Future Irrigation Demand in the Susquehanna Basin

At first glance it would seem that in normally water rich Susquehanna country, the possibility of irrigation withdrawals as a problem for concern is merely academic. The Susquehanna, which drains parts of New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland, has an average yield of 37,000 cfs, with a median August yield of 9400 cfs. Peak irrigation consumption in 1964 was only 196 cfs. However, the river's flow dipped to 2800 cfs in August 1966; and according to a recent Department of Agriculture study, the peak instantaneous consumption of surface water supplies for irrigation could total as much as 1100 cfs within the next 50 yr to 100 yr. If 1100 cfs were removed during a period when the Basin was yielding 2800 cfs, this would be a matter for alarm.