IJERD – International Journal of Environmental and Rural Development (2014) 5-1

Research article
erd

Evaluation of Oxbow Lakes and Circulating Irrigation inthe Ishikari River Basin, JapanDAISUKE KUSA*Tone River Basin Research and Management Office, Kanto Regional Agricultural
Administration Bureau, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Chiba, Japan
Email: kusadai@frontier.hokudai.ac.jp

TADAO YAMAMOTO
Hokkaido University, Hokkaido, Japan

TAKASHI INOUE
Hokkaido University, Hokkaido, JapanTETUAKI NAGASAWA
Emeritus Professor, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido, Japan
Received 24 October 2013

Accepted 1 March 2014(*Corresponding author)

Abstract The study attempts to clarify the functions of oxbow lakes in rural irrigation
systems. The status of oxbow lakes was briefly investigated through interviews with town
officials and land improvement agencies. It is clear that even though canals have been
constructed in the area, oxbow lakes in the Ishikari River basin are utilized as primary andauxiliary irrigation resources and as reservoirs for circulating irrigation systems. In theUrausu region, 14% of the irrigation water resource comes from oxbow lakes. The
percentage of drainage into the oxbow lakes is 72.0% during the puddling period and64.6% during the normal period. The percentage of water recycled through the oxbow
lakes is 76.3% during the puddling period and 66.4% during the normal period.
Furthermore, all water used in circulating irrigation is obtained from the oxbow lake in theregion around Karisatonuma. This reduces the amount of water taken from the river. Thissuggests that rural resources, such as oxbow lakes, can continue to be used as a componentof regional irrigation systems. This information may be beneficial as a reference for costeffective development of rural irrigation systems in developing countries.
Keywords Oxbow Lake, regional resource, circulating irrigation, Ishikari River,conservation of water environment

INTRODUCTION
As global water demand increases, the development of irrigation systems, especially in developing
countries, becomes increasingly important. This is also important for reducing poverty. Althoughinternational support is evident in many developing countries, in some cases, this support isinsufficient to develop adequate irrigation infrastructure. Therefore, it may be beneficial to involve
regional resources to facilitate the development of irrigation systems in areas of poverty.
To date, several studies have examined regional water usage. Yenigun et al. (2010) havestudied and evaluated Turkey’s irrigation systems, and Liyantono et al. (2012) studied theoperational status of conjunctive water use in Indonesia. However, local resources, such as oxbow
lakes, are not commonly incorporated in localized irrigation and drainage systems. Similar to lakes
or ponds, which are typical water resources in mountainous areas, oxbow lakes are typical waterresources in a river basin. Oxbow lakes are remnants of meandering flood plain rivers that havebeen cut off and physically isolated from their respective main river channels (Cullum et al., 2006).
In Kenya, small-scale irrigation farming is being undertaken around a considerable number ofoxbow lakes previously surrounded by seasonal wetlands (Mutero, 2002). In addition, oxbow lakesⒸ ISERD65

IJERD – International Journal of Environmental and Rural Development (2014) 5-1

are used for small-scale aquaculture in Bangladesh (Thapa, 2004). Therefore, oxbow lakes can be auseful water resource for primary industries in developing countries. McQueen et al. (1982) and theUnited States Department of Agriculture (1999) studied the relationship between water quality ofoxbow lakes and agriculture in the Mississippi river basin. Yamamoto et al. (2004) conducted asimilar study of the Ishikari River basin. However, studies of oxbow lakes as sources of water for
irrigation have not been conducted. Studying effective use of rural water resources is important for
the future development of a particular region and can also be used as a reference for otherdeveloping areas.
In this study, we target the Ishikari River basin in Hokkaido, Japan. This agricultural region
has many oxbow lakes which function as rural water resources. By studying this region, we canobtain a complete view of oxbow lakes as localized rural sources of water. Furthermore, we aim todemonstrate the usefulness of utilizing existing rural water resources in irrigation development.
Overview of Oxbow Lakes in Ishikari River Basin
According to a study of oxbow lakes in the Ishikari River basin (Kusa et al. 2001), oxbow lakes
have many features. Around the Ishikari River, there are many oxbow lakes that have been formed
naturally (Fig. 1) and artificially.

Fig. 1 Natural Oxbow Lakes in the Ishikari River basin
A common feature of oxbow lakes is that they have both sluice gates and agricultural drainage
inflow from the surrounding areas. Generally, oxbow lakes are used for agriculture, parks, andflood control. From an agricultural perspective, oxbow lakes have sufficient water volume for
irrigation because they originate close to large river systems. The land around oxbow lakes is often
used for farming because the soil is well drained. Lands around oxbow lakes are also frequently
used as parklands because of their unique biotope functions. In addition, oxbow lakes are also used
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IJERD – International Journal of Environmental and Rural Development (2014) 5-1

as temporary reservoirs during flooding to reduce pump overload. In the Ishikari River basin,
oxbow lakes are primarily used for agricultural purposes (Table 1).
Table 1 Oxbow Lakes in the Ishikari River basin
No.

Name

1 Tsuikari
2 Old Ishikari River
3 Shimotappu
4 Kitsunemori
5 Karisatonuma
6 Kairaku Park
7 Sunagawa Reservoir
8 Raune River
9 Takonokubi
10 Shinotsuko
11 Itounuma
12 Hishinuma
13 Nishinuma
14 Higashinuma
15 Tsukinuma
16 Utsuginuma
17 Shin-numa
18 Urausunuma
19 Mikazukinuma
20 Toinuma
21 Piranuma
22 Hokkounuma
23 Fukurochinuma
24 Uryunuma
25 Tambanonuma
26 Tsurutanonuma
27 Tsurunuma
28 Sunagawakagetsu
29 Ebeotsukyucho
Total
Source: Kusa et al. 2001

Area
(km2)
0.359
0.027
0.047
0.476
0.087
0.773
0.365
0.329
0.133
0.100
0.114
0.112
0.018
0.013
0.199
0.075
0.050
0.1450.105
0.065
0.389
0.044
0.014
0.077
0.008
0.053
0.077

Agriculture
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21Using situation
Park Flood Control
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117Others
A part of river
A part of river
A part of river
A part of river-Sluice
Gate
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Based on this, we focus on the actual various agricultural uses of oxbow lakes using concrete
examples, such as a primary water resource, an auxiliary resource, and an intermediate reservoir for
irrigation from the main canal.
METHODOLOGY
In this study, we focus on several oxbow lakes in the Ishikari River basin, Nishinuma andHigashinuma, which are used for irrigation in and around the town of Urausu. We also focus on
Karisatonuma, which is used for irrigation between the town of Tsukigata and Iwamizawa city. To
understand the movement of irrigation waters in these areas, we investigated ownership documents
and interviewed representatives from local governments and land improvement agencies. We
examined areas around oxbow lakes to assess beneficiary areas, the volume of irrigation water
during normal and puddling periods, and drainage destinations. Based on this, it is possible todetermine the irrigation water flow from the oxbow lakes and the drainage water flow into theoxbow lakes. By comparing these flows with the entire flow of water use in the region, weestimated the function of oxbow lakes in the regional circulating irrigation.

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IJERD – International Journal of Environmental and Rural Development (2014) 5-1RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Function of An Oxbow Lake as Auxiliary Water Resource for Circulating Irrigation
To facilitate our investigation of an oxbow lake as an auxiliary water source for irrigation, we
examined the Urausu region. The town of Urausu is located on the Ishikari River in a region where
many oxbow lakes have been formed by flooding. In this area, irrigation water is taken from theIshikari River through main canals that were constructed in 1966. Before the construction of thecanals, recycled drainage water by the oxbow lakes was used to supply irrigation water. After
construction of the canals, circulating irrigation from the oxbow lakes has also been used.
Water use rights, specific to the use of irrigation water from oxbow lakes, were in place fromthe 1940s to the 1960s. The rights were extinguished after construction of the main canal in 1966.
However, the demand for auxiliary water increased, and consequently, the rights were reestablished in the 1983 and remain in effect. Since the re-establishment of the water rights, waterfrom oxbow lakes has been used to satisfy various needs. Today, 14% of the irrigation water
resource in the Urausu region comes from oxbow lakes and 24% comes from tributaries. This
indicates that small rivers, as well as oxbow lakes, were recognized as local resources when themain canal system was constructed (Table 2).
Table 2 Irrigation water resources in the Urausu region
Water resource
Oxbow Lake
RiverIrrigation Canal
Total

Flow (m3/s)
0.59
1.00
2.59
4.18

Percent (%)
142462100

In addition to use as a source of irrigation water, oxbow lakes are used for other purposes.The
pattern of total water usage in the Urausu region is shown in Fig. 2, which indicates extensive
water circulation.

Pudding period(m3/s)
Normal period(m3/s)

Fig. 2 Total water usage in the Urausu region
The circulation and use of agricultural water is a significant feature of the Urausu region. Inthe region, more water drains into the oxbow lakes than into to the Ishikari River. Drainage (X) canbe expressed as in Eq. (1)Ⓒ ISERD

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𝑋(%) =

Circulation water (𝑚3 /s)
× 100
Circulation water (𝑚3 /s) + Drainage Ishikari river (𝑚3 /s)(1)

In this calculation, X is 64.6% in the puddling period and 72.0% in the normal period. Somewater is lost in the reuse process; however, the water that is recycled (Y) through the oxbow lakes
can be expressed as in Eq. (2)𝑌(%) =

Reuse through oxblow lakes (𝑚3 /s)
× 100
Reuse through oxblow lakes (𝑚3 /s) + Reuse through canals (𝑚3 /s)(2)

Y is 76.3% in the puddling period and 66.4% in the normal period. A comparison with theactual flow rate is shown in Fig. 2. During the puddling period, water reuse from oxbow lakes
increases to 0.6914 m3/s from 0.5875 m3/s in the normal period. Water reuse from canals decreases
from 0.2968 m3/s during the puddling period to 0.2144 m3/s during the normal period. This
indicates that an oxbow lake is more important during the puddling period because the storage
function of an oxbow lake is more beneficial when water reuse increases. Therefore, it isreasonable to conclude that oxbow lakes have been used as a base for agricultural water circulation
for this reason. On the other hand, canals do not contribute to water reuse significantly. Oxbow
lakes in the Urausu region can collect waste water easily because they are located downstream
from branches of the Ishikari River. Moreover, as oxbow lakes function as temporary storage
repositories, it seems to be more practical to pump water from oxbow lakes than from canals.

Pudding period(m3/s)
Normal period(m3/s)
A: Irrigation area(ha)Fig. 3 Pattern diagram of water movement in Sangen-ya
In particular, in Sangen-ya, which is enclosed by oxbow lakes, irrigation water supply is more
dependent on oxbow lakes than other areas. Fig. 3 shows a pattern diagram of water movement inSangen-ya, which illustrates the complexity of water movement. Moreover, water flow into
Nishinuma has been restricted such that it only receives agricultural drainage. Nishinuma also
supplies irrigation water to land around the lake. Therefore, it is reasonable to conclude that only
drainage water is used in the Nishinuma circulating irrigation system. Because Nishinuma islocated at the end of the Urausu canal irrigation system, sometimes, for example during droughts,Ⓒ ISERD69

IJERD – International Journal of Environmental and Rural Development (2014) 5-1

water from the canal system does not reach the lake. When such conditions occur, farmers use
water from Nishinuma. Therefore, it is evident that oxbow lakes water resources are important tostabilize farm management.
The plan associated with the water rights for Higashinuma stipulated that irrigation water
should be taken from the main canal rather than from the lake. However, there are restrictions on
the land enclosed by Higashinuma, and canals connecting the lake to farmland could not be built.
In actual practice, irrigation water goes into Higashinuma and farmers pump water from the oxbow
lake. As a result, we can say that, in this situation, the oxbow lake functions as a reservoir in theirrigation system.
Function of An Oxbow Lake as Main Water Resource for Circulating Irrigation
In this section, we describe a case in which an oxbow lake is used as the main resource forcirculating irrigation. Karisatonuma is an oxbow lake that is located between the town of Tsukigata
and Iwamizawa city. The land enclosed by the oxbow lake and the Ishikari River belongs toTsukigata, even though the town is situated primarily on the west side of the river. Tsukigata’s
current location is the result of work conducted in 1940, which changed the course of the river. Aland improvement project was carried out in 1981 and 1982. The pumps that are used currently
were installed at that time. Moreover, even before the land improvement project, water from theoxbow lake was used for circulating irrigation. Fig. 4 shows the location of Karisatonuma. The
most significant difference between this region and the Urausu region is that all irrigation water istaken from Karisatonuma.

Fig. 4 Karisatonuma
There is no official plan to supply irrigation water to the oxbow lake from the river. However,when water levels are exceptionally low, water is resupplied through the sluice gate. Under suchcircumstances, Karisatonuma water is only supplied by drainage from each side of the oxbow lake.
Incidentally, the water rights allow water to be pumped directly from Karisatonuma, as a part of theIshikari River because the oxbow lake had been really part of the river until 1940. As indicated byⒸ ISERD70

IJERD – International Journal of Environmental and Rural Development (2014) 5-1

the above, water from the oxbow lake is used as circulating irrigation for the land around
Karisatonuma, which reduces the amount of water taken from the river.
According to the local government, this water system functions satisfactorily and allows
farmers access to water for various uses, such as deep ponding irrigation to protect crops fromdamage during cool summer weather.
CONCLUSION
In this study, from actual use of examples and data, it is evident that oxbow lakes in the Ishikari
River basin have many functions. In particular, we can conclude the following:
1. Oxbow lakes function as primary and auxiliary resources for rural irrigation, and as a reservoir
for circulating irrigation. In addition, each of the functions is dependent on geography, theexisting irrigation systems, or other circumstances specific to each particular oxbow lake.
2. As the storage function of an oxbow lake is very useful when water reuse increases, the functionof an oxbow lake changes relative to changes in the water balance in the area.
Although beyond the scope of this study, in 1956, a large land improvement project financedby the World Bank was undertaken in a different section of the Ishikari River basin. Major canals
were constructed at that time. However, many oxbow lakes, which were used as irrigation
resources before the land improvement project, still remain. Furthermore, in the Urausu region, a
new dam was constructed in 2010. Consequently, irrigation in this region will stabilize and becomeless dependent on oxbow lakes. However, the change in water use will result in a change of the roleof oxbow lakes and may affect the biotope and other environmental elements. Therefore, attention
should be paid to the possibility that these changes may affect the ecosystem or the water quality.
An understanding of how oxbow lakes function may be a useful reference for ruraldevelopment, especially at a community level in developing countries. Oxbow lakes havecharacteristics that can be leveraged to reduce both infrastructure costs and water use. Althougheconomic conditions and infrastructure development differs among countries, many developing
countries do not have sufficient financial resources to commit to effective but expensive
infrastructure projects. Moreover, there are insufficient water supplies in some regions. In thesecases, using rural resources like oxbow lakes seems more reasonable and promising thanundertaking expensive infrastructure projects.
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