As the single largest water-consuming industry, agriculture has
become a focal point for efforts to promote water conservation.
The drive for water use efficiency has become institutionalized
in agriculture through numerous federal, state and local
programs. Since the 1980s, some water districts serving
agricultural areas have developed extensive water conservation
programs to help their customers (From Aquapedia).
Making wine requires water. But how much? Water is a precious
resource in drought-prone California, and its use in
agriculture is rightfully a contentious topic. … While a wine
glut is compelling some grape growers to remove their
vineyards, some readers are suggesting that this might be a
good thing from a water use perspective. So I wanted to
understand: Just how big of a water suck are California
grapevines, really? The TLDR here is that California wine
grapes don’t gulp nearly as much water as crops like almonds,
pistachios and alfalfa. But the real story here is much more
complex …
An Oregon State University study is showing the economic impact
that water shortages have had on farms and ranches in the upper
Klamath basin. The study was partially funded by Klamath
County. It found that crops and livestock grown and raise
din the area are worth about $368 million annually. It also
generates more than $176 million in income for more than 3,000
employees. The study found that about $12 million in
labor income and 210 jobs have been lost with the decline in
livestock production because of water restrictions. It also
found that more than $12 million in labor income and 120 jobs
are presently at risk because of the maximum amount of water
the Bureau of Reclamation allows farmers to use.
The Salton Sea is more than a district priority, and it is
disheartening to learn that many state officials view it as a
problem for only our local officials to solve. Over the next
few weeks Gov. Gavin Newsom, the Assembly and the Senate will
make crucial decisions about our state budget and a potential
Climate Resilience Bond. It is vital for them to understand
that protecting the Sea is a statewide priority. The Salton Sea
is surrounded by several unique and rapidly growing communities
across Riverside and Imperial counties, ranging in size from
231 residents in Bombay Beach to approximately 44,000 residents
in El Centro. All these communities face significant health
risks and environmental justice concerns related to the Salton
Sea and a number of other issues in the region. -Written by Dora Cecilia Armenta, who has lived with
her family of four in Salton City for 29 years. She is an
active community partner with Leadership Counsel for Justice
and Accountability; and Mariela Loera, the Eastern
Coachella Valley Regional Policy Manager with the Leadership
Counsel for Justice and Accountability.
Back in 2003, farmers in California’s Imperial Valley agreed to
send some of their Colorado River water to cities on the coast.
The deal was touted as a win for thirsty Californians and a
boon for efforts to conserve water. But the deal also caused
dangerous pollution for those living near the Salton Sea,
according to a new study published in the American Journal of
Agricultural Economics on Wednesday. For the study, researchers
looked at 20 years of daily air pollution data collected from
around the inland and heavily saline Salton Sea between 1998 to
2018. As the water-transfer program reduced agricultural runoff
that replenishes the sea, once-underwater lakebed was exposed
to wind, leading to increased dust and air pollutants that can
cause heart and respiratory issues, they found.
Cover crops could be an important tool in groundwater
management but are being unintentionally disincentivized by
groundwater sustainability agencies (GSAs,) according to a new
study. GSAs haven’t done enough analysis or
incentivization of cover crops, according to authors of the
study. In fact, the study suggests some GSAs are putting a
negative spin on the use of cover crops by accounting for their
water usage but excluding their water benefits. … [The study]
was a collaborative effort between many organizations and
agencies including the California Department of Food and
Agriculture, the University of California Agriculture and
Natural Resources and nonprofit Sustainable Conservation.
California has unveiled an ambitious plan to help combat the
worsening climate crisis with one of its invaluable assets: its
land. Over the next 20 years, the state will work to transform
more than half of its 100 million acres into multi-benefit
landscapes that can absorb more carbon than they release,
officials announced Monday. … The plan also calls for
11.9 million acres of forestland to be managed for biodiversity
protection, carbon storage and water supply protection by 2045,
and 2.7 million acres of shrublands and chaparral to be managed
for carbon storage, resilience and habitat connectivity, among
other efforts.
It was exactly the sort of deluge
California groundwater agencies have been counting on to
replenish their overworked aquifers.
The start of 2023 brought a parade of torrential Pacific storms
to bone dry California. Snow piled up across the Sierra Nevada at
a near-record pace while runoff from the foothills gushed into
the Central Valley, swelling rivers over their banks and filling
seasonal creeks for the first time in half a decade.
Suddenly, water managers and farmers toiling in one of the
state’s most groundwater-depleted regions had an opportunity to
capture stormwater and bank it underground. Enterprising agencies
diverted water from rushing rivers and creeks into manmade
recharge basins or intentionally flooded orchards and farmland.
Others snagged temporary permits from the state to pull from
streams they ordinarily couldn’t touch.
Across a sprawling corner of southern Tulare County snug against the Sierra Nevada, a bounty of navel oranges, grapes, pistachios, hay and other crops sprout from the loam and clay of the San Joaquin Valley. Groundwater helps keep these orchards, vineyards and fields vibrant and supports a multibillion-dollar agricultural economy across the valley. But that bounty has come at a price. Overpumping of groundwater has depleted aquifers, dried up household wells and degraded ecosystems.
Innovative efforts to accelerate
restoration of headwater forests and to improve a river for the
benefit of both farmers and fish. Hard-earned lessons for water
agencies from a string of devastating California wildfires.
Efforts to drought-proof a chronically water-short region of
California. And a broad debate surrounding how best to address
persistent challenges facing the Colorado River.
These were among the issues Western Water explored in
2019, and are still worth taking a look at in case you missed
them.
Groundwater helped make Kern County
the king of California agricultural production, with a $7 billion
annual array of crops that help feed the nation. That success has
come at a price, however. Decades of unchecked groundwater
pumping in the county and elsewhere across the state have left
some aquifers severely depleted. Now, the county’s water managers
have less than a year left to devise a plan that manages and
protects groundwater for the long term, yet ensures that Kern
County’s economy can continue to thrive, even with less water.
As California embarks on its unprecedented mission to harness groundwater pumping, the Arizona desert may provide one guide that local managers can look to as they seek to arrest years of overdraft.
Groundwater is stressed by a demand that often outpaces natural and artificial recharge. In California, awareness of groundwater’s importance resulted in the landmark Sustainable Groundwater Management Act in 2014 that aims to have the most severely depleted basins in a state of balance in about 20 years.
The message is oft-repeated that
water must be conserved and used as wisely as possible.
The California Water Code calls water use efficiency “the
efficient management of water resources for beneficial uses,
preventing waste, or accomplishing additional benefits with the
same amount of water.”
This printed issue of Western Water examines
agricultural water use – its successes, the planned state
regulation to quantify its efficiency and the potential for
greater savings.
30-minute DVD that traces the history of the U.S. Bureau of
Reclamation and its role in the development of the West. Includes
extensive historic footage of farming and the construction of
dams and other water projects, and discusses historic and modern
day issues.
There are two constants regarding agricultural water use –
growers will continue to come up with ever more efficient and
innovative ways to use water and they will always be pressed to
do more.
It’s safe to say the matter will not be settled anytime soon,
given all the complexities that are a part of the water use
picture today. While officials and stakeholders grapple to find a
lasting solution to California’s water problems that balances
environmental and economic needs, those who grow food and fiber
for a living do so amid a host of challenges.
This beautiful 24×36 inch poster, suitable for framing, features
a map of the San Joaquin River. The map text focuses on the San
Joaquin River Restoration Program, which aims to restore flows
and populations of Chinook salmon to the river below Friant Dam
to its confluence with the Merced River. The text discusses the
history of the program, its goals and ongoing challenges with
implementation.
As the single largest water-consuming industry, agriculture has
become a focal point for efforts to promote water conservation.
In turn, discussions about agricultural water use often become
polarized.
With this in mind, the drive for water use
efficiency has become institutionalized in agriculture
through numerous federal, state and local programs.
