WSP01414

• File Number: 8449.918
• Description: South Platte Projects
• State: CO
• Basin: South Platte
• Date: 8/1/1982
• Author: CWCB
• Title: South Platte River Basin Assessment Report
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Publication

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Irriqated lands in the basin have decreased from an estimated

1,130,000 acres in 1970 to 793,000 acres in 1978 (Table 3). The decrease

has resulten, in part, from the encroachment of urhanized areas on aqri-

cultural land. The decline, however, has been offset hy an increase in

irrigated agricultural development in areas outside the South Platte River

basin and more removed from the prospect of urbanization in the near future.

However, these lands generally are irrigated with water supplies which are not

considered dependable, due to increasing costs and lowered water levels in

the case of ground water supplies.

Crop Production

The mix of irrigated and non irrigated crops harvested in the basin in 197A

is shown in Table 4. Approximately 793,000 acres were irrigated in the

South Platte River basin during 1978. Corn, used for ~rain and silage,

accounts for the major irrigated crops of the eastern and central plainsi

whereas, alfalfa and hay predominate i.n the counties horderin~ the

mountains. A total of over 841,000 acres was used for nonirrigated

agriculture in 1978. The principal nonirrigated crop in the basin is

winter wheat, which is produced in the eastern and central Plains zone of

the basin. Alfalfa is the predominate nonirri~ated crop produced in the

Mountain zone.

Harvested versus available irrigated and nonirrigated acreages by counties

(Table 5) were based upon Colorado Department of Agriculture (1980)

statistics and important farmlands maps derived from the u.S. Department of

Agriculture. In some counties, more land was indicated as being harvested

than as heing available for plantin9. This disparity in information is

probably because of the different years in which the data were collected

and in errors in estimating the small land areas in question. A comparison

of harvested acreage relative to lands available for plantinq indicates

that approximately 75 percent of the land was harvested, (793,000 acres,

Table 3) in 1980 as compared to total available irri9ateo acreage of

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