Crisis in California

At the start of the new year, Californians have one question on their mind: Will there be enough water in 2010?

The state is now in the middle of its December-through-March wet season. National Public Radio recently reported that California’s first snow survey of the winter showed the Sierra snowpack below normal. Sue Sims, the water department’s chief deputy director, said this may mean that California could face a fourth consecutive year of drought. Last month, California officials announced they expected to release a record-low amount of water to 25 million California residents if this happens — just 5 percent of what has been requested by contractors and farmers.

A year ago, Jim Beck, Kern County Water Agency general manager, told the Western Farm Press that the state was at a turning point. He said, “I think we are currently enduring the worst crisis that water users have ever faced and how we face this crisis over the next two to three years will not only shape agriculture but the whole state’s economy.”

For California farmers, this crisis has pushed them to make some hard decisions. NPR shares the story of Ty and Janet Lompa of California’s Central Valley. Last year, they were forced to cut down 110 acres of walnut orchards, which amounts to approximately 10,000 trees and a third of their entire acreage. “It takes 30 years to get ‘em here,” Janet Lompa noted, “and about a minute and a half to knock ‘em down.”

The Wall Street Journal highlights the story of Harris Farms near Coalinga, California. Last year, they were forced to sideline 9,000 of 11,000 acres that they used to plant with tomatoes, onions, broccoli and other vegetables. “You feel like a general in a battle,” states John Harris, chairman and chief executive of the business. “You’re in constant retreat.” After already reducing production for two years, what will happen to Harris Farms in 2010? Facing another year of drought, how can small farms and big farms alike support the state’s $20 billion-a-year agriculture industry?

It’s a complex question that doesn’t beget a simple answer. While some may push to build more dams, that doesn’t add to the water supply, it just redistributes it. Although California’s Governor has previously declared a state of emergency and enforced water rationing, farmers are still not getting enough water to support their crops. But maybe we’re not asking the right questions.

Robert Glennon notes in the Huffington Post, “In America we traditionally solve water shortages though engineering fixes: dams, canals, diversions, and wells. Seldom do we turn inward and ask whether conservation, reuse, or reallocation would provide easier, cheaper, more environmentally friendly solutions to current shortages.” He suggests that the current crisis should prompt Californians – and all Americans – to examine how, when, and why they use water. But will solutions come soon enough for California farmers?