Use ISWS’ suite of interactive tools and maps to visualize community water sources, examine public facility withdrawals, analyze agricultural irrigation trends, and more.
Illinois Water Inventory Program
Since 1978, our Illinois Water Inventory Program (IWIP) has maintained a centralized database of Illinois’ high-capacity wells and their water withdrawal rates, as reported by the agricultural, commercial, industrial, and public water sectors.
See how to access IWIP’s water use data.
Illinois Water Budget Vista
Explore water trends with the Illinois Water Budget Vista application. This interactive tool provides statewide supply and demand estimates, along with regional- and county-level water use trends and projections of future water needs.
Community Water Sources
Communities source water by:
- extracting it from their own wells or intakes (self-supplied water),
- buying it from a neighboring system (purchased water), or
- using both self-supplied and purchased water.
ISWS’ Illinois Municipal Water Use interactive map shows how more than 1,300 communities across the state obtain their water. It details both self-supplied and purchased water volumes in 2012. Please note that not all communities and public water distributors reported in 2012.
Through the map interface, users can save maps in various print formats and export attribute table data as a CSV file. Users can also download a 36” x 54” municipal water use map and the 2012 municipal water use dataset.
Public Water Facilities
IWIP compiles water withdrawal information reported by public water supply facilities — facilities that provide potable water to at least 15 service connections used by year-round residents or regularly serve at least 25 year-round residents, as defined by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.
Public Water Supply Resources Map
The Public Water Supply Resources map shows the amounts of water Illinois’ public water facilities reported withdrawing from surface waters and groundwater sources through 2019.
Community Surface Water Supplies Map
IWIP data show that total withdrawals by all public water supply systems exceeded 1,700 million gallons per day (mgd) in 1998. Community systems relying on surface water accounted for 84% of that total, with Lake Michigan alone supplying more than 1,000 mgd. Other surface water sources include interstate rivers (Mississippi and Ohio), intrastate rivers (Fox, Illinois, Kankakee, Kaskaskia, and Little Wabash), and 96 reservoirs.
Due to security regulations, ISWS’ community surface water supply map is not available for public download or display. For a copy, please send a Letter of Intent on your company’s letterhead stating why you would like a copy of this map. Please include contact information, as we may call to verify the information. Upon receipt of the letter, it will be forwarded to the ISWS director for approval. You may fax it to 217-333-4983 (please include the web address/URL of this page on the FAX cover sheet) or mail it to:
Illinois State Water Survey
2204 Griffith Drive
Champaign, IL 61820-7495
Center Pivot Irrigation
IWIP’s interactive center pivot irrigation map shows reported irrigation activities across the state. IWIP staff calculate representative irrigation totals for each county or irrigation area using individually reported data, field data, or other ground-tested methods. These representative acre-inches are then applied to the county or area totals to calculate estimates and compensate for missing data.
A map of Illinois center pivot irrigation in 2012 and 2014 is available to view and download. In addition to active irrigation systems, this map shows areas where soils have high saturated hydraulic conductivity (≥10 micrometers per second) and are likely to require irrigation for a successful crop.
County-Level Irrigation Maps
ISWS staff examined aerial imagery from the USDA National Agricultural Imagery Program (NAIP) collected in 2012 for circular irrigation patterns and traced field boundaries to create this selection of county-level center pivot irrigation maps. NAIP’s aerial imagery is available through the USDA Geospatial Data Gateway.
Lee County
Sandy soils are common in Lee County and are either sand and gravels deposited as glacial outwash or dune sands formed by wind. Traditionally, irrigation is needed in areas with sandy soils due to their low water-holding capacity and high hydraulic conductivity.
ISWS scientists identified 283 center pivot systems in Lee County during summer 2012, representing 26,476 acres of farmland. USDA (2007 NASS Census) reported 395,624 total acres of farmland in Lee County, suggesting that center pivot irrigation is used on approximately 7 percent of the county’s farmland.
Download a 2012 center pivot irrigation map for Lee County.
Mason County
Mason County has the most irrigated acreage in the state, nearly double that of any other Illinois county. Sandy soils and annual precipitation of about 38 inches promote significant groundwater recharge. Historically, the region’s extensive shallow aquifer has resisted long-term water depletion. Regular natural recharge has kept water levels stable, even during periods of significant irrigation expansion.
ISWS scientists identified 1,553 fields using center pivot systems in Mason County during summer 2012, representing 135,684 acres of farmland (approximately 50 percent of all farmland in the county). The Imperial Valley Water Authority — a local government entity that regulates non-agricultural high-capacity wells in Mason County and four townships in Tazewell County — estimated groundwater withdrawals for irrigation in Mason County to be just over 70 billion gallons in 2012, which equates to 587 million gallons per day over a 120-day growing season.
Download the 2012 center pivot irrigation map for Mason County.
Tazewell County
Illinois’ Imperial Valley sits atop an extensive shallow aquifer that provides an abundant water source. Thanks to adequate rainfall and subsequent recharge, the aquifer has historically maintained stable water levels with no long-term depletion, even as local irrigation has rapidly expanded.
The Imperial Valley Water Authority (IVWA) is a local government entity that regulates non-agricultural high-capacity wells in parts of six townships in Tazewell County and all of Mason County. The IVWA estimated groundwater withdrawals for irrigation in Tazewell County in 2012 to be about 28 billion gallons, which equates to about 233 million gallons per day over a 120-day growing season. Together, Mason and Tazewell Counties accounted for nearly 100 billion gallons of groundwater withdrawal for irrigation in 2012.
During summer 2012, 449 fields in Tazewell County used center pivot systems, representing 42,419 acres of farmland. USDA reported 337,376 total acres of farmland in Tazewell County (2012 NASS Census), suggesting that center pivot irrigation systems irrigate approximately 13 percent of the county’s farmland.
Download the 2012 center pivot irrigation map for Tazewell County.
Whiteside County
Soils in the southern part of Whiteside County are commonly sandy and require irrigation. The primary water source is the Sankoty Aquifer, which lies within the ancestral Mississippi River Valley beneath the southern half of the county. This aquifer can supply enough groundwater to support high-capacity wells that pump more than 1,000 gallons per minute.
During summer 2012, 606 fields in Whiteside County used center pivot systems, representing 60,122 acres of farmland (approximately 15 percent of the county’s total farmland).
Download the 2012 center pivot irrigation map for Whiteside County.