.05), resulting in a 113% increase in the average maximum stored volume, reaching 1282 m3 (P<0.05). The daily water level of the improved impoundments was higher than control ones (on average, 110 vs. 62 cm, respectively; P<0.01). The water supply from the impoundments exhibited complementarities concerning the temporal dynamics of the Nogolí dam in terms of the speed of response to rainfall and the time lag between filling and emptying. This study provides key knowledge to achieve ‘water sovereignty’ in the arid plain of northwest San Luis by proposing the enhancement of existing impoundments and the use of the aqueduct as a complement to them.
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Digital revista |
| Language: | spa |
| Published: |
Asociación Argentina de Ecología
2024
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| Online Access: | https://ojs.ecologiaaustral.com.ar/index.php/Ecologia_Austral/article/view/2392 |
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