Irrigation
In Colorado , water is used in many different ways to help people , plants and animals , and industries . About 90 % of the water is used for farming , which means growing crops and taking care of animals . Another 7 % is used by people who live in municipalities ( cities and towns ) for homes , yards , businesses , firefighting , and parks . The remaining 3 % is used for things like making electricity and manufacturing products . So , most of Colorado ’ s water is used to help grow the food we eat !
Did you know that Colorado has a lot of land dedicated to farming ? About 32 million acres of land are used for agriculture , which is almost half of the state ’ s total land area of 66.67 million acres ! The most common use of this farmland is for pasture , with 18.8 million acres used for this purpose . After pasture , there are 11.1 million acres used for growing crops , and 1.3 million acres used as woodland .
Furrow Irrigation - Water stays in ditches
One way farmers water their crops is called irrigation . Of all of Colorado ’ s land used for agriculture , only about 2.5 million acres , or 7 %, is irrigated . There are many ways to irrigate .
One way is to dig little ditches between rows of crops and let the water run between the rows . This is called furrow irrigation .
Another way to irrigate is to flood an area with water . Hay fields and pasture land are often flooded with water at the right times .
Flood Irrigation - Water spreads everywhere
A third way to irrigate is to use a “ drip ” system of hoses buried just under the soil . This is where water comes out of holes in the hose placed next to the plants .
A fourth way to irrigate is surge irrigation . A computerized valve turns on and off the water supply to furrows . This system is designed to allow water to soak into the ground before more is applied .
Yet another way to irrigate is to use a sprinkler system . This is often called center pivot irrigation . In this method , equipment rotates around a pivot and crops are watered with sprinklers . A circular area centered on the pivot is irrigated .
Center Pivot Irrigation - Water is sprayed
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