Important Issues - Western Water

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The Growing Demand forWestern Water

Urbanization and competition for water supplies are driving Western farmers off the land at a time when American food production in general is following other industries “off-shore” in search of lower costs. Traditional farms and ranches are disappearing, and next year this country will become a net importer of food.

A Western drought that began in 1999 has continued after the respite of a couple of wet years that now feel like a cruel tease. But this time people in the driest states are not just scanning the skies and hoping for rescue. 

 Click here for the full April 4, 2007 New York Times story.

The West hasn't run out of water, but there's no longer enough for everyone who needs it. Urban growth and drought have boosted demand for water and crimped supply. Something has to give, and it's looking like the giver will be agriculture, as thirsty cities and suburbs increasingly buy up water rights to ranches, hay farms and other ag enterprises.

 Click here for the August 1, 2006 article that ran in BEEF magazine..

ARIZONA

A quarter of a century after Arizona lawmakers passed a historic law to regulate groundwater use in urban areas, those legislators' successors are preparing to take on the contentious issue again. Lawmakers this time are focusing on areas long regarded as rural but now increasingly strained by population growth, either right in their own back yards or because nearby urban areas are competing for scarce water amid stubborn drought conditions.

 Click here for the 4/3/07 Associated Press article by Paul Davenport.

 Click here for an Arizona Sun article: Will the Colorado River be tapped out?

Arizona's cities get their water from two sources, reservoirs behind dams on the state's rivers and aquifers that feed streams and springs that feed the rivers, and for more than 100 years, the state has considered rivers a resource to be parceled out, setting in motion a process that is drawing the life out of those rivers.

 Click here for the first in a series that appeared in the Arizona Republicon Aug. 6, 2006 .

The scenario sounds familiar: A city water district looks to a rural area for huge supplies of the resource, a move that raises an outcry from the rural residents who fear their wells will dry up.
But this case involves not Las Vegas and rural White Pine County, but the small city of Mesquite and rural communities just across the Arizona state line, about 10 miles away. A limited liability company registered in Arizona, but with offices in Mesquite, wants to export 14,000 acre-feet of water annually from Arizona to the fast-growing community in northeastern Clark County.

 Click here for the 10/1/06 Las Vegas Sun story.

CALIFORNIA

The future of water supplies in California can be described in one simple phrase: increasing scarcity. As population grows and demand increases, climate change is almost certain to reduce supplies. That will dramatically alter the landscape, in more ways than one.

 Click here for the entire Fresno Bee story from 4/4/07.

Family Farm Alliance Director Harvey Bailey was interviewed for this story, which appeared in the Monterey (CA) Herald on 9/5/05.

 Click here  for the full story.

In a unanimous vote, the Imperial Irrigation District Board of Directors declared its intent not to transfer another drop of water from the Imperial Valley.

 Click here for the 11/02/05 Imperial Valley Press article..

COLORADO

Alan Mazzotti says there have been six generations of Mazzottis that have farmed the lands of Colorado. He now fears there will not be a seventh. Check out the April 30, 2007 Channel 9 News (Denver) story by reporter Chris Vanderveen.  Read more ...

There won 't be a second crop on Steve Weigandt’s land this year. There isn 't enough water. Like hundreds of other South Platte Basin farmers in Adams, Weld and Morgan counties, Weigandt can pump only 15 percent of the water in the farm 's shallow well. That 's not enough to sustain 80 acres of beans, corn and alfalfa. Read the April 15, 2007 Denver Post story.   Read more ...

Colorado River water is over-allocated, and water managers project its stream flows will decline in coming years. Such are some of the challenges Colorado’s water users face, according to a panel of water experts from around the West who spoke at the Colorado River Water Conservation District’s annual seminar. Read the September 16, 2006 Grand Junction Sentinel (Colorado) article.

Colorado lost 2.5 million acres of agricultural land between 1987 and 2002, according to a March 2006 study by Environment Colorado. And farms will be especially pressured as Coloradans struggle for water over the next 25 years. By 2030, the state's current water resources will meet only 80 percent of its needs, according to the Statewide Water Supply Initiative, a 2004 study.

Whoever wins the Nov. 7 election will inherit this tricky problem. The two gubernatorial candidates share many of the same solutions, but they differ on how quickly they want to build new reservoirs.

 Click here for the full 9/ 3/06 Durango Herald story.

In a microcosm of what's going on throughout Colorado and the rest of the West, more than 11,000 acres of ranchland in Colorado's Roaring Fork Valley has been sold off to developers over the past year, shattering records and promising to give the area a more urban look.

Stop Here

Click here for the June 27, 2006 Aspen Times story.

The living river system that sustains the people of Colorado's Yampa Valley faces an uncertain future. Powerful water interests are focusing their gaze on the Yampa River. They are looking for ways to satisfy unmet demand for water — enough for the next 30 years. Click here for the 7/31/06 Steamboat Pilot & Today article.

Northern Colorado water users are having to adjust to changing demographics in their service area.

Click here for two stories that recently ran in the Rocky Mountain News.

About 1 million acres of irrigated farmland have dried up since hitting a high point in the 1970s, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service, with the majority of the loss occurring since 1997. The prolonged drought is partly to blame. But so are new laws reducing the use of irrigation wells and the sale of farm water to thirsty, fast-growing cities. Click here for the 7/29/06 Rocky Mountain News article, which includes quotes from Family Farm Alliance director Don Schwindt.

About 10 percent of irrigated Colorado farmland statewide is expected to disappear by 2030 as thirsty cities try to buy their water, according to a new state study.

Click here for the 8/31/05 AP Story.

Click here for the April 2006 Craig (CO) Daily Press story about a report outlining huge losses of Colorado ag land in the next 15 years.

Legislation passed by the Colorado Senate will allow farmers to idle their land from year to year and sell the unused water to cities without giving up their legal right to the water.

Click here for the April 28, 2006 Rocky Mountain News story.

Dan Wacker misses the crops that once covered his 80-acre farm, the ones that have withered and died since the state turned off his wells. He wants his water back. Nina Guthrie was forced to sell her farm and she wants the state to pay for her loss.

Click here for "Farmers fight for their water on Front Range", an August 21, 2006 article that ran in the AP.

IDAHO

State water director Dave Tuthill said he 's prepared to issue the largest curtailment order in Idaho history - an order that could shut down 771 groundwater pumpers and has the potential to dry up 33,000 acres of Magic Valley farmland. Read the May 1, 2007 article in the Magic Valley Times-News: http://www.magicvalley.com/articles/2007/05/01/news/top_story/111286.txt

An Idaho water dispute is turning two friendly municipal neighbors into bickering combatants.
Click here for the full article.

A year after state buyout of water rights, Bell Rapids (Idaho) farms face uncertain future. Click here to read the Magic Valley Times-News article.

In Sun Valley, officials say owners of trophy residences are shorting farms with senior rights. Water used by upscale homes leaving farmers high and dry. Click here for the Portland Oregonian August 29, 2006 article.

MONTANA

Ranchers who are unable to make a living in Montana are reluctantly selling their land to a developer who envisions a subdivision with 3,100 homes and 320 acres of commercial businesses, which is bigger than some of the towns in that area of the state.

Read the 6/11/06 Missoulian story.

NEVADA

The Southern Nevada Water Authority, which plans a $2 billion system of wells and pipelines from rural counties to supply growing urban needs, has asked local governments throughout Clark County for support. The plan has been met by stiff resistance from White Pine County residents and environmentalists.

Click here for the full story.

Click here to read the May 2006 Las Vegas Sun story about White Pine County's rejection of a $12 million offer to drop its opposition to this plan.

Click here for news on how family farmers in Utah might be affected by growth in Las Vegas.

Click here for a Time Magazine article on this same issue.

Click here for the SF Chronicle story about Utah and Nevada farmers upset with the Vegas plan.

The Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA)plans to adopt an agreement that would give the small eastern Nevada city of Ely more than $1 million in financial assistance if it agrees to stop protesting the water authority's applications for groundwater in White Pine County.

Click here for the 7/12/06 Las Vegas Review-Journal article.

Plans to pump millions of gallons of water to the Las Vegas area from rural Nevada will leave the land scarred, cut the wildlife population and drop the water table by more than 20 feet, an environmental organization claims.

Click here for the 7/7/06 Las Vegas Sun article.

During the summer of 2006, opposition to SNWA's water acquisition plans mounted from several quarters, and SNWA's resolve stiffened. Meanwhile, 5,000 new residents move to Las Vegas every month.

Click here for several stories on these developments:

"Water plan suffers setback; State engineer won't ignore environmental issues"
Las Vegas Sun – 8/10/06;

"Northern Nevadans Don't Want to Gamble With Their Water", Washington Post, August 15, 2006;

"White pine county: Crossing waterline; 'We don't have a choice,' Mulroy bluntly warns about valley's needs", Las Vegas Review-Journal – 8/18/06;

'A matter of survival'; LV's growth will stop in 2013 without White Pine water, Mulroy says
Las Vegas Sun – 8/16/06;

Editorial: "Water plan must go forward; Without a share of ground water from rural counties, Las Vegas risks economic catastrophe", Las Vegas Sun – 8/20/06;

"Desert Connections: A real estate project is on track to create one of Nevada’s biggest cities, partly due to the intercession of U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, who has close ties to the developer."
Las Angeles Times - August 20, 2006;

The war over water entered a new battlefield in September 2006as advocates and opponents directly debate Southern Nevada's controversial plan to take billions of gallons from wells in the rural, east-central part of the state and deliver them more than 200 miles south to the Las Vegas Valley.Click herefor the following articles:

"Battle for rural water heads to capital" - Las Vegas Sun

"Water deal on Nevada agenda; Spring Valley: The battle continues over groundwater along the Utah border" - Salt Lake City Tribune  

Editorial: "Our future is at stake; A hearing begins Monday on a plan to pipe desperately needed water from northern counties" - Las Vegas Sun

 Guest Opinion: "Nevada's ground water tug of war; State of Nevada's interests best served by protecting environment" - Las Vegas Sun

In the fall of 2006, an 11th-hour agreement on the eve of hearings in Carson City will make the Southern Nevada Water Authority's effort to bring rural ground water to Las Vegas easier - but it won't close the deal. Click herefor the following articles:

Water hearing off to a good start; agencies agree to monitor pumping groundwater - 9/12/06 Las Vegas Sun

Quenching Las Vegas; Gambling town bets on rural groundwater - 9/13/06 Sacramento Bee editorial

An agreement that swept away federal protests to the Southern Nevada Water Authority's plans to take billions of gallons annually from a rural White Pine County valley is raising objections from American Indians. 

Click here for the 10/3/06 Las Vegas Sun story.

A request to pump billions of gallons of groundwater to booming Las Vegas from a valley near the Nevada-Utah line was cut to less than half the amount in a plan approved by the state's engineer. The pipes will be shut off if existing wells and other existing water rights in Spring Valley suffer during Southern Nevada Water Authority 's pumping the next 10 years, state Engineer Tracy Taylor said. Read the 4/16/07 Associated Press article by Brendan Riley: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/04/16/national/a202318D42.DTL&hw=water&sn=027&sc=598

So Las Vegas gets the water it 's been seeking from White Pine County, at least a good percentage of it, and environmentalists mark it a victory. Problem solved?

Not quite.

The state water engineer gave approval for Vegas to pump 40,000 of the 91,000 acre feet it had been requesting, but that 's only a short-term solution for the rapidly growing city. It 's expected to grow by more than a million people by 2020.

Where 's the water going to come from to support all that growth? No one seems to know, but there are plenty of rural counties that should be expecting calls following this ruling. Read the 4/18/07 Carson City Nevada Appeal editorial board position: http://www.nevadaappeal.com/article/20070418/OPINION/104180080

A study of the future water needs for the fast-growing Reno-Sparks metropolitan area in Nevada said it will take about $1 billion to buy water rights, deliver the water and finance the costs.

Click here for the 9/26/06 Lassen County (California) Times article.

NEW MEXICO

Cities in the Rio Grande basin in New Mexico are continuing to grow at alarming rates, and the waershed that has supported them in the past is tapped out with nothing more to give, but ongoing battles for the valuable water. Read the 6/11/06 New Mexican story.

Central New Mexico farmers could face restrictions on the amount of water they can store in northern New Mexico reservoirs for late-season irrigation. Read the 5/1/07 Albuquerque Journal article.

Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. traveled to western Utah to hear concerns of residents about southern Nevada's plan to pump 25,000-acre feet of groundwater a year out of the Snake Valley.
Click here for the 11/2/05 Salt Lake Tribune article.

A new study from the U.S. Geologic Survey confirms what ranchers in Utah's Spring and Snake valleys have known all along: Las Vegas' plan to pump groundwater from the aquifer under their land will destroy the delicate moisture balance and dry up their springs, and the report is confirmed by further research Utah should not allow the plan to move forward. Click here for the June 27, 2006 Salt Lake Tribune editorial.

Standing in the way of the Southern Nevada Water Authority's groundwater pumping and pipeline project, general manager Pat Mulroy warned, could set a bad precedent - not only for Utah and its future dealings with surrounding states, but also for cooperative water ventures throughout the West.Click here for the 7/14/06 Salt Lake Tribune story.

Wasatch County is one of Utah's fastest growing, and farmers there are watching their way of life get squeezed out by subdivisions. 

Click here for the 9/11/05 Salt Lake Tribune story.

WASHINGTON

Without water, the Columbia Basin region would look like the sagebrush-covered desert it was before farmers and irrigators transformed it into some of the top-producing farmland in the U.S. But this region's future is endangered because of its diminishing water supply.

Click here for Washington State Sen. Mark Schoesler's take on this.

The U.S. needs a stable domestic food supply, just as it needs a stable energy supply. For farmers to survice; for food to be produced in America; a stable water supply must be available to grow food.

Click here for rancher Pat O'Toole's comments to Congress on the future of irrigated agriculture.

The California Farm Water Coalition presents updates about the most recent campaign involving radio and newspaper advertising in regards to the importance of renewal of Central Valley Project water delivery contracts.

Click here to read the response of listeners as they question the value of farm water.
We cannot continue long-term hypothetical processes that focus primarily on continued conservation and downsizing of Western agriculture.

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