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).
Today, during the 2022 White House Tribal Nations Summit, U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael S.
Regan announced a proposal to revise the federal water quality
standards regulations to better protect Tribal rights under the
Clean Water Act (CWA). With this action, EPA is working to
ensure that state and federal water quality standards will
protect tribal rights such as the right to fish or gather
aquatic plants—that are reserved through treaties, statutes,
executive orders, or other sources of federal law.
California’s newest infrastructure project will hit two
proverbial climate birds with one stone. And Los Angeles city
officials just decided last week to try one of its own. The
plan is to cover some of California’s exposed water canals with
solar panels. It will prevent evaporation amidst the state’s
historic drought. It will also create renewable energy as the
state attempts to meet lofty decarbonization goals. The idea
gained traction in California after researchers at UC Merced
studied the possibility on the state’s canals last year.
“If we put solar panels over all 4000 miles of California’s
open canals, we estimated we could save 65 billion gallons of
water annually,” says Brandi McKuin, who led the study. “That’s
enough for the residential water needs of 2 million people –
enough to irrigate 50,000 acres of farmland.”
When the government declared an official “shortage” on the
river last year, an unprecedented step, it triggered major
water cuts in the central Arizona county. And those cuts have
caused some farmers in Pinal County to look for more
water-efficient crops, including Will Thelander, a third
generation farmer in Arizona, who is testing a crop called
guayule. Guayule, a desert-adapted shrub pronounced
“wy-oo-lee,” could be used for several products, most notably
as a natural rubber for tires. And it requires only about half
the water of cotton, alfalfa, and corn—the more water-intensive
crops Thelander typically grows. … Native to the
Chihuahuan Desert, it requires less water than many other
crops, for one. And after it’s established, it doesn’t require
any insecticides or tilling, limiting use of the chemicals and
supporting carbon storage.
Balancing the state’s groundwater supplies for a sustainable
future may not be easy due to severe drought and ongoing
economic challenges facing farmers. “We’ve got the lowest
prices and highest production costs and the least-reliable
water supply that we’ve had since I’ve been farming,” said Bill
Diedrich of Firebaugh, who farms row crops and permanent crops
on the west side in Madera and Fresno counties…. Diedrich,
who relies on groundwater for irrigating farmland in Madera
County and surface water for ground in Fresno County, said
farming at this time “is very difficult.” He said the 2014
Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, which tasks local
agencies to balance groundwater supplies in affected basins by
2040 and 2042, means farmland must come out of production.
The effects of climate change are already “far-reaching and
worsening” throughout all regions in the United States
… The draft of the National Climate Assessment, the
government’s premier contribution to climate knowledge,
provides the most detailed look yet at the consequences of
global warming for the United States… As greenhouse gas
emissions rise and the planet heats up, the authors write, the
United States could face major disruptions to farms and
fisheries that drive up food prices, while millions of
Americans could be displaced by disasters such as severe
wildfires in California, sea-level rise in Florida or frequent
flooding in Texas.
As the summer of 2022 began, 90 percent of New Mexico was in a
severe drought. The largest wildfire in New Mexico’s history
raged in the northern part of the state. Snowpack melted weeks
early, leaving reservoirs throughout the Southwest running low.
In late May, the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District
(MRGCD), the authority that manages water for agriculture in
the Albuquerque Basin, announced that it would not be able to
guarantee farmers any water past June. The outlook for farmers
was dire. The conservation district had, over the previous two
years, piloted programs to pay some farmers and landowners to
stop farming and fallow their fields.
A court ruling on the proposed Del Puerto Reservoir is a minor
setback, a leader on the project said. The ruling involved
only the environmental effects of relocating Del Puerto Canyon
Road from the reservoir site, said Anthea Hansen, general
manager of the Del Puerto Water District. The plaintiffs also
had cited concerns about wildlife, recreation and excessive
pumping from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta…. Del Puerto is
partnering on the new reservoir with the four irrigation
districts that make up the San Joaquin River Exchange
Contractors Authority. They farm about 250,000 acres in a
stretch from Crows Landing to Mendota.
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.
