The recent Tribune article, “Why your burger is probably killing the Great Salt Lake and Colorado River,” hit the nail on the head when it comes to one proven solution: conservation.
The Colorado River has been experiencing significant drought pressures for more than 20 years and no state has been more impacted than California. Yet early on, Imperial Valley farmers partnered with Southern California urban water agencies on a plan to conserve water with urban investments in on-farm and water delivery system improvements.
This successful program has saved almost 7.75 million acre-feet of water since its inception 21 years ago and adds almost a half-million acre-feet of water to the total every year. That’s enough water on an annual basis to meet the household needs of over 1 million families. Urban areas benefit by reducing their reliance on new water supplies and farmers stay in the game, farming more efficiently and maintaining food production that fills the shelves at the grocery store with safe, domestically-grown food.
This is the kind of innovation that is needed to solve the long-term challenges facing the Colorado River. With new guidelines on the horizon for Colorado River post-2026 operations, every state that depends on the river should adopt the same kinds of ag-to-urban partnerships that are already working in California. Investing in conservation is the key to dependable water supplies for both people and the farms that grow our food.
Mike Wade, executive director of the California Farm Water Coalition, Sacramento, California
