Family Farm Alliance - Water Reviews

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) on April 12, 2011 announced a 90-day finding for a petition filed by four environmental groups to list the Chinook salmon in the Upper Klamath and Trinity Rivers Basin (CALIFORNIA and OREGON) as threatened or endangered and designate critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). NMFS found that the petition presents “substantial scientific information indicating the petitioned actions may be warranted”. The agency will now conduct a status review of the Chinook salmon in the Upper Klamath and Trinity Rivers Basin to determine if the petitioned actions are warranted. Local water users fear that another ESA-listed fish will bring with it new pressures to send agricultural water downstream for the purported benefit of the fish. NMFS is now soliciting information pertaining to this species and its habitat from all interested parties. The Klamath Water Users Association (KWUA) is preparing a rebuttal to NMFS with supporting information and best available scientific and commercial data.

Click here to download and print the April "Water Review"

December 2010 Family Farm "Water Review"

Federal environmental laws like the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act and the National Environmental Policy Act present significant challenges to the generation of hydropower resources in the Colorado River Storage Project. Some cite these laws as justification to operate reservoirs to mimic pre-dam conditions at facilities like Glen Canyon Dam. Unfortunately, this undermines the purposes for which the reservoirs were constructed. The Colorado River Energy Distributors Association (CREDA) plays an important role in educating the public and policy makers about the need to carefully manage reservoir operations during years of good hydrology. In this way, federal agencies can accomplish environmental benefits without affecting the purposes for which Congress authorized the unique water and power resources of the Colorado River.

Download and print the December 2010 "Water Review"

November 2010 Family Farm "Water Review"

The Family Farm will join four other associations as partners in The Irrigation Association’s December 2010 Irrigation Show in Phoenix (ARIZONA). The Irrigation Association is the leading membership organization for irrigation companies and professionals. Joining the Alliance as show partners will be the American Society of Irrigation Consultants (ASIC), the Equipment Marketing and Distribution Association (EMDA), Western Growers Association (WGA), and Field to Market: The Keystone Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture. The only national trade show for irrigation industry professionals, the Irrigation Show features more than 300 exhibitors, more than 20 education classes, seven certification exams and networking opportunities for professionals from around the country.

Download and print the November 2010 "Water Review"

October 2010 Family Farm "Water Review"

Applegate Group, Inc. in partnership with Colorado State University has been awarded a grant from the Colorado Department of Agriculture to study the potential that Colorado’s irrigation canals hold to produce hydropower. Specifically, the study will investigate low head hydropower, with elevation drops of less than 30 feet. Emerging technologies are currently in development to make these low head sites economically viable. Innovative turbines that require very little change in elevation can be utilized by irrigation companies and ranchers to produce power in their canals and ditches and provide an additional revenue stream to the organization.

Download and print the October 2010 "Water Review"

September 2010 Family Farm "Water Review"

The Central Arizona Project (CAP) awaits a critical decision from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on emissions controls upgrades that may be mandated for the Navajo Generating Station (NGS), which provides the power needed for CAP irrigators to move and lift water. EPA is reviewing two options to meet the unique emissions standards associated with visibility in the Grand Canyon region. Each of these options carries significant costs. EPA selection of the second, much more costly alternative could actually drive existing surface water users to begin extracting limited groundwater resources.

Download and print the September 2010 "Water Review"

August 2010 Family Farm "Water Review"

Water users in Washington State are seeking assistance as they prepare to petition the Supreme Court on a contract issue that has tremendous importance to farmers receiving Bureau of Reclamation project water in other parts of the West.

Download and Print the August 2010 "Monthly Briefing"

May 2010 Family Farm "Water Review"

A layman's guide to California water law, written by Alliance director Sandy Denn, a rice farmer and lawyer from the Sacramento Valley.

Read & Download the May "Water Review"

April 2010 Family Farm "Water Review"

The Family Farm Alliance is compiling into a report a number of case studies that highlight real-word examples of water conservation, water transfers and markets, aging infrastructure problems, and watershed restoration / enhancement. The report is nearing completion and efforts are underway to dedicate funding for mass production of the 50-page document. The final publication will likely be completed in May.

Read & Download the April "Water Review"

March 2010 Family Farm "Water Review"

The Nebraska State Irrigation Association (NSIA) has initiated a significant new program that is intended to recruit and engage young business and agribusiness leaders throughout Nebraska. The Family Farm Alliance is working with NSIA to elevate awareness of the "Water Futures Partnership" within Nebraska, with hopes that similar efforts will spring up in other Western states.

Read & Download the March "Water Review"