California has been the nation’s
leading agricultural and dairy state for the past 50 years. The
state’s 80,500 farms and ranches produce more than 400 different
agricultural products. These products generated a record $44.7
billion in sales value in 2012, accounting for 11.3 percent of
the US total.
Breaking down the state’s agricultural role in the country,
California produces 21 percent of the nation’s milk supply, 23
percent of its cheese and 92 percent of all grapes. The state
also produces half of all domestically-grown fruits, nuts and
vegetables, including some products, such as almonds, walnuts,
artichokes, persimmons and pomegranates, of which 99 percent are
grown in California.
Overall, about 3 percent of employment in the state is directly
or indirectly related to agriculture.
… Delta pears trace their history to the California Gold
Rush, when farmers planted orchards along the riverbanks to
provide fresh fruit for prospectors. Boats ferried fruit to
Sacramento or San Francisco. Levees and dams put a stop to
frequent flooding. Fruit box labels in the 1920s depicted
paddleboats, while an RV park today is named Cannery
Landing. It was one of the earliest instances of
commercial-scale fruit production in the country. Since then,
the Delta has become an environmental hot button. Its water has
been pumped to cities and farms all over California. Many of
the islands have sunk below sea level, while the reduction of
inflows sometimes allows brackish water to creep upstream from
the San Francisco Bay. Delta farmers, including [Robert]
Arceo, have pushed back against a proposal to route even more
river water under the wetlands to California’s more
drought-prone southern region.
Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have developed
a new solution to purify water. They have created a
sugar-derived polymer that can effectively trap and remove
heavy metals from polluted water. Heavy metals, like lead
and mercury, pose a persistent threat to water resources and
can have devastating effects on both human health and marine
dwellers. These heavy metals can enter the water supply through
various sources, including industrial waste and agricultural
runoff. Traditional water purification methods, while
effective, often face challenges such as high energy
consumption and clogging of filtration membranes.
A federal judge on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit brought by a
lauded California winemaker after Napa County refused to issue
permits for water wells on land he owns. Plaintiff Jayson
Woodbridge, founder and owner of Hundred Acre Wine Group and
Double Vee Properties, says in his 2023 lawsuit that Napa
County overstepped its authority and violated state water
rights law by refusing to issue permits for water wells unless
Woodbridge agrees to a strict limit on the water that could be
drawn annually from each well. … Specifically,
Woodbridge wants to dig new wells within 1,500 feet of a river
or stream and extract up to 1 acre-foot of water per acre from
the proposed wells. The county’s regulations limit extractions
from new wells to 0.3 acre-feet of water per acre annually.
San Diego County is home to more than 214,000 acres of
agricultural land. Avocados, lemons, oranges and a variety of
vegetables are grown in the county. This week, during NPR’s
Climate Solutions Week, we look at how San Diego County farmers
are adapting to climate change with local growers Daniel and
Paula Coxe, who grow avocados in Fallbrook, along with Amy
Quandt, a San Diego State University professor who has surveyed
farmers on the subject.
… For nine decades, rice farmers who bought water from
the [Lower Colorado River Authority] could open valves and
flood their rice fields when needed. Even during the historic
drought of the 1950s, farmers irrigated their fields from the
Highland Lakes, the chain of dammed freshwater bodies spanning
Central Texas from Lake Buchanan to Lake Austin. Today, 280
Texas farmers raise rice on about 149,000 acres, down from
1,400 who cultivated about 650,000 acres from the 1950s through
the 1970s. … [In] March 2024, the LCRA notified farmers
that they would be cut off again. The soonest
they might be permitted to buy stored water is March
2025, depending on the reservoirs’ water levels. The situation
has gotten so grave that the entire rice farming industry in
Texas is at risk. Water—its high cost and low availability—is
one of a host of challenges facing Texas rice farmers including
escalating costs, urbanization, encroaching solar and wind
farms, and erratic weather conditions.
… In the face of climate change, wineries around the world
are innovating. New technology is being installed to keep the
grapes cool during heat spells. A handful of wineries are going
a step further. They’re experimenting with new grapes, ripping
out high-value cabernet vines to plant varieties from hotter
climates. The goal is to find heat-tolerant grapes that blend
well with cabernet, potentially making up for the flavors that
cabernet could lack when temperatures get even hotter. While
many bottles labeled cabernet are already blended with other
grapes in small amounts, winemakers may need more flexibility
in the future. ”We know we have to adapt,” says Avery
Heelan, a winemaker at Larkmead Vineyards in Calistoga, Calif.
“We can’t just pretend that it’s going to go away, because all
we see is each year it’s getting more and more extreme.”
South-central Utah is not your typical farm country. To the
eye, there appears to be more red rock than green fields. To
make a go of it, farms often huddle around the precious few
rivers that snake across the sun-baked landscape. That’s the
case for rancher Andy Rice, who raises hundreds of hungry goats
and sheep in the Garfield County town of Boulder — population
227 — just outside Grand Staircase-Escalante National
Monument. There’s no mistaking how dry it is. The area averages
less than 12 inches of annual precipitation. … This ranch
draws water from Boulder Creek that would otherwise be on its
way to Lake Powell. Between drought and competition for
the Colorado River, however, Rice knows that Utah’s water
supply faces a precarious future. That means ranches like his
will need to find ways to cut their water use to survive. …
That’s why Rice applied for funding from
Utah’s Agricultural Water Optimization Program — a
big money push to help farmers and ranchers modernize their
irrigation.
… [San Joaquin Valley] acreage devoted to different kinds of
crops has undergone a major shift over the past 20 years — the
result of myriad factors including changes in commodity prices,
market demand for various crops, availability of water, among
others. Some of the most dramatic changes have come in tree
crops including almonds and pistachios, and in field crops
including cotton and wheat. … Researchers with the
University of California at Davis noted that drought, uncertain
water supplies and rising irrigation costs also contributed to
the trend of reduced cotton acreage that dates to the 1980s, as
well as the arrival of pesticide-resistant pests like the pink
bollworm and sweet potato whitefly.
Drought is a widespread concern in the Western U.S., and water
managers across the region are developing groundwater
management plans to conserve the essential resource.
Groundwater is often pumped to the surface to irrigate crops,
and meters that measure the flow of pumped water have
historically offered the best information on groundwater use.
These meters are rare, however, so DRI scientists set out to
determine whether OpenET, a platform that measures
evapotranspiration using satellite data, could help fill this
information gap. The new study, published August 8th in a
special issue of Agricultural Water Management, compared
groundwater meter data with OpenET estimates for agricultural
fields in Nevada and Oregon. The results demonstrate that
OpenET can be used to accurately estimate the amount of
groundwater used for crop irrigation at the level of individual
fields.
… An unusually hot summer and looming Colorado River
negotiations serve as a constant reminder of the scarce water
resources in this region of the U.S. and underscore the
importance of effective solutions to conserve our most precious
natural resource. … Water conservation goes beyond having
access to drinking water. It is imperative to
everything from the health of wildlife and plants to farming
and crop production to recreational activities that fuel the
economy. Not to mention that low water levels
can threaten hydropower facilities that produce
affordable, reliable and clean energy. —Written by Sam Brown, Republican nominee for U.S.
Senate from Nevada and Chris Barnard, president of the
American Conservation Coalition Action
In Utah, farming and ranching soak up 61.5% of the available
water. Much of that water comes from the Colorado River basin,
which some predict will fall far short of meeting growing
demand for water within the next few years. Regulators are
pushing for dramatically lower water usage, a measure putting
the region’s farms at risk. To provide relief to farmers,
Netafim, an Agritech leader based in Tel Aviv that has
pioneered the application of precision irrigation, including
drip irrigation, has launched a local resource hub to connect
growers to the financing and information they need to thrive
despite possible water restrictions. Drip irrigation, including
subsurface drip, has seen increased usage throughout Utah over
the past few years, and is one solution that several farmers
and homeowners in Utah are switching to for efficient watering
of plants and crops.
House Republicans from California are questioning the Biden
administration’s draft plans for one of the state’s major water
delivery projects, asserting the proposals “disproportionately
favor environmental objectives” over agricultural users.
California Rep. David Valadao and nearly a dozen of his GOP
colleagues inked a Wednesday letter to the Bureau of
Reclamation, the Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA Fisheries,
urging the agencies to give more consideration to agriculture
users who rely on the federal Central Valley Project (CVP) and
State Water Project. The administration is weighing new
operating plans for the CVP, which along with the State Water
Project moves flows from California’s wetter north to farmland
in the south.
Groundwater makes up roughly a third of California’s freshwater
supply used for irrigation — a necessary resource to continue
producing three-quarters of the nation’s fruits, nuts, and half
of its vegetables. Yet, a new study finds that with the
Sustainable Groundwater Management Act imposing higher
groundwater pumping costs, farmers may switch to crops that use
less water. According to a study led by the University of
Maryland, California can meet SGMA’s groundwater targets, but
doing so will cut fruit and nut production by a quarter and
leave 50% more cropland unused.
Irrigators cut off water to a huge portion of the Imperial
Valley’s half-million acres of farmland earlier this month
after the federal government approved a long-awaited program
designed to bolster water levels on the Colorado River. The
conservation agreement, authorized Aug. 12 by the U.S. Bureau
of Reclamation and the Imperial Irrigation District, pays
farmers to stop irrigating forage crops such as alfalfa for a
period during the summer. Farmers participating in the “deficit
irrigation” program will be compensated to sacrifice one or two
hay cuttings without—they hope—killing the perennial crops.
Water scarcity is a global issue that affects nearly 2 billion
people today. According to UNICEF, over 700 million people
could be displaced by intense water shortages by 2030. The
World Bank notes that 40% of the world’s population is already
impacted by water scarcity, with some regions, such as the
Middle East and North Africa, facing particularly severe
challenges. In Sub-Saharan Africa, many communities still rely
on contaminated sources, resulting in significant public health
issues. … Economically, water scarcity disrupts
agriculture and industry. In California, prolonged droughts
have devastated crops, leading to increased food prices and
economic instability.
The Delta Conservancy’s report on their 2023 Delta Drought
Response Pilot Program reveals mixed results in testing
drought-resistant field management practices in the
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The program involved 61 projects
across 18,450 acres, where Delta farmers tried various water
conservation methods, like crop changes, reduced irrigation,
and creating bird habitats by flooding fields. Key
findings include that water savings were inconsistent,
especially in low-elevation areas, while higher elevations
showed more potential. Factors like crop type, soil, and local
flooding also influenced results. The report suggests that
future water conservation efforts need to balance water savings
with environmental goals, like supporting wildlife.
… Cotton wasn’t the only minor crops among Fresno’s
cornucopia of commodities to do well in 2023. … [Ryan
Jacobsen, CEO, Fresno County Farm Bureau] also serves as
president of the board for Fresno Irrigation District. He knows
water issues in his county. He said 2023 had the potential to
be even greater for farmers as the previous year was beset by
drought, and 2023 saw record rain and snowpack. “It’s important
to look at what water means to our county,” he said. “You
obviously had exaggerations of water supply from 2022 into
2023.”According to Jacobsen, the late season water availability
greatly aided in the planting of fall lettuce – a transition
for growers as lettuce harvest is ending in the Salinas Valley
but has not yet started in the deserts of southern California
and southwest Arizona.
… [Robin] Koda said it became too arduous to continue farming
in California. She cited various expenses — such as water and
insurance — as too high. Also, her most loyal workers were
retirement age and the labor pool for new workers in South Dos
Palos is limited, she said. Koda’s brother and co-owner Ross
Koda said he had a lifelong attachment to Koda Farms as the
only son in the family but he had no choice but to move on.
“When I finally had to face the reality that the economics of
farming in California, water availability, and climate change
have imposed paradigm shifts over which we have no control,
then there was no choice but to make a business decision
without personal and emotional attachments to the farm’s
history,” he said in a written statement to The Times.
Sustainable Conservation, in partnership with Netafim USA, is
excited to announce the award of a Conservation Innovation
Grant (CIG) from the Natural Resources Conservation Service
(NRCS). This grant will fund a first-of-its-kind pilot project
at De Jager Dairy, where the award-winning Subsurface Drip
Irrigation for Dairy Effluent (SDI-E) system will be adapted to
irrigate and fertilize almond crops. Dairy farms are integral
to California’s agricultural economy, but the 1.72 million
dairy cows in California generate manure that can be a major
source of nitrate pollution and methane emissions. With over
600,000 residents reliant on contaminated wells for household
water in the San Joaquin Valley alone, we must manage manure in
ways that unlock its nutrient-rich potential and protect our
water quality.
… The World Wildlife Fund sees farms in the mid-Mississippi
delta as ripe with opportunity to become a new mecca for
commercial-scale American produce. California currently grows
nearly three-quarters of the nation’s fruits and nuts and more
than a third of its vegetables. But as climate change
compounds the threats of water scarcity, extreme weather and
wildfires on California’s resources, WWF’s Markets Institute is
exploring what it would take for farmers in West Tennessee,
Mississippi and Arkansas to embrace — and equitably profit from
— specialty crop production like strawberries, lettuce or
walnuts.
One of the main challenges of irrigating crops is that
available water sources contain salt. Over time, repeated
waterings from these sources lead to salt accumulation,
damaging soil fertility. This issue is especially acute in the
arid and semi-arid regions found in much of the western United
States. To address the issue, researchers are beginning to
apply the techniques of digital and precision agriculture to
help growers provide their crops with the water they need
without harming them, or the soil, in the process. Their
efforts combine a variety of strategies and tools. Todd Skaggs,
research leader at ARS’s Agricultural Water Efficiency and
Salinity (AWES) Research Unit, in Riverside, CA, described
several ideas that his team is exploring. One approach is to
develop crops with a higher salt tolerance, including working
to understand that trait at a genetic level.
Central Valley farmers feel former President Donald Trump more
aligns with their water needs than Vice President Kamala
Harris, a former U.S. senator and attorney general for
California. … Still, Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, said
Harris was supportive of his efforts with Feinstein on water
issues. He said, “she worked to diversify our water supply,
improve aging infrastructure, and supply clean drinking water
in underserved communities like those in the San Joaquin
Valley.” Costa and others praised Harris’ infrastructure
efforts as vice president to bolster aging agricultural
systems. “When we look at the bigger picture, Vice President
Harris has been a strong supporter of infrastructure
investments for agriculture,” said Mike Wade, the executive
director at California Farm Water Coalition.
Fifty years ago, when Jack Woolf and his family founded Woolf
Farming, he became one of the first in the western San Joaquin
Valley to grow new crops including pistachios and almonds.
Today, Stuart Woolf is following in his father’s innovative
footsteps. But he’s doing so at a time when the Valley’s
groundwater crisis is taking countless acres out of
agricultural production. Woolf Farming is planning to manage
its 20,000 acres near the Fresno County town of Huron so that
crops are produced on about 60% of the land. One day, deep in
thought as he sipped mezcal, it came to Woolf that there might
also be another answer. And it was right there in his glass.
“After about the third mezcal, I realized, and said to myself,
‘What? Why aren’t you growing this crop out here? Could this be
the right crop at the right time?’”
California is at a critical juncture with the future of its
water usage, with over 100 farmers gathering together on
Wednesday to discuss the issues facing the Central Valley at
the California Water Alliance’s fourth annual water forum in
Fresno. While much of the discussion was ultimately
focused on the tough water year with a clouded horizon, water
experts urged farmers to band together in a call to action to
push for better policy to bring relief to agriculture
throughout the Central Valley. … [Westlands Water District
General Manager Allison Febbo] who has been critical of the low
allocation this year, did not hold back at the forum, saying
2024 has been “extraordinarily frustrating” given that
Califiornia was coming off a historically wet year in
2023.
Eighteen water districts in the arid U.S. West will receive a
share of $400 million from the USDA for local projects that pay
farmers to reduce water consumption while keeping land in
production, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Thursday.
Irrigation use could drop by 50,000 acre-feet on 250,000 acres
in 12 states, from Texas to California and Oregon.
“Agricultural producers are the backbone of rural communities
across the West, and many of them are struggling under
prolonged drought conditions,” said Vilsack. “We want to scale
up the tools available to keep farmers farming while also
voluntarily conserving water and expanding markets for
water-saving commodities.”
… The Central Valley of California supplies a quarter of the
food on the nation’s dinner tables. But beneath this image of
plenty and abundance, a crisis is brewing — an invisible one,
under our feet — and it is not limited to California. … What
happens to the nation’s food production if the groundwater runs
out altogether? Unless we act now, we could soon reach a point
where water must be piped from the wetter parts of the country,
such as the Great Lakes, to drier, sunnier regions where the
bulk of the nation’s food is produced. No one wants unsightly
pipelines snaking across the country, draining Lake Michigan to
feed the citrus groves of the Central Valley. But that future
is drawing closer by the day, and at some point, we may look
back on this moment and wish we’d acted differently. —Written by Jay Famiglietti, professor at Arizona State
University and the director of science for the Arizona Water
Innovation Initiative
Colorado State University researchers are counting greenhouse
gases released from irrigation for the first time, making
top-emitting counties more visible alongside ways to help cut
emissions. Agriculture relies on irrigation, the CSU
researchers said. It’s a vital tool for farmers and ranchers to
water crops when the rain just isn’t there — an increasingly
common problem with over two decades of drought and a changing
climate in Colorado. But the process of pushing water through
pumps, canals and center-pivot sprinklers into soils can add to
greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
The Biden administration will pay farmers in the Western U.S.
to save water as the region contends with historic drought. The
Department of Agriculture announced Thursday that it will
invest up to $400 million in paying farmers in 11 states to
reduce their water consumption while continuing to produce
commodities. The department said the action is expected to
conserve up to 50,000 acre-feet of water — or about 16 billion
gallons. … The water districts preliminarily selected to
be part of the program include parts of Idaho, Utah, Oregon,
California, Washington state, New Mexico, Wyoming, Texas,
Montana, Colorado and Nevada.
Seeking to prevent the California State Water Resources Control
Board from stepping in to regulate groundwater in critically
overdrafted subbasins, local agencies are working to correct
deficiencies in their plans to protect groundwater. With
groundwater sustainability agencies formed and groundwater
sustainability plans evaluated, the state water board has moved
to implement the 2014 Sustainable Groundwater Management Act,
or SGMA. … Under probation, groundwater extractors in
the Tulare Lake subbasin face annual fees of $300 per well and
$20 per acre-foot pumped, plus a late reporting fee of 25%.
SGMA also requires well owners to file annual groundwater
extraction reports.
Catastrophic weather events wreaked havoc on U.S. agriculture
last year, causing nearly $22 billion in crop and rangeland
losses, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.
California accounted for $1.14 billion of that figure,
including nearly $880 million in damages from severe storms and
flooding. The figures represent a significant shift from
previous years, when drought and wildfires were California’s
biggest challenges. Since then, atmospheric rivers, Tropical
Storm Hilary and other weather events battered our farming
communities. - Written by Matthew Viohl, director of federal
policy for the California Farm Bureau
Water, the essence of life, is an indispensable resource
intricately woven into the fabric of our daily existence. From
the food on our plates to the gadgets in our hands, water
silently plays a pivotal role in the creation of almost
everything we encounter. In a world where water scarcity is a
looming concern, it is essential to explore the profound impact
of water in the production of goods and services that shape our
lives as well as the food we feed our families. -Written by Mike Wade, executive director of the
California Farm Water Coalition
Explore the Sacramento River and its tributaries through a scenic landscape while learning about the issues associated with a key source for the state’s water supply.
All together, the river and its tributaries supply 35 percent of California’s water and feed into two major projects: the State Water Project and the federal Central Valley Project.
Water Education Foundation
2151 River Plaza Drive, Suite 205
Sacramento, CA 95833
The 3ʳᵈ International Conference, Toward Sustainable Groundwater in Agriculture: Linking Science & Policy took place from June 18 – 20. Organized by the Water Education Foundation and the UC Davis Robert M. Hagan Endowed Chair, the conference provided scientists, policymakers, agricultural and environmental interest group representatives, government officials and consultants with the latest scientific, management, legal and policy advances for sustaining our groundwater resources in agricultural regions around the world.
The conference keynote address was provided by Mark Arax, an award-winning journalist and author of books chronicling agriculture and water issues in California’s Central Valley. Arax comes from a family of Central Valley farmers and is praised for writing books that are deeply profound, heartfelt and nuanced including The Dreamt Land, West of the West and The King of California. He did a reading from his latest book The Dreamt Land and commented on the future of groundwater in the Valley during his keynote lunch talk on June 18.
Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport
1333 Bayshore Hwy
Burlingame, CA 94010
This tour explored the lower Colorado River firsthand where virtually every drop of the river is allocated, yet demand is growing from myriad sources — increasing population, declining habitat, drought and climate change.
The 1,450-mile river is a lifeline to some 40 million people in the Southwest across seven states, 30 tribal nations and Mexico. How the Lower Basin states – Arizona, California and Nevada – use and manage this water to meet agricultural, urban, environmental and industrial needs was the focus of this tour.
Hilton Garden Inn Las Vegas Strip South
7830 S Las Vegas Blvd
Las Vegas, NV 89123
This special Foundation water tour journeyed along the Eastern Sierra from the Truckee River to Mono Lake, through the Owens Valley and into the Mojave Desert to explore a major source of water for Southern California, this year’s snowpack and challenges for towns, farms and the environment.
This tour explored the Sacramento River and its tributaries through a scenic landscape while learning about the issues associated with a key source for the state’s water supply.
All together, the river and its tributaries supply 35 percent of California’s water and feed into two major projects: the State Water Project and the federal Central Valley Project.
Water Education Foundation
2151 River Plaza Drive, Suite 205
Sacramento, CA 95833
This tour explored the Sacramento River and its tributaries
through a scenic landscape while learning about the issues
associated with a key source for the state’s water supply.
All together, the river and its tributaries supply 35 percent of
California’s water and feed into two major projects: the State
Water Project and the federal Central Valley Project.
Water Education Foundation
2151 River Plaza Drive, Suite 205
Sacramento, CA 95833
This tour traveled along the San Joaquin River to learn firsthand
about one of the nation’s largest and most expensive river
restoration projects.
The San Joaquin River was the focus of one of the most
contentious legal battles in California water history,
ending in a 2006 settlement between the federal government,
Friant Water Users Authority and a coalition of environmental
groups.
Hampton Inn & Suites Fresno
327 E Fir Ave
Fresno, CA 93720
This tour explored the lower Colorado River firsthand where virtually every drop of the river is allocated, yet demand is growing from myriad sources — increasing population, declining habitat, drought and climate change.
The 1,450-mile river is a lifeline to some 40 million people in the Southwest across seven states, 30 tribal nations and Mexico. How the Lower Basin states – Arizona, California and Nevada – use and manage this water to meet agricultural, urban, environmental and industrial needs was the focus of this tour.
Hyatt Place Las Vegas At Silverton Village
8380 Dean Martin Drive
Las Vegas, NV 89139
This tour ventured through California’s Central Valley, known as the nation’s breadbasket thanks to an imported supply of surface water and local groundwater. Covering about 20,000 square miles through the heart of the state, the valley provides 25 percent of the nation’s food, including 40 percent of all fruits, nuts and vegetables consumed throughout the country.
The lower Colorado River has virtually every drop allocated, yet demand is growing from myriad sources — increasing population, declining habitat, drought and climate change.
The 1,450-mile river is a lifeline to 40 million people in the Southwest across seven states, 30 tribal nations and Mexico. How the Lower Basin states – Arizona, California and Nevada – use and manage this water to meet agricultural, urban, environmental and industrial needs was the focus of this tour.
Hyatt Place Las Vegas At Silverton Village
8380 Dean Martin Drive
Las Vegas, NV 89139
This tour guided participants on a virtual exploration of the Sacramento River and its tributaries and learn about the issues associated with a key source for the state’s water supply.
All together, the river and its tributaries supply 35 percent of California’s water and feed into two major projects: the State Water Project and the federal Central Valley Project.
This tour guided participants on a virtual journey deep into California’s most crucial water and ecological resource – the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The 720,000-acre network of islands and canals support the state’s two major water systems – the State Water Project and the Central Valley Project. The Delta and the connecting San Francisco Bay form the largest freshwater tidal estuary of its kind on the West coast.
This event explored the lower Colorado River where virtually every drop of the river is allocated, yet demand is growing from myriad sources — increasing population, declining habitat, drought and climate change.
The 1,450-mile river is a lifeline to 40 million people in the Southwest across seven states and Mexico. How the Lower Basin states – Arizona, California and Nevada – use and manage this water to meet agricultural, urban, environmental and industrial needs was the focus of this tour.
This tour explored the lower Colorado River where virtually every drop of the river is allocated, yet demand is growing from myriad sources — increasing population, declining habitat, drought and climate change.
The 1,450-mile river is a lifeline to 40 million people in the Southwest across seven states and Mexico. How the Lower Basin states – Arizona, California and Nevada – use and manage this water to meet agricultural, urban, environmental and industrial needs is the focus of this tour.
Silverton Hotel
3333 Blue Diamond Road
Las Vegas, NV 89139
This 2-day, 1-night tour offered participants the opportunity to
learn about water issues affecting California’s scenic Central
Coast and efforts to solve some of the challenges of a region
struggling to be sustainable with limited local supplies that
have potential applications statewide.
This tour explored the Sacramento River and its tributaries
through a scenic landscape as participants learned about the
issues associated with a key source for the state’s water supply.
All together, the river and its tributaries supply 35 percent of
California’s water and feed into two major projects: the State
Water Project and the federal Central Valley Project. Tour
participants got an on-site update of Oroville Dam spillway
repairs.
We explored the lower Colorado River where virtually every drop
of the river is allocated, yet demand is growing from myriad
sources — increasing population, declining habitat, drought and
climate change.
The 1,450-mile river is a lifeline to 40 million people in
the Southwest across seven states and Mexico. How the Lower Basin
states – Arizona, California and Nevada – use and manage this
water to meet agricultural, urban, environmental and industrial
needs was the focus of this tour.
Hampton Inn Tropicana
4975 Dean Martin Drive, Las Vegas, NV 89118
This three-day, two-night tour explored the lower Colorado River
where virtually every drop of the river is allocated, yet demand
is growing from myriad sources — increasing population,
declining habitat, drought and climate change.
The 1,450-mile river is a lifeline to 40 million people in
the Southwest across seven states and Mexico. How the Lower Basin
states – Arizona, California and Nevada – use and manage this
water to meet agricultural, urban, environmental and industrial
needs is the focus of this tour.
Best Western McCarran Inn
4970 Paradise Road
Las Vegas, NV 89119
This tour explored the Sacramento River and its tributaries
through a scenic landscape as participants learned about the
issues associated with a key source for the state’s water supply.
All together, the river and its tributaries supply 35 percent of
California’s water and feed into two major projects: the State
Water Project and the federal Central Valley Project. Tour
participants got an on-site update of repair efforts on the
Oroville Dam spillway.
Participants of this tour snaked along the San Joaquin River to
learn firsthand about one of the nation’s largest and most
expensive river restoration projects.
The San Joaquin River was the focus of one of the most
contentious legal battles in California water history,
ending in a 2006 settlement between the federal government,
Friant Water Users Authority and a coalition of environmental
groups.
Groundwater replenishment happens
through direct recharge and in-lieu recharge. Water used for
direct recharge most often comes from flood flows, water
conservation, recycled water, desalination and water
transfers.
Water is expensive – and securing enough money to ensure
reliability and efficiency of the state’s water systems and
ecosystems is a constant challenge.
In 2014, California voters approved Proposition 1, authorizing a
$7.5 billion bond to fund water projects throughout the state.
This included investments in water storage, watershed protection
and restoration, groundwater sustainability and drinking water
protection.
California agriculture is going to have to learn to live with the
impacts of climate change and work toward reducing its
contributions of greenhouse gas emissions, a Yolo County walnut
grower said at the Jan. 26 California Climate Change Symposium in
Sacramento.
“I don’t believe we are going to be able to adapt our way out of
climate change,” said Russ Lester, co-owner of Dixon Ridge Farms
in Winters. “We need to mitigate for it. It won’t solve the
problem but it can slow it down.”
From the Greek “xeros” and Middle Dutch “scap,”
xeriscape was coined
in 1978 and literally translates to “dry scene.”
Xeriscaping, by extension, is making an environment which can
tolerate dryness. This involves installing drought-resistant and
slow-growing plants to reduce water use.
Irrigation is the artificial supply
of water to grow crops or plants. Obtained from either surface or groundwater, it optimizes
agricultural production when the amount of rain and where it
falls is insufficient. Different irrigation
systems are not necessarily mutually exclusive, but in
practical use are often combined. Much of the agriculture in
California and the West relies on irrigation.
Excess salinity poses a growing
threat to food production, drinking water quality and public
health. Salts increase the cost of urban drinking water and
wastewater treatment, which are paid for by residents and
businesses. Increasing salinity is likely the largest long-term
chronic water quality impairment to surface and groundwater in California’s Central
Valley.
California’s severe drought has put its water rights system under
scrutiny, raising the question whether a complete overhaul is
necessary to better allocate water use.
(Read the excerpt below from the July/August 2015 issue along
with the editor’s note. Click here
to subscribe to Western Water and get full access.)
Introduction
California’s severe drought has put its water rights system under
scrutiny, raising the question whether a complete overhaul is
necessary to better allocate water use.
This issue looks at remote sensing applications and how satellite
information enables analysts to get a better understanding of
snowpack, how much water a plant actually uses, groundwater
levels, levee stability and more.
This 3-day, 2-night tour, which we do every spring,
travels the length of the San Joaquin Valley, giving participants
a clear understanding of the State Water Project and Central
Valley Project.
Located just north of Fresno, the
Friant Dam helps deliver water as it runs towards the Merced River, though its
environmental impacts have caused controversy.
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.
This Western Water looks at proposed new measures to deal with
the century-old problem of salinity with a special focus on San
Joaquin Valley farms and cities.
The Reclamation Act of 1902, which could arguably be described as
a progression of the credo, Manifest Destiny, transformed the
West. This issue of Western Water provides a glimpse of the past
100 years of the Reclamation Act, from the early visionaries who
sought to turn the arid West into productive farmland, to the
modern day task of providing a limited amount of water to homes,
farms and the environment. Included are discussions of various
Bureau projects and what the next century may bring in terms of
challenges and success.
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.
A new look for our most popular product! And it’s the perfect
gift for the water wonk in your life.
Our 24×36-inch California Water Map is widely known for being the
definitive poster that shows the integral role water plays in the
state. On this updated version, it is easier to see California’s
natural waterways and man-made reservoirs and aqueducts
– including federally, state and locally funded
projects – the wild and scenic rivers system, and
natural lakes. The map features beautiful photos of
California’s natural environment, rivers, water projects,
wildlife, and urban and agricultural uses and the
text focuses on key issues: water supply, water use, water
projects, the Delta, wild and scenic rivers and the Colorado
River.
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.
This beautiful 24×36-inch poster, suitable for framing, displays
the rivers, lakes and reservoirs, irrigated farmland, urban areas
and Indian reservations within the Klamath River Watershed. The
map text explains the many issues facing this vast,
15,000-square-mile watershed, including fish restoration;
agricultural water use; and wetlands. Also included are
descriptions of the separate, but linked, Klamath Basin
Restoration Agreement and the Klamath Hydroelectric Agreement,
and the next steps associated with those agreements. Development
of the map was funded by a grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service.
This beautiful 24×36-inch poster, suitable for framing, displays
the rivers, lakes and reservoirs, irrigated farmland, urban areas
and Indian reservations within the Truckee River Basin, including
the Newlands Project, Pyramid Lake and Lake Tahoe. Map text
explains the issues surrounding the use of the Truckee-Carson
rivers, Lake Tahoe water quality improvement efforts, fishery
restoration and the effort to reach compromise solutions to many
of these issues.
This 24×36 inch poster, suitable for framing, illustrates the
water resources available for Nevada cities, agriculture and the
environment. It features natural and manmade water resources
throughout the state, including the Truckee and Carson rivers,
Lake Tahoe, Pyramid Lake and the course of the Colorado River
that forms the state’s eastern boundary.
Water as a renewable resource is depicted in this 18×24 inch
poster. Water is renewed again and again by the natural
hydrologic cycle where water evaporates, transpires from plants,
rises to form clouds, and returns to the earth as precipitation.
Excellent for elementary school classroom use.
With irrigation projects that import water, farmers have
transformed millions of acres of land into highly productive
fields and orchards. But the dry climate that provides an almost
year-round farming season can hasten salt build up in soils. The
build-up of salts in poorly drained soils can decrease crop
productivity, and there are links between drainage water from
irrigated fields and harmful impacts on fish and wildlife.
The 24-page Layperson’s Guide to the Central Valley Project
explores the history and development of the federal Central
Valley Project (CVP), California’s largest surface water delivery
system. In addition to the project’s history, the guide describes
the various CVP facilities, CVP operations, the benefits the CVP
brought to the state and the CVP Improvement Act (CVPIA).
The 24-page Layperson’s Guide to the State Water Project provides
an overview of the California-funded and constructed State Water
Project.
The State Water Project is best known for the 444-mile-long
aqueduct that provides water from the Delta to San Joaquin Valley
agriculture and southern California cities. The guide contains
information about the project’s history and facilities.
The 28-page Layperson’s Guide to Groundwater is an in-depth,
easy-to-understand publication that provides background and
perspective on groundwater. The guide explains what groundwater
is – not an underground network of rivers and lakes! – and the
history of its use in California.
The 28-page Layperson’s Guide to Water Rights Law, recognized as
the most thorough explanation of California water rights law
available to non-lawyers, traces the authority for water flowing
in a stream or reservoir, from a faucet or into an irrigation
ditch through the complex web of California water rights.
The 20-page Layperson’s Guide to Water Marketing provides
background information on water rights, types of transfers and
critical policy issues surrounding this topic. First published in
1996, the 2005 version offers expanded information on
groundwater banking and conjunctive use, Colorado River
transfers and the role of private companies in California’s
developing water market.
Order in bulk (25 or more copies of the same guide) for a reduced
fee. Contact the Foundation, 916-444-6240, for details.
The Water Education Foundation’s second edition of
the Layperson’s Guide to The Klamath River Basin is
hot off the press and available for purchase.
Updated and redesigned, the easy-to-read overview covers the
history of the region’s tribal, agricultural and environmental
relationships with one of the West’s largest rivers — and a
vast watershed that hosts one of the nation’s oldest and
largest reclamation projects.
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.
Land retirement is a practice that takes agricultural lands out
of production due to poor drainage and soils containing high
levels of salt and selenium (a mineral found in soil).
Typically, landowners are paid to retire land. The purchaser,
often a local water district, then places a deed restriction on
the land to prevent growing crops with irrigation water (a source
of salt). Growers in some cases may continue to farm using rain
water, a method known as dry farming.
Evaporation ponds contain agricultural drainage water and are
used when agricultural growers do not have access to rivers for
drainage disposal.
Drainage water is the only source of water in many of these
ponds, resulting in extremely high concentrations of salts.
Concentrations of other trace elements such as selenium are also
elevated in evaporation basins, with a wide degree of variability
among basins.
Such ponds resemble wetland areas that birds use for nesting and
feeding grounds and may pose risks to waterfowl and shorebirds.
The Coachella Valley in Southern California’s Inland Empire is
one of several valleys throughout the state with a water district
established to support agriculture.
Like the others, the Coachella Valley Water District in Riverside
County delivers water to arid agricultural lands and constructs,
operates and maintains a regional agricultural drainage system.
These systems collect drainage water from individual farm drain
outlets and convey the water to a point of reuse, disposal or
dilution.
