University of Florida

Awards Issued Prior to January 20, 2025, Were Funded Under Previous Administrations and May Not Reflect the Priorities and Policies of the Current Administration. Agricultural Water Shortage Problems Arise From Deteriorating Quality, Groundwater Depletion, Uncertainties in Precipitation Associated With Climate Change, and Unsustainable Freshwater Usage. Food Producers Are Under Growing Pressure to Increase Crop Production Using Sustainable Practices, and Issues Such as Soil Salinization, Groundwater Overdraft, and Over Allocation of Available Surface Water Apply Excess Burden to a Tense Situation. With Careful Management of Return Flows and Aquifer Recharge, Significant Potential Exists for Closing Water Gaps by Irrigating Crops With Alternative Water Sources (AWS) Such as Brackish Groundwater or Treated Wastewater. in the Us, Total Withdrawals for Crop Irrigation Are at Least 350 Billion Gallons Per Day; Freshwater Making Up More Than 85% of the Total. Integrated Wastewater Treatment and Reuse (IWTR) Has the Potential to Close the Water Gap in Some States by More Than 2 Billion Acre-feet, and in Some Cases at Least Double Water-use Efficiency.in Addition, Irrigation With Aws Has Many Indirect Benefits Such as: 1) Reduced Tension for Water Users, 2) Climate Change Mitigation, 3) Increased Food Security, 4) Protection of Ecosystem Services, 5) Decreased Pumping Costs, and 6) Fertilizer Savings. However, Irrigation With Aws Also Brings Risk of Salinization And/or Contamination of Food With Pathogenic Organisms. Thus, Economic and Public Health Risks Must Be Carefully Managed for Aws Reuse, Particularly When Focusing on Fresh Produce, as 684 Outbreaks and 26,735 Illnesses Have Been Associated With Fresh Produce Over a Ten-year Period in the Us.this Coordinated Agricultural Project (CAP) Focuses on Reducing Overall Freshwater Use by Developing New Smart Irrigation Systems Emphasizing the Quality of Alternative Water Sources With Potential Pathogen Contamination (smartpath). We Will Develop Innovative Software and Hardware Solutions for On-farm Water Management, Enabling Small Farmers That Do Not Have Access to a Nearby Analytical Lab Service to Meet Regulatory Requirements for Water Quality Testing Within Eight Hours of Sampling. Treatment Systems Will Be Coupled With Sensing Systems for Measuring Physical, Chemical and Biological Constituents Including: Temperature, PH, Salinity (ions), Dissolved Oxygen, Nitrate and Phosphate, Indicator Organisms, and Pathogenic Bacteria Using a Coupled Deep Learning-participatory Monitoring Strategic Platform. Sensors Will Be Integrated Into a Wireless Sensor Network With Decision Support System for Providing Growers With Rapid Feedback on System Status, Including Economic Feasibility. to Ensure Broad Applicability, We Will Focus on 4 Key Regions of the Us With Varying Drought Conditions (florida, Texas, Iowa and Maryland) and Three Types of Alternative Water Sources (treated Domestic Wastewater, Brackish Groundwater, and Surface Water That Does Not Meet Regulatory Requirements). Through Laboratory Testing in Our One-of-a-kind Testbed Facility (UF) and Field Case Studies (all Regions), Smartpath Will Develop and Validate Smart Water Treatment Systems Coupled With Sensors for a Variety of Scenarios. This Cap Will Increase the Use of Alternative Water for Irrigation of Fresh Produce, Therein Decreasing Freshwater Withdrawals and Closing Basin Water Gaps. Smartpath Will Train a Transdisciplinary Cohort of 12 Graduate Students and 20 Undergraduate Students, and We Will Interact With Over 1,000 Students Per Year Through Various Formal and Informal Teaching Activities. We Anticipate Reaching at Least 1,000 Stakeholders Through Integrated Extension, Research, and Education Efforts That Include Hands on Workshops and Open Source Online Learning Modules in 2D and 3D.