Western Drought Impacts Every American

House Committee on Natural Resources Ranking Member Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) last month led a Republican forum titled “How Western Drought Affects Every American.” The Family Farm Alliance and several of its members and allies also testified remotely at the May 11 event.

“While much of the West continues to suffer through a multi-year drought, Americans nationwide are experiencing record food prices due to drought and other factors,” said Rep. Westerman. “American consumers depend on food produced from irrigated agriculture, especially in California, which normally yields the majority of fruits, vegetables and nuts that are sold domestically at American grocery stores and serve as valuable commodities in international markets.”

At a time when Western water projects typically begin diversions, allowing delivery canals to charge and bringing essential water supplies to the headgates of thousands of farmers and ranchers, crushing drought conditions are leaving hundreds of thousands of acres of productive farm and ranch land without water this spring.

“Many of our farmers and ranchers this year are going to be hit hard by this ‘unprecedented’ drought, the second straight year we’ve used the term ‘unprecedented’ when describing the Western drought,” said Alliance Executive Director Dan Keppen at the Western drought forum.

Water users in nearly every region of the West are scrambling, looking for creative ways to stretch scant water supplies. In mountain watershed areas from the Sierra Nevada to the Rockies, the driest of conditions have prevailed. Forecasting has been an incredible challenge, and much of what runoff there has been, has been consumed by dry upstream soils.

“These severe drought conditions, coupled with the arid nature of many parts of the West, again make for a trying, shortened water year,” said Alliance President Pat O’Toole.

CLICK HERE to download the PDF Version of the June 2022 “Monthly Briefing”, where you can read more about this and these other important issues to Western water users:

• It’s Real: Looming Global Food Insecurity and Rising Food Prices
• WOTUS Regional Roundtables Begin….Alliance Set to Engage in Western Forum Later This Month   
• Carrington is New Reclamation PNW Regional Director
• Senate ENR Subcommittee Considers 17 Water Bills
• BOR Announces Over $240M from IIJA to Repair Aging Infrastructure…and other IIJA News
• 2022 WRDA Moves Forward in Congress
• A Big “Thank You” to our New and Supporting Members! 

Please do not hesitate to contact dan@familyfarmalliance.org if you have any difficulties downloading the June “Monthly Briefing”.