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<br />, > <br />GUll,)- <br /> <br />A2ricuHure'~ ()ependenre llpo" Water <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. Water use can be viewed in two ways. Diversion (or wirhdmwa/) is the removal of water from any <br />body of water by canal, pipe or other conduit. C01/Sumpriw use is a diversion wilh no return flow. <br /> <br />. Figure 3 displays 1998 diversions from the seven river basins in Colorado. TOlal diversions "'ere <br />21.9 million acre feel. with irrigation withdrawals accounting for 11.5 million acre feel or 52.8% of <br />all water diverted~. <br /> <br />Figure 3 <br />Colorado's River Basin Diversions in 1998 <br /> <br />South Plattel Republican (1) <br />Arkansas (2) <br />Rio Grande (3) <br />Gunnison (4) I <br />Colorado (5) <br />Vampa, White & North Platte (6) <br />Dolores & San Juan (7) <br /> <br />-- <br />-- -- <br /> <br />2.180 <br />2,033 <br /> <br />4,068 <br />3,734 <br /> <br />-- <br /> <br /> <br />6,653 <br />. DIverted lor IrngatiOn.l998 <br />-TOIaIOrverslOnS.1998 <br /> <br />1,545 <br /> <br />Acre Feet (thousands) <br /> <br />. USGS data9 indicates total consumptive use of 5.86 million acrc.feel in 1995. of which 94% is due to <br />irrigation (5.50 million acre feet). <br /> <br />. . The value of crops produced in 1997 was $1.3 billion3. Approx.imately three.founhs of this 10lal <br />value depended upon irrigalion. These crops fonn the basis for Colorado's li....estock industry, which <br />produced $3.2 billion in sales in 19974. <br /> <br />. The amount of land under irrigation has remained fairly stable at around 3.4 million acres}. An <br />estimated 20 percen! or more of irrigated acreage is dependent upon finite groundwater sources, such <br />as Ihe Ogallala Aquifer in eastern Colorado. <br /> <br />Pasture land <br />1 7% ---- <br /> <br /> <br />. Preliminary studies by the Colomdo <br />Department of Agriculture indicate that <br />the stale's tolal net irrigation <br />requirement in 1995 was 5.35 million <br />acre.fecl (assuming 1995 precipitation <br />was normal). <br /> <br />Figure 4 <br />1995 Colorado Net Irrigation Requirements <br />Total: 5.35 million acre.leet <br /> <br />Com (grain) J <br />22% <br /> <br />'- Alfalfa Hay <br />31% <br /> <br />This figure is remarkably close to the <br />1995 irrigation consumptive use figure <br />cited by USGS9. These studies provide <br />county-Ic\'el estimates of nel irrigation <br />requirements for each irrigated crop, <br />Figure ~ displays the breakout by crop <br />category for the state. <br /> <br />Other Hay./ <br />11% <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />'''11'ic' COOlnbuuoo or Colorado's Ag:ribuslllC'loS S~l.:m 1O~ SUl(.S Erooom~ In ]99r. CoIor.ido SUI.: linl~'c:n.ily,lkpt or Agn~"Ulllll'ilt and <br />Res.oun:c.' E.c:onorruo. Jul). 2{U), <br />t "Public AIUll.llks About AgncuJtlll'C' ill Colorado". Colorado SUI.: llru>er')ily. Fall 1001 <br />'-]9'11 !'\ational RC'SOlIn'O In>rntory RI:pUt", ~alun.1 R~l't"es COIlJie("\.atlUll Sen.'lct <br />. ~RI't1 Ba.lR Fa.."1 Sh<<~', C'okndo Walet C'OO>Cf\-at,,;ll'l Board. C'okndo o.u."lII ofWalet Rt>.<Illn.-es. Janll<lf}' 2000 <br />tpE,slJlmkd USc.'ofWal~lnlhc: tinned SUlr.; in lQQS".lJ.S GoroIogl..aJ Sun't') Cil'OJlar]2OO <br />