(September 23, 2008) A recent study released by Oakland’s Pacific Institute says that before California takes on new dam and reservoir projects, state and federal policymakers need to build on existing methods for reducing agricultural water use.
The report, titled “More with Less: Agricultural Water Conservation and Efficiency in California — A Focus on the Delta,” stresses that independent of a decision to change how water is taken from the Delta, it is possible and indeed preferable, to take less water and improve the Delta’s environmental and economic conditions.
The Pacific Institute did not address the question of how water is withdrawn from the Delta, i.e., whether a peripheral canal, “dual conveyance system,” continued pumping or no pumping from the south Delta is best. Instead the report emphasizes that no decision about new or modified infrastructure should be made without evaluating how much water can be saved by shifting agricultural crops, re-examining water rights laws and eliminating programs that encourage inefficient water usage.
Efficient Irrigation
According to the report, about a quarter of the state’s water-intensive crops like rice, cotton, corn, wheat and alfalfa should give way to fruits, vegetables, tree crops and row crops like tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers and melons, which can be irrigated more selectively.
The study recommends that the state develop a more rational water rights system aimed at cutting waste. Under current law, users with the earliest water rights have the highest priority for receiving water. But with the dire situation in the Delta, a record-breaking dry spell and some communities under mandatory restrictions, the report recommends that it may be time to re-evaluate how and to whom the water is allocated.
The report recommends a series of changes to financial incentives, regulations and education to improve the efficiency of water use on the farms that take water upstream of the Delta, in the Delta and from pumps that draw water out of the Delta.
The study is part of a large report to be released by the research group next year and was funded by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
CalChamber Position
The CalChamber believes a variety of strategies will be needed to resolve California’s chronic water shortages. The Pacific Institute report doesn’t offer any realistic opportunities to improve the water situation. It shows a lack of understanding about how one industry, agriculture, operates. Mandatory shifts in cropping patterns ignores the reality that the marketplace, in combination with water, soil and climate, dictates which kinds of crops are grown. In order to provide an adequate and reliable source of water for Californians, the state must invest in new infrastructure and conveyance, and pursue increased recycling, reuse and water use efficiencies. No one strategy alone will resolve the water crisis.
Staff Contact: Valerie Nera