A New Era for Irrigation (1996) / Chapter Skim
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5 THE IRRIGATION INDUSTRY: PATTERNS OF CHANGE AND RESPONSE
5 THE IRRIGATION INDUSTRY: PATTERNS OF CHANGE AND RESPONSE
Pages 125-168
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From page 125... ...
For example, while competition for water supplies and policies to protect environmental resources are issues affecting irrigation nationwide, the specifics of water supply problems and environmental restrictions are different in the Pacific Northwest than they are in the Texas High Plains. Policy reforms within the Bureau of Reclamation will have more significance for irrigators in the western states served by that institution than for irrigators in the southern and eastern United States.
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From page 126... ...
This chapter presents four case studies to illustrate patterns of change and response as actually observed today. These case studies demonstrate how differences in conditions of water supply, concerns over environmental protection, and economic forces bring about varied responses.
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From page 127... ...
Additional jurisdictional levels are added in multistate cases such as the Pacific Northwest, where interstate, federal, and tribal responsibilities are considerable and policy goals are sometimes in conflict. The Great Plains case represents something of an exception to this rule because interstate water management policies, for surface and ground water, are relatively undeveloped.
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From page 128... ...
The Ogallala covers 175,000 square miles (Zwingle, 1993~. It sustains 20 percent of the irrigated acreage and provides 30 percent of all irrigation water pumped within the United States (Kromm and White, 1992b)
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From page 130... ...
Adjustments are already well underway to reduce water consumption. The critical issue affecting the future of irrigation in this region is the timing and types of adjustments that can be made and the effects these adjustments will have on agricultural crop production, total irrigated acreage, future rates of ground water withdrawal, and rural development.
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From page 131... ...
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From page 132... ...
Ground water supplies will be the limiting factor in the development and distribution of irrigation for this region in the future. In 1978, some 12.9 million acres in the Great Plains region were irrigated with ground water.
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From page 133... ...
As ground water supplies continue to dwindle, particularly in the southern part of the Ogallala aquifer region, the transition to dryland will increase vulnerability to soil erosion from wind. The seriousness of wind erosion is shown by the 9 million acres enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)
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From page 134... ...
concluded that irrigated agriculture and confined livestock operations are the principal factors related to water quality problems across the Great Plains. Agricultural runoff is identified as the most extensive source of surface water quality degradation, accounting for about 60 to 80 percent of the water quality problems in the Great Plains.
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From page 135... ...
Improved farming systems also contribute to Ogallala water conservation. Minimum tillage, rotating a row crop such as cotton or sorghum with wheat or other small grains, and careful use of herbicides for weed control to reduce the number of implement trips across the fields can cut costs and maximize the use of pumped and natural water.
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From page 136... ...
Legal institutions can discourage conservation in Kansas, where farmers who do not use their allotted water for 3 years lose the right to it (Zwingle, 1993~. Without the appropriate incentives, technology also may encourage a greater use of limited ground water resources.
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From page 137... ...
The Texas High Plains Underground Water Conservation District No. 1, the Oklahoma Water Resources Board, and the Southwest Kansas Groundwater Management District No.
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From page 138... ...
Research results do not support the contention that state-supported low interest loans for farmers to purchase more efficient irrigation equipment will necessarily extend the life of the Ogallala (Lacewell et al., 1985~. Numerous institutions are constraining opportunities to manage Great Plains water resources effectively and to plan intelligently for the future.
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From page 139... ...
In 1992, farm receipts were valued at $18 billion; including multipliers, irrigated agriculture contributed $70 billion or approximately 10 percent to the state's economy (California Department of Water Resources, 1994~. Agriculture provides 365,000 farm employment jobs.
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From page 140... ...
Project construction continued through the 1950s and 1960s on the federal Central Valley Project and the State Water Project. By 1960 the total irrigated acreage in the state had increased from approximately 1 million acres in 1890 to 6.5 million acres.
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From page 141... ...
. Agriculture uses 80 percent of the developed surface water supplies in California and 75 percent of the ground water used in the state (California Department of Water Resources, 1994~.
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From page 142... ...
Irrigators and water districts, as well as urban users, have taken various steps over the past two decades to adjust to changing conditions of water supply and reliability in light of these factors, while negotiations, legislation, and litigation continue at the state, federal, and local levels to address the growing competition over developed water supplies. For instance, in 1994 agriculture, urban, and environmental interests,
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From page 143... ...
The need to consider environmental water requirements has heightened the level of controversy among competing water users. In the 1984 decision regarding the way the State Water Resources Control Board set water quality standards in the delta, Appellate Court Judge Racanelli wrote that the state has broad authorities and obligations to enforce water quality objectives and water rights permits and conditions to protect the beneficial uses of the Sacramento-San Joaquin delta and San Francisco Bay (California Department of Water Resources, 1994~.
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From page 144... ...
These include new EPA water quality standards, measures proposed by the National Marine Fisheries Service and the Fish and Wildlife Service to protect endangered species, and a plan for management of bureau (Central Valley Project) water dedicated to the environment.
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From page 145... ...
Demands for water in urban and environmental uses, coupled with demands for irrigation, exceed available supplies. In the face of these limited supplies, the total irrigated acreage in California is expected to remain at or below the current level of 9.2 million acres, decreasing to approximately 8.8 million acres by the year 2020 (California Department of Water Resources, 1994~.
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From page 146... ...
These localized ground water problems may lead to some decrease in the amount of land that can be irrigated in a particular region. Largely in response to recent droughts, urban and agricultural water districts are working on plans to formalize and institutionalize water conservation as a standard element of water management.
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From page 147... ...
Even assuming extensive water conservation and the implementation of a number of water supply improvements, including wastewater reclamation, the state anticipates that demands for water will exceed developed supplies by 2 to 4 million acre-feet per year (California Department of Water Resources, 1994~. This situation will tend to drive up the value of water, increase the prices that urban areas are willing to pay and increase the pressure on agriculture to transfer water.
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From page 148... ...
Increases in water pricing through legislative and policy reforms, such as the Central Valley Project Improvement Act, also may result in changes in cropping patterns and irrigation practices at the local level. Conclusion With increasing competition over water supplies, a likely increase in water transfer activity, rising water prices, and rising land prices and input costs, it appears that California's irrigators will have to continue to adjust and adapt
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From page 149... ...
Responses to the challenges of limited water supplies are evident within the agricultural community as well as in water management institutions and agencies. With uncertainties over environmental requirements and water supplies likely to continue, local institutions in California, particularly water districts, can be expected to assume greater responsibilities for water management and project operations.
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From page 150... ...
The December 1994 agreement among state and federal water resources and environment management agencies that provides a 3-year period of stability in bay-delta water operations while a longer-term plan is developed marks a new era of willingness of all parties to reach a satisfactory solution. The solution will include both water operation provisions and physical works for better water management.
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From page 151... ...
Characteristics of Irrigation in the Northwest In 1990 the Pacific Northwest had a total of 10 million acres of irrigated lands. Over 7 million acres are irrigated in the Columbia River basin alone.
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From page 152... ...
With increasing competition over water supplies, all four states have enacted policies for water conservation and protection of instream flows. Water banking, water leasing, cost-sharing programs, and other incentives are being promoted in the region to facilitate conservation, efficiency, and reallocation of water for other public benefits.
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From page 153... ...
Over the years, however, hydropower development has altered, degraded, and eliminated fish habitat in the Columbia and Snake rivers. The hydropower system is undergoing operational changes as a result of efforts to facilitate salmon recovery and has run into conflict with American Indian treaty rights.
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From page 155... ...
Of this total, 106 major stocks of native salmon and steelhead are now extinct, and another 102 are at high risk of extinction (American Fisheries Society, 1991~. The Northwest Power Planning Council, a regional organization, estimates that Columbia River basin salmon and steelhead runs ranged between 10 and 16 million wild fish prior to modern development.
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From page 156... ...
The adverse effects of irrigation include increased temperatures; increased erosion and sedimentation; reduced flows in spawning areas, especially in tributaries; blockage of fish migration; loss due to unscreened diversions; and degradation of water quality. To counter these negative influences, salmon recovery efforts are going forward, including studies of new reservoir sites, new reservoir drawdown strategies, fish hatchery operational changes, and water management opportunities such as water conservation, transfer, marketing, pricing, and conjunctive use of ground and surface water.
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From page 157... ...
Changes in reservoir operation, storage, and diversions are likely to be recommended. In addition, the Bonneville Power Administration, Corps of Engineers, and Bureau of Reclamation are jointly conducting a review of the operation of the 14 Columbia River system hydroprojects (Bonneville Power Administration et al., 1994~.
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From page 158... ...
This restrictive policy, coupled with an aggressive instream flow program, places most agricultural water users in the position of having to become more efficient with their existing water use. At the local level, watershed management and regional planning programs involving irrigation districts and individuals are working to improve water quality and quantity and to identify and carry out irrigation water management improvements on the ground.
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From page 159... ...
The irrigation water now taken from the Umatilla will be replaced by water pumped from the Lower Columbia River. Although there are cooperative efforts underway to recover fish populations, and some local successes, the enormous scope of the salmon recovery effort, traditional water management policies and politics, the inadequacy of the existing institutions, and the multitude of competing interests are major constraints.
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From page 160... ...
Following the droughts of the early 1960s, irrigated acreage jumped to over one million acres. By 1978 the irrigated area had climbed to over 2 million acres, only to drop by 400,000 acres because of freezes in the 1980s.
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From page 161... ...
. These agencies have the legal authority and financial capacity to manage water comprehensively through regulation of all water use and surface water management, setting criteria for water quality and wetland protection, and imposing conservation and water shortage management.
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From page 162... ...
is a leading concern of government agencies charged with the protection of the Everglades ecosystem. Even in areas where irrigation water supplies have not been limiting, concern over contaminants in runoff, especially nutrients, is leading to a reduction in farm acreage.
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From page 163... ...
This approach to solving the water quality problems of the Everglades has come with another significant cost. The years of expensive litigation have reduced the potential for collaborative efforts between the government, agriculture, and environmental groups.
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From page 164... ...
In Orlando, 23 million gallons per day of reclaimed water is now being distributed to citrus groves for irrigation. The water, which has to meet rigorous water quality standards, is being used on 21 grove sites through 29 miles of pressurized distribution lines.
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From page 165... ...
Sod production is expected to shift to sprinkler systems to increase irrigation efficiency. Conclusion Although national statistics on the importance of irrigation are dominated by western states, Florida is ranked tenth in total irrigated acreage (2.1 million acres)
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From page 166... ...
Littleton, Colo.: Water Resources Publication. Bonneville Power Administration.
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From page 167... ...
West Palm Beach, Fla.: Southwest Florida Water Management District. Moore, M
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From page 168... ...
12. Southwest Florida Water Management District.
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