Minnesota Ag Connection - 93 Percent of Minnesota Irrigation Relies on Groundwater

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93 Percent of Minnesota Irrigation Relies on Groundwater
Minnesota Ag Connection - 11/19/2019

In 2018, U.S. farms irrigated 55.9 million acres with 83.4 million acre-feet of water. The number of farms irrigating and the amount of land irrigated increased slightly between 2013 and 2018, while the total amount of water used for irrigation declined. Irrigation needs vary depending on weather and the commodities grown. Five states accounted for about half of irrigated acres and water applied. Wells provided half of the water used for irrigation, and sprinkler systems were the most widely used distribution method.

In 2018, there were 231,474 farms in the United States that irrigated at some point during the year, an increase of 2,237 farms since 2013. They irrigated 55.9 million acres (about one-fourth of their farmland), applying 83.4 million acre-feet of water, a decrease of 5.8 percent from 2013. The average amount of water applied per acre was 1.5 acre-feet, down from 1.6 in 2013.

The total amount of water applied declined 5.8 percent between 2013 and 2018.

Five states -- California, Nebraska, Arkansas, Texas, and Idaho -- together accounted for 50 percent of U.S. irrigated acres in 2018 and 56 percent of total irrigation water applied.

California applied the largest total amount of irrigation water, 24.5 million acre-feet. Arizona applied the most water per acre, an average of 4.7 acre-feet.

Irrigation provides water to fields in the open and to commodities grown under protection in greenhouses or other structures. Acres in the open accounted for nearly all irrigated acres in 2018. (Acre-foot is the amount of water required to cover one acre to a depth of one foot. This is equivalent to 43,560 cubic feet or 325,851 gallons.)

The 2018 Irrigation and Water Management Survey collected detailed data on irrigation methods and water use on U.S. farms, ranches, and horticultural operations.

Minnesota producers relied on three sources of water for irrigation: ground water from on-farm wells, surface water on the farm, and off-farm water from a variety of sources and suppliers. They relied on sprinkler systems, gravity systems, and a variety of drip, trickle, or other low-flow micro systems to distribute the water to open fields.

Ground water from on-farm wells accounted for 93 percent of irrigation water applied to acres in the open. In Minnesota, sprinklers were the most widely used distribution system, covering 601,354 irrigated acres in the open.

A total of 2,079 Minnesota farms used 5,905 wells in 2018 for irrigation. The average pumping capacity for all pumped wells was 556 gpm. Of the wells:

- 36 percent had flow meters to measure the amount of water supplied

- 84 percent had backflow prevention devices to prevent cross contamination

The average well depth in 2018 was 136 feet. The average depth to water at the beginning of irrigation season was 45 feet.

Total energy expenses for pumping well and surface water in Minnesota amounted to $11.7 million.

Infrastructure costs for equipment, facilities, land improvement, and computer technology were $8.62 million. Water purchased from off-farm sources amounted to $130,000.

Minnesotans spent $7,029,000 during 2018 on new or replacement equipment and machinery of which 35% was scheduled replacement or maintenance.

Minnesota farmers spent $386,000 on new well construction.

Farmers in Minnesota who irrigated spent $980,000 on computers, control panels, and computer controlled valves and hardware for irrigation water management during the survey year.

Horticulture operations in Minnesota irrigate both fields in the open and areas under protection. In 2018, these operations irrigated 10,784 acres in the open. They also irrigated 18.1 million square feet under protection. Some types of horticulture crops, such as sod, are grown almost exclusively in the open.

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