The intense drought in California and continuing drought in Texas along with their impact on the rising cost of food are making government officials and the public painfully aware of the importance of having and maintaining a reliable water supply. USA Today reports that California produces nearly one-fifth of the United States’ entire agricultural output. Should the state’s water woes continue the newspaper said farmers and distributors may soon have to start looking for alternative locations to grow or buy their crops.
The outlook released by the National Drought Mitigation Centre (http://drought.unl.edu) indicates that drought will also likely develop in portions of Arizona, Texas, and California where there currently is no drought. The centre indicated California remains on track for another year of historic drought that has resulted in curbed water supplies and a request from Governor Jerry Brown for a 20 percent reduction in water use. In addition to reducing the state’s agricultural production, the centre said the drought is expected to drive up unemployment locally and food prices nationally.
Focus on water conservation
University of Connecticut assistant professor and greenhouse specialist Rosa Raudales said ornamental growers along the West Coast are well aware that water issues are only going to intensify and are taking action.“Water quality and availability are going to continue to become bigger issues,” Raudales said. “There are some regulations at the state level, like on the West Coast, and others more localized at the county level in other states. However, it is expected that tougher regulations on water management will arise and affect agriculture. Many will arise and affect agriculture. Many ornamental growers are trying to stay ahead of the regulations and are installing closed irrigation systems.”
EPA released the report “The Importance of Water to the U.S. Economy” in November 2013. “In this report, EPA discusses the value of water and the interconnectivity of water bodies,” Raudales said. “What this report indicates is that the true dollar value of water has long been underestimated.
“In addition, the report discusses the importance of how all water sources are connected as a means to protect drinking water sources. The implication for growers could be that the cost of purchasing water could increase. Also, because water sources are interconnected, there could be less freedom for how growers manage their water sources and the runoff on their property. Long term, U.S. greenhouse operations could be forced to install closed loop irrigation systems, like the growers in some European countries.”
Click here to read the complete article written by David Kuack on March 26 on the Hort Americas blog
