How do Water Planning Regions differ in their anticipated withdrawals for agricultural irrigation?

Each regions share of the state agricultural withdrawal differs. The graph at right shows anticipated groundwater plus surface water withdrawals for normal rainfall years using 2011 expected crop acres and production.

What are the expected withdrawals for agricultural irrigation statewide?

Projected withdrawals from groundwater (GW) and surface water (SW) are shown for key years from 2011 to 2050. Since it is not possible to anticipate whether a given year will have rainfall patterns of wet, dry, or normal years, withdrawal amounts are shown for each.

(Values are annualized pumping rate (MGD) for all major and specialty agricultural commodities.)

How much do withdrawals for agricultural irrigation vary over the year?

Projected withdrawals from groundwater (GW) plus surface water (SW) are shown for 2011 for this WPR. Withdrawals are greatest during the growing season's summer months. Withdrawals during those months exceed the average annualized withdrawals. Annualized withdrawals allow comparisons with other water uses (municipal, industrial, etc.) and allow comparisons among regions, but they do not imply that the amount is adequate to meed irrigation demands during the months of irrigation.