Irrigation System Types and Irrigated Acres by System Type

Center pivots make up the greatest number of irrigation systems in the basins, and their typically larger size makes them even more dominant in terms of area of irrigation. Because of the predominance of vegetable crops produced here, the number of drip/trickle distribution systems are also important., although their total area is small in the region. There has been a statewide trend to increase center pivots and drip irrigation systems in the past few decades. Hose reel and cable tow, two traveler systems that use a large spray gun to irrigate fields, are common in the basins, but as the statewide trend shows, their use is diminishing overall. Portable pipe, cable tow and hose reel irrigation systems commonly use water from farm ponds and surface streams, while center pivots more frequently rely upon groundwater sources. The larger overall demands and commitment to full season irrigation mean many pivots cannot operate reliably from typical ponds and streams. Although they require generally good quality water, a surprisingly high portion of drip and trickle systems rely upon pond and stream water sources.