Editorial: Big Ag should be part of water equation
Publisher’s note: This editorial is from the April 4, 2015, Sacramento Bee.
As the rest of California comes to grips with the state’s historic new water mandates, there’s an elephant in the room. And it’s wearing a farmer’s hat.
Gov. Jerry Brown’s order for a 25 percent cut in water consumption homed in hard on towns and cities. From now into an uncertain future, the nice voluntary things many of us have been doing – the drought-tolerant flowerbeds, the slightly shorter showers – are going to have to be just the beginning of a much more water-conscious lifestyle.
Heaven knows, it is long past time for homeowners here to wake up and smell the Dust Bowl. But with groundwater tables shrinking and the Sierra snowpack fading toward zero, with new rules that are going to cramp everyone from cemetery owners to car washers, even those of us who have already taken a hit are rethinking old habits.
So why isn’t more being asked of the constituency that uses 80 percent of the state’s developed water?
What about agriculture?
“The governor’s executive order last week offered a good start, requiring local agencies to pick up the pace on reporting and monitoring groundwater elevations, and threatening state action if they don’t comply by year end.”
Supposedly 80% of water in California is used in agriculture.
“And as many as 40 percent of the state’s farmers, by some estimates, still use flood irrigation. Getting more drip irrigation in place, quickly, would be a huge opportunity to conserve.”
Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/editorials/article17360846.html#storylink=cpy
Agriculture accounts for some 80% of water use in the state yet it is only 2% of the states GDP. Something’s got to give.
The old goat speaks. Did he pull 25% out of his A$$? And yes, why are the biggest consumers not included?! OHHH, that’s right, they are in his back pocket. Typical corruption.
I will conserve some but my lawn will be green. The idea of him telling us to take out our lawns is criminal. Let’s see his lawn go first!!
Now that I’ve moved from Tahoe into the Sacramento valley and view the groves of almonds, walnuts, peaches, prunes, and fields of rice, grapes, tomatoes, strawberries, foods that you and I enjoy year round, in peril due to water shortage, my perspective has changed. I acknowledge it’s time to ask the motels and private homeowners to think twice about filling their swimming pools, and yes, cutting back on their sweeping lawns. It’s not a time for luxury but careful planning for the benefit of all.
Atomic-
I believe you need to recheck agriculture’s aliquot of the Calif GDP.
2 percent??????
Just in case my last post is not understood completely,
it is true that 2 percent is the ag portion of the CA domestic state economy…but that 2 percent is a sales number. It does not include support activity which have their won segments reported.
If this 2 percent number falls due to drought or any condition really, it affects over 400,000 jobs directly connected to farming, but also cascades into more jobs in transportation, utilities, manufacturing and many other reported economic sectors. The States tax revenue will plummet with any drop in ag production.
California is the WORLD’s 8th largest economy, and much of this is due to agriculture and the myriad other support activities required.
Let’s all starve to death because we cut back too much ag water. You can already see many farms along I-5 that didn’t have enough water to make it. Cutting back more would be a huge mistake.
“our state produces a sizable majority of American fruits, vegetables and nuts; 99 percent of walnuts, 97 percent of kiwis, 97 percent of plums, 95 percent of celery, 95 percent of garlic, 89 percent of cauliflower, 71 percent of spinach, and 69 percent of carrots and the list goes on and on.”
“http://westernfarmpress.com/tree-nuts/what-happens-if-us-loses-california-food-production”
I think it would be a bad idea to make life hard for the guys who feed your face. California produces about 90% of the nations produce. You do the math.
Greengrass, I agree with you 110%! Food on my plate is much more important to me than a lawn in my yard.
No mention of the millions of acre feet of water dumped from the Sac River into the ocean each year, for the minnows. We have one of the greatest water management systems in the world, resulting in America’s salad bowl, breadbasket, whatever it used to be. Unfortunately, those at the helm only seem to best know how to work the drain.
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As of today, once the workers left, I now have an insulated floor under the house, double
pane glass in the bedrooms and bathrooms, water heater blanket, pipe wrap, low flow shower heads, weather sstrippng on two doors and there is SO much more they did!
Did’nt have any extra cost as the price of material and the wages for the wokers are already added into everybodys bill.
Thank you Liberty Utilities and Project Go. OLS