2018 Map of Cressey

About this map

The Merced River cuts through the heart of this agricultural landscape in the San Joaquin Valley, defining the development patterns of the northern Central Valley. The city of Livingston anchors the southwestern portion of the sheet, where an intricate network of irrigation infrastructure including the Livingston Canal, Arena Canal, and Hunter Lateral supports the region's intensive farming. To the north and east, the smaller rural communities of Cortez, Ballico, and Cressey sit among a grid of county roads and numerous named water features like the Ward Canal and Cressey Lateral. The map documents a sophisticated water management system essential to California's interior, visible in the dense web of drains and laterals such as the Jones Drain and King Lateral that crisscross the valley floor between the river and the Winton Cem at the eastern edge.