Land Use
Aerial view of farmland and waterways in the Sacramento Valley in Northern California.
Land Use is a program within DWR’s Division of Regional Assistance (DRA). The Land Use program classifies agricultural fields to provide exact data on the composition and distribution of irrigated crops and fallow lands needed for updating the California Water Plan, and for many other uses. Land use data serves as the basis for calculating current and projected water needs for agricultural production, which amounts to about 80 percent of developed water in California, enabling the State to accurately assess and manage competing water demands.
For more background information on DWR land use surveys and how we work, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions document.
TheDWR Land Use Legend describes land use categories in California. Since December 2022, DWR has been using a Modified Land Use Legend. Any or all of the following types of information can be obtained from DWR Land Use Legend documents:
- Types of agricultural, urban, or native land use
- Specific crops
- Multiple land uses
- Sources of water supply
- Types of irrigation systems
If you are interested in the older versions of the DWR Land Use Legends, please contact the Land Use Unit.
The DWR Land Use Gallery is hosted in DWR's Environmental Systems Research Institute (Esri) ArcGIS Online Portal. Through this Land Use Program hub, users can:
- Obtain information about the DWR Land Use Program
- Access available land use survey inventories from the 1950s to the present
- Request land use surveys
- Obtain information on where and how to download county, regional, and statewide land use mapping data for various purposes.
For more information or questions, please email landuse@water.ca.gov.
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