Water ManagementWater ManagementNational Grain Trade CouncilNational Grain Trade Council

New Orleans, LANew Orleans, LASeptember 24, 2004September 24, 2004

Dennis K, Carman, P.E.Dennis K, Carman, P.E.

USDA NRCSUSDA NRCS

National Water Management CenterNational Water Management Center

WaterWaterImpacts on Your IndustryImpacts on Your Industry

Is the water supply sufficient to maintain our current Is the water supply sufficient to maintain our current activities?activities?What if there is growth?What if there is growth?What are potential issues on the horizon for water What are potential issues on the horizon for water rights?rights?How will irrigation practices be impacted?How will irrigation practices be impacted?Will water transportation continue to be a dependable Will water transportation continue to be a dependable form of transportation for agriculture commodities?form of transportation for agriculture commodities?How is US water situation over the next 10-15 years How is US water situation over the next 10-15 years affected by the practices in Canada/Mexico and vice-affected by the practices in Canada/Mexico and vice-versa?versa?

Water Resources 101Water Resources 101

Let’s look at:Let’s look at:– Rainfall and populationRainfall and population– Where we use waterWhere we use water– For what purposesFor what purposes– What are the issues What are the issues (where do we have conflict?)(where do we have conflict?)

– Grain – Where is it producedGrain – Where is it produced

We will also take a quick “global water look” as We will also take a quick “global water look” as some of the same relationshipssome of the same relationships

Rainfall DistributionRainfall Distribution

People locate where there is water•Impacts the demand•Competition for water

•Industrial•Agriculture•Environmental

Trends in U.S. Water Use

Water Resource IssuesWater Resource Issues

Are we running out of Are we running out of water?water?– No …..howeverNo …..however

Your view depends onYour view depends on– Where you are locatedWhere you are located– What are your interestsWhat are your interests– What is your purposeWhat is your purpose– When you ask the When you ask the

questionquestion

•Globally our water balance is static•We have no more or no less water today than during the dinosaur age

We do have significant regional and local issues

Let’s look a little closer at your Let’s look a little closer at your portion of the agriculture businessportion of the agriculture business

Irrigated acresIrrigated acres

Where there are significant water quantity Where there are significant water quantity “issues”“issues”

What changes are taking placeWhat changes are taking place

How does this impact your business?How does this impact your business?

Regional Issue: California Regional Issue: California Imperial Valley Irrigation District (IID) and San Diego County Imperial Valley Irrigation District (IID) and San Diego County

Water Authority Water Transfer AgreementWater Authority Water Transfer Agreement

How will the water transfer agreement between IID and San Diego work?IID would conserve water through on-farm or system projects and then transfer that conserved water to the San Diego County Water Authority. Under California State law, IID may conserve and transfer water without the losing their present perfected water rights.

How much water does this transfer involve?Twenty thousand acre-feet of conserved water would be transferred in the first year of the contract. Deliveries would then increase in 20,000 acre-foot increments until a maximum of 200,000 acre-feet is reached in year ten of the contract.

Regional IssueRegional IssueOgallala AquiferOgallala Aquifer

Regional IssueRegional IssueGeorgia/Florida/AlabamaGeorgia/Florida/Alabama

Florida to take Georgia, Alabama to court over water rights

September 2003U.S. Water News Online

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- After failing to reach a water-sharing agreement with Alabama and Georgia, Florida said it will ask the courts to decide how much water each state should receive from the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin.

The issue concerns the water needs of metropolitan Atlanta, farms in southwest Georgia and the oyster-rich Apalachicola Bay in Florida, which supplies 90 percent of Florida's oysters and 10 percent of the nation's.

The three states' governors had approved the tentative agreement in July, setting a recent deadline for a final plan. Instead of extending the deadline, Florida decided it would leave the water-sharing decision to federal courts and the U.S. Supreme Court. The states have debated for five years on how to solve the water-sharing issue.

Regional IssueRegional IssueLower Mississippi Delta Groundwater DeclineLower Mississippi Delta Groundwater Decline

With this as a background let’s With this as a background let’s revisit the original questionsrevisit the original questions

Is water supply sufficient to maintain our current activities?Is water supply sufficient to maintain our current activities?What if there is growth?What if there is growth?What are potential issues on the horizon for water rights?What are potential issues on the horizon for water rights?How will irrigation practices be impacted?How will irrigation practices be impacted?Will water transportation continue to be a dependable form Will water transportation continue to be a dependable form of transportation for agriculture commodities?of transportation for agriculture commodities?How is US water situation over the next 10-15 years How is US water situation over the next 10-15 years affected by the practices in Canada/Mexico and vice-versa?affected by the practices in Canada/Mexico and vice-versa?

Is water supply sufficient to maintain our Is water supply sufficient to maintain our current activities?current activities?

Yes ….but not without changes

And…certain areas or industrieswill be impacted more than others

What Changes?What Changes?

Increasing crop output per unit of evaporated water

Reducing losses of usable water to sinks

Reducing water pollution

Reallocating water from lower valued to higher valued uses

Some water development

Environmental balance

Many of these changes are already underway

43 million acres of agricultural land were irrigated in the West. These lands produced 72 percent of crop sales on only 27 percent of the total harvested crop acreage

High-valued orchards, berries, vegetables, and nursery crops account for almost 60 percent of the West’s total value of sales from irrigated crops on just 15 percent of the land irrigated

Field and forage crops account for the remaining 40 percent of sales, but occupy 71 percent of the irrigated area.