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CAST releases water report

With projected 25-percent and 50-percent increases in U.S. and world populations, respectively, by 2050, substantial increases in freshwater use for food, fiber, and fuel production, as well as municipal and residential consumption, are inevitable.

This increased water use will not come without consequences, and as one of the largest users of water in the United States, agriculture will be impacted significantly by changes in water availability and cost. An abundant, reliable supply of water to meet demands cannot be taken for granted.

The California Water Deal of 2009: A Historic Turning Point

11/9/2009 by Stoel Rives LLP.

Say goodbye to water use as usual. On November 5, 2009, the California Legislature passed several landmark water bills characterized by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger as "the most comprehensive water infrastructure package … in the history of California." The five-bill package is the result of a herculean bipartisan effort that includes an $11.1 billion bond measure that requires voter approval to pay for a comprehensive infrastructure program. The major components of the five bills are:

Senate Bill X7 1: Delta Governance and Management.

This bill, which sets forth co-equal goals of providing a more reliable water supply and protecting the Delta ecosystem, creates mammoth changes to Delta governance in an effort to respond to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta's water infrastructure and watershed crisis. While SB X7 1 does not authorize the construction of a canal through or around the Delta, often referred to as a peripheral canal, it does provide for the creation of a new seven-member governing council to oversee management of the Delta, which is authorized to approve or disapprove the controversial peripheral canal. More specifically, this bill:

Need to be proactive becomes more critical as drought continues

Western Farm Press Daily

Feb 26, 2009 8:30 AM, By Aaron Kiess
Executive Director
California Alfalfa and Forage Association

There was a time when we wondered why anyone would write a letter to the editor. It seemed as though conspiracy theorists or people kidnapped by aliens from outer space had the best chance to be published in urban newspapers. Our all-time favorite letter to the editor got right to the point. The person who wrote it only needed two sentences: “I’ve never written a letter to the editor before. Now I feel better.”

From our experience it does make you feel somewhat better if you get your letter published. When this column was written we were waiting to see if our letter to the San Francisco Chronicle would be published. We were prompted to respond to yet another attack on alfalfa, and cotton, as well. It was, as you’ve probably guessed, the low value high-water use statement that continues to surface.

The letter writer had an easy solution for protecting Delta smelt; just eliminate the use of “subsidized irrigation water” for alfalfa and cotton. The water that would be saved would be allocated to the Delta. You can bet that the continuing drought will bring out more easy solutions and target alfalfa and other crops.