Skip Links

USGS - science for a changing world

Open-File Report 2014–1257

Prepared in cooperation with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

Agricultural Irrigated Land-Use Inventory for Osceola County, Florida, October 2013–April 2014

By Richard L. Marella and Joann F. Dixon

Thumbnail of and link to report PDF (0.6 MB)Abstract

A detailed inventory of irrigated crop acreage is not available at the level of resolution needed to increase the accuracy of current water-use estimates or to project future water demands in many Florida counties. This report provides a detailed digital map and summary of irrigated areas within Osceola County for the agricultural growing period October 2013–April 2014. The irrigated areas were first delineated using land-use data and satellite imagery and then field verified between February and April 2014. Selected attribute data were collected for the irrigated areas, including crop type, primary water source, and type of irrigation system. Results indicate that an estimated 27,450 acres were irrigated during the study period. This includes 4,370 acres of vegetables, 10,970 acres of orchard crops, 1,620 acres of field crops, and 10,490 acres of ornamentals and grasses. Specifically, irrigated acreage included citrus (10,860 acres), sod (5,640 acres), pasture (4,580 acres), and potatoes (3,320 acres). Overall, groundwater was used to irrigate 18,350 acres (67 percent of the total acreage), and surface water was used to irrigate the remaining 9,100 acres (33 percent). Microirrigation systems accounted for 45 percent of the total acreage irrigated, flood systems 30 percent, and sprinkler systems the remaining 25 percent. An accurate, detailed, spatially referenced, and field-verified inventory of irrigated crop acreage can be used to assist resource managers making current and future county-level water-use estimates in Osceola County.

First posted January 7, 2015

  • Appendix 1 PDF (7.2 MB)
    Appendix 1 contains a map showing an agricultural irrigated land-use inventory for Osceola County, Florida, October 2013–April 2014.

For additional information, contact:
Director, USGS Caribbean-Florida Water Science Center
4446 Pet Lane, Suite 108
Lutz, Florida 33559
http://fl.water.usgs.gov/

Part or all of this report is presented in Portable Document Format (PDF). For best results viewing and printing PDF documents, it is recommended that you download the documents to your computer and open them with Adobe Reader. PDF documents opened from your browser may not display or print as intended. Download the latest version of Adobe Reader, free of charge.


Suggested citation:

Marella, R.L., and Dixon, J.F., 2014, Agricultural irrigated land-use inventory for Osceola County, Florida, October 2013–April 2014: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2014–1257, 8 p., https://dx.doi.org/10.3133/ofr20141257.

ISSN 2331-1258 (online)



Contents

Abstract

Introduction

Map Development and Data Sources

Field Verification and Limitations

Results

Further Information

Acknowledgments

Selected References

 


Accessibility FOIA Privacy Policies and Notices

Take Pride in America logo USA.gov logo U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey
URL: http://pubsdata.usgs.gov/pubs/of/2014/1257/index.html
Page Contact Information: GS Pubs Web Contact
Page Last Modified: Wednesday, 07-Dec-2016 20:05:03 EST