By Robert Johnson, Dan Keppen and Tim Quinn
A flurry of misinformation has generated confusion about western water use in the weeks following California Governor Brown’s drought restrictions. Some of it pits urban water use against the water used by agricultural producers. Our organizations -which collectively represent farmers, ranchers, and major Western urban water districts in California and the other 16 Western states – are here to tell you we all need to stand together.
Water is a cornerstone of our society and a building block for life just as food is. The U.S. is responsible for approximately 20 percent of the world’s food exports by volume. For the 17 states in the Western U.S. in 2013, the annual total economic benefits derived from agricultural production and related services, including food processing, are estimated to be about $172 billion. Further, our economy depends on an affordable high-quality food supply for which we spend, on average, 7 percent of our income – the lowest of any country in the world. This leaves much more disposable income available for other needs and wants which also fuel our economy.
This small investment in food for our families is made possible because farmers and ranchers, just like urban water agencies, have made significant changes in water use practices and investments in technological water efficiency tools. While some say growing crops in the arid West is not “sustainable,” available land, work force and access to transportation have proven this region to be a prosperous agricultural and economic engine.
California agriculture ranks at the top of our national and international food supply chain, growing many of our most precious food commodities. Because of long-term investments over more than half a century, California joins other Western states in contributing to a safe domestic, not imported, food supply.
As a nation, we use less water today than we did 35 years ago. But our population has grown, particularly in the West. That growing water demand coupled with multi-year drought has made the West a thirstier place, forcing us to take a very hard look at where our water goes.
For decades, farmers have been accused of consuming 80 percent of water supplies in California and other parts of the West. But if we look at the “water footprint” in the same way as we have come to talk about the “carbon footprint,” we get a different picture, particularly in California.
In this current “spotlight” state where water use restrictions are high profile these days, the California Department of Water Resources provided this breakdown: 10 percent urban use; 41 percent agricultural use and a majority of 49 percent use for environmental management: wetlands, Delta outflow, wild and scenic designations and instream flow requirements.
While agricultural production is a significant consumer of water, it is far from the only industry which requires water to produce a product. Let’s remember that most of our power requires water to produce it. Think about a 2gram computer chip taking 8 gallons of water to produce, or a t-shirt made of cotton taking 700 gallons of water to make.
We use water every day in ways people do not realize. Addressing current and future water supply management is a major responsibility we all share. Responsible and sustainable solutions require collaboration, creativity, flexibility and respect for the needs of diverse water uses.
For example, – as has been the case for much of the past two decades – junior water right holders in Southern California are working within the existing water rights systems to purchase water temporarily transferred from senior water right holders (mostly from agriculture) in other areas of California. In very dry years, these transfers provide one tool that can help slake the thirst of city dwellers while compensating farmers to forego using water.
California and the West need to manage water as if every year is a drought year. We need to invest in storage facilities to capture water in wet years, we need to look to innovative technology to enhance supplies and delivery, and we need to get the very most benefit from the water we have available. The ability to measure, assess and show value for how that water is used is incumbent on every water manager–environmental, urban and agricultural.
Only together can we in California and the West plan and prepare for our collective future. If we don’t we only ensure that the next drought will be worse than this one.
Robert Johnson is Executive Vice-President of the National Water Resources Association, a nonpartisan, nonprofit federation which represents a diverse group of agricultural and municipal water users and water providers from throughout the American West and portions of the Southern United States.
Dan Keppen is Executive Director of the Family Farm Alliance, a non-profit grassroots organization representing family farms, ranches, water purveyors and allied industries in the 17 Western states.
Tim Quinn is Executive Director of the Association of California Water Agencies, the largest statewide coalition of public water agencies in the country, which collectively are responsible for 90% of the water delivered to cities, farms and businesses in California.