This semester I took a course about international agricultural trade and development. One of the major issues that I took interest in was how the effect of water issues took place on California’s economy.
Over the years, there has been a major crisis to California’s water system and this will continue if these problems that caused this crisis are not addressed. The overconsumption of water has affected many sectors and in turn has created what Californian’s call a “man-made drought”. Agencies and institutions have been investigating many different areas of their water systems to create an efficient and resourceful way to distribute water from the estuaries and deltas across the state. In order for California to move forward from this crisis, all sectors (agricultural, environmental and various urban groups) must collaborate together.
The Delta spreads among 6 different counties in the state of California: Alameda, Contra Costa, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Solano and Yolo. The area covered in the Delta, is approximately 840,000 acres and over the years the delta has changed from being a water-based habitat and water channel to being a main water system to agricultural land. Agriculture has the largest consumptive use between all of the sectors, as they produce 2.5 million acres of fruits and vegetables across the state (Sacramento-San. 2009). Due to the growing population of California the demands on the agricultural community will increase which in turn will always affect water consumption levels in the Delta. As each county moves forward with planning and maintaining water systems there needs to be a partnership between the other counties to ensure optimal water usage between all the different systems of the Delta. What one county does with their water can affect the greater system of the Delta.
As environmental concerns continue to be a major issue throughout the delta, practical solutions must be researched and communicated throughout the different sectors of the counties. The judgment call of one sector’s response to a problem may heavily impact segments negatively or positively. Unfortunately, in the case of the Delta Smelt Act, there was a negative effect to the agricultural ventures in California’s state. Judge Wagner ordered a diversion and reduction of water during specific time periods to create a fitted environment for the delta smelt. However, this massive reduction put a strain on the irrigation systems that were needed for successful crops as well affecting other businesses water requirements. Many agencies are researching this ruling to find other options to bring forth water efficiency to California’s society.
California’s main water consumption priority is in agricultural and environmental sectors, which stresses the importance of conserving water throughout various urban groups. Wasted water can be reduced by properly managing water through out the pipelines and dams, upgrading old systems to be more efficient and technological advancements. It is important for all groups (counties and sectors) to work together to manage the water systems efficiently and as fairly as possible.
California’s water crisis has brought to the public eye the importance of managing and controlling our water systems in an efficient way. When checks and balances are not in place between various groups and individuals the actions of one can affect many. Water is a beneficial resource that needs to be valued and taken care of in order to ensure long term sustainability.
References:
“Sacramento-San Joaquin River .” California Water Plan . Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta Last modified 2009 http://www.waterplan.water.ca.gov/docs/cwpu2009/0310final/v3_ssjdelt aregion_cwp2009.pdf (accessed Nov 12, 2012).(Sacramento-San. 2009)