Irrigation districts in the United States

In the United States an irrigation district is a cooperative, self-governing public corporation set up as a subdivision of the State government, with definite geographic boundaries, organized, and having taxing power to obtain and distribute water for irrigation of lands within the district; created under the authority of a State legislature with the consent of a designated fraction of the landowners or citizens.[1]

It is a special-purpose district created by statute in order to develop large irrigation projects.[1] These districts have the power to tax, borrow, and condemn.[2]

Sample districts

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State District Founded Notes
California Fresno Irrigation District 1920 Distribution canals in the Fresno County
California Imperial Irrigation District 1911 Distribution canals in the Imperial Valley
California Turlock Irrigation District 1887 First Irrigation District in California
California Merced Irrigation District 1919 Distribution canals in the Merced County
California Nevada Irrigation District 1921 Nevada County and portions of Placer and Yuba Counties
California South San Joaquin Irrigation District 1909 Southern San Joaquin County
California Westlands Water District 1952 San Joaquin, Kings, and Fresno Counties
Nevada Truckee–Carson Irrigation District 1918 Supports agriculture in Lyon County and Churchill County
New Mexico Carlsbad Irrigation District 1949 Declared a National Historic Landmark in 1964
New Mexico Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District 1925 Rio Grande in the Albuquerque Basin section
Ohio Miami Conservancy District 1914 Great Miami River and its tributaries
Ohio Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District 1933 Muskingum River Watershed
Oregon Central Oregon Irrigation District 1918 Provides irrigation water for Central Oregon
Oregon Tumalo Irrigation District 1922 Provides irrigation water for Tumalo
Utah Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District 1951 Mainly operates in Salt Lake County.[3] Called Salt Lake County Water Conservancy District until 1999
Washington Quincy-Columbia Basin Irrigation District 1910[4] Delivers irrigation water to farmland in the Columbia Basin

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Estimated Use of Water in the United States in 2000 - Glossary". USGS. Retrieved 2012-10-04.
  2. ^ "Glossary". Sphinx Legal. Archived from the original on 2012-02-24. Retrieved 2012-10-04.
  3. ^ "About JVWCD". Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District. Retrieved 2012-10-04.
  4. ^ Svendsen, Mark; Vermillion, Douglas L. (1994). Irrigation Management Transfer in the Columbia Basin: Lessons and International Implications. IWMI. p. 5. ISBN 978-92-9090-303-1. Retrieved 2012-10-04.
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