Irrigation
The prolonged drought of the 1930s in the Midwest and Plains – the Dust Bowl – provided a stark and unforgettable picture of what happens when soil becomes so dry over years that relentless winds can sweep it away in clouds of fine dust. The irrigation portion of the Pick-Sloan Plan was, in part, created as a result of the drought and Dust Bowl. More recently, the onset of drought in the early 2000s reminded us that dry years are not just a thing of the past.
Past
Millions of acres in the arid and semi-arid portions of the Missouri River Basin were planned to be irrigated by the Pick-Sloan Plan. Irrigated lands were envisioned to help settle those parts of the Basin and provide increased agricultural production. Planners also hoped to provide homesteads and employment for returning World War II veterans. As time passed, changing national economic and environmental priorities substantially altered the original plans for irrigation.
Present
Today, water from the Pick-Sloan Plan irrigates approximately 550,000 acres throughout the arid and semi-arid portions of the Missouri River Basin. Around 400,000 of those irrigated acres receive water from gravity-fed ditches from water impounded for irrigation in the tributaries of the Missouri River. The remaining 150,000 acres receive water pumped with Pick-Sloan hydroelectric power from the Missouri River and its tributaries. The duration of the irrigation season and amount of water needed depends on rainfall and snowmelt. Recent extended drought experience has occasionally forced difficult decisions on irrigation water use and alternatives. However, irrigation has benefited rural communities in the arid portions of the Missouri River Basin by providing a stable supply of water for a variety of irrigated crops.
This map displays the current in-service Bureau of Reclamation irrigation units of the Pick-Sloan Program. These units were either authorized in the 1944 Flood Control Act, or made part of the Pick-Sloan Program through subsequent legislation. The total acreage of these units is approximately 550,000 acres.
