GROUNDWATER-SURFACE WATER EXCHANGE IN A CRANBERRY BED DURING THE HARVEST FLOOD

Water management is central to cranberry cultivation in Massachusetts. Growers apply water nearly every season of the year, including summer irrigation, spring frost protection, and fall and winter floods. The fall harvest flood, generally consisting of raising water 6-8 inches above the vines, may promote the vertical transport of water and nutrients to groundwater. A cranberry bed at the University of Massachusetts Cranberry Station (East Wareham, MA) has been instrumented with a network of hydrological monitoring equipment and evaluated for key soil properties as part of a long-term water and nutrient monitoring program. Here, I will present data on the hydraulic gradient between groundwater and floodwater (J) and the saturated hydraulic conductivity of the cranberry bed (K) for quantifying the ground flux (q = JK) during the 2012 harvest flood. I will show measurements, patterns, and controls of point values of q, and discuss the implications of these results with respect to improved water and nutrient management of cranberry farms.