Agricultural Water Issues Sustainable Irrigation

1. Agricultural Water Issues Sustainable Irrigation Richard McNider, John Christy, James Cruise and Richard Marcus University of Alabama in Huntsville Ashutosh Limaye Universities Space Research Association James Hairston and Upton Hatch Auburn University Alabama Water Resources Conference Orange Beach, AL September 8-9,2005

2. The Past

3. Rain-fed Agriculture in the Eastern U.S. • At the turn of the 20th century most of the U.S food and fiber production was found in the East and Midwest based on rain-fed agriculture • Due to transportation and distribution issues regional markets were a necessity • Commodity prices in these regional markets included weather losses as a part of the production costs P<E P>E Rain-fed Agriculture Precipitation minus Evaporation from NCEP 1963-2002

4. By 1950 this agricultural system that had endured for generations began to go through a dramatic change Western water projects coming fully online and cheap electricity in the Great Plains for pumping from the Ogallala Aquifer substantially increased the amount of irrigated acreage in the U.S. Irrigated Acres

5. Faster and cheaper transport and refrigerated transport had also begun to amalgamate the regional markets. State Corn Prices AL IL 1925 1955 1975 1995

6. Larry Curtis Auburn University With the upturn of western irrigated agriculture and amalgamation of markets Eastern rain-fed farmers were then faced with an intrusion into the market that removed drought losses as a cost of production.

7. The end result of the sustained and improved productivity by western irrigated agriculture was a substantial decrease in agricultural output in the east from 1950-1990 Alabama lost over 12 million acres of farmland since 1950 acreage CA irrigated farmland Farm decline in Alabama almost inversely mirrors agricultural increases California as water projects came on line.

8. During the the same period that Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi were losing cotton - California and Arizona were gaining cotton Cotton-Acres Planted

9. Maine Potatoes? In 1939 Maine led the nation in potato production. New York and Pennsylvania were also significant producers. As water projects came on line, Idaho began to increase its production. After 1950 Maine, New York and Pennsylvania began a sharp decline. Today Idaho is #1 in potatoes followed by Washington. Maine, New York and Pennsylvania are no longer in the top 5. [Effland 2003]

10. This massive shift in agriculture was highly subsidized. The Federal government spent billions of dollars on Western water projects for agriculture. This included massive dams, canals, piping to provide basically free water to farmers.

11. The tremendous increase in western agriculture due to irrigation came with additional costs beyond what the federal government paid. For example in California tremendous environmental damage was done as rivers were totally depleted destroying salmon runs and wetlands. Urban areas had to develop ever expensive projects to find water for increasing populations. Water had to be moved hundreds of miles over thousands of feet of elevation rather than use water allocated to agriculture

12. The Present

13. With poor water holding soils the south was particularly hard hit. In a slow, painful decline the southeast’s agricultural economy was decimated by the subsidized irrigated agriculture in the west. Historically the richest part of Alabama is now its poorest region. Large areas are third world in terms of poverty, education and infant mortality.

14. The southeast is currently under-utilizing its land and water resources Landowners faced with the competition of Western subsidized irrigated agriculture in large part resorted to accepting government set asides or timber farming. Land is now in timber or low intensity pasture. Rural towns dependent on farming business died out. When a farmer is farming he is turning over $500-$750 per acre per year which is part of the local economy With timber production he is only turning over $18-22 per acre per year. (Birmingham News.Bernard Troncale)

15. The era of competition from subsidized irrigated western faced by eastern farmers in the last 50 years may be coming to an end. New pressures are now forcing a cost-accounting for Western irrigated-agriculture. In the long-term many observers feel this desert agriculture is not sustainable. • Ground water overdrafts from pumping • Water demand from rapid urban growth • Farmers vs municipalities ($15 farmer cost vs $200-600 municipal water cost per acre-foot) • Silting of reservoirs • Salt and selenium surface poisoning • New air, water, and soil pollution regulations • River restoration and endangered species initiatives

16. The Future

17. Population growth in the west is expected to continue at a rapid pace. For example California’s population is increasing by 600,000 per year. Environmental initiatives for river and wetland restoration will consume additional water (Salton Sea, San Joaquin river) . Thus, billions of dollars will have to be spent to find and develop water sources just to keep pace with needs.

18. Demand for water may not be the biggest issue facing the west. Rather, it may be supply. Recent reconstruction of climate indicate that the past 70 years may have been abnormally wet and future supply could be much less. The current drought may be the norm. Abnormally Wet From Piechota et a. 2004

19. With increasing demand and decreasing supply there will likely have to be a contraction in agriculture in the U.S. Where and how will this production be replaced? Agricultural production could go offshore. However, this may not be in the best interests of food and fiber security for the U.S. Additionally, agriculture is not benign in its environmental or human impact with pesticides, water quality, erosion and labor. In a global sense the U.S. is likely to better protect the environment and work force than the third world.

20. Rio Grande Alabama River @ Claiborne 10 to 34 million ac-ft/year 0.8 million ac-ft/year The solution we propose is that agriculture should return to the east under an irrigated assisted rain-fed system. The vast and sustainable surface water resources in the east dwarf water availability in the west. The Alabama River in Monroe County had an annual flow for the driest year on record (2000) of near 10 million acre-ft - 12 times that of the Rio Grande Agricultural experts (and data) tell us that eastern farmers with new genetics can be just a productive as western farmers.

21. Alabama is simply not participating in irrigated agriculture.

22. Corn Economic Impact can be substantial Adding 2 million acres under irrigation in Alabama (of ten million lost) at $750/acre would be the economic equivalent of the direct payroll of all the automotive assembly plants attracted to the State. Cotton Economic impact would be greatest in the poorest parts of the State Would reduce welfare and costs of other subsidy programs

23. Alabama Can Compete with the West! Cotton Alabama California Total Costs per Acre $484 $845

25. Alabama consumes 220 million bushels corn Alabama produces 16 million bushels What if Alabama produced what it consumed? 204 million bushels x $2.80 bushel = $560 million to State economy Using 2.5 multiplier effect (equipment sales, transportation,banking etc) this would add $1.5 billion to State economy.

27. Costs including center pivot and pond Assume $750 Center pivot cost per acre 15 acre pond irrigating 300 acres - $80,000 ($266/acre) Total cost $1016 per acre Amortize at 7% interest for seven years - $239 per year per acre

28. Alabama ranks near the bottom in acreage under irrigation in the U.S. Demopolis Lake Can Alabama develop a sustainable and environmentally acceptable system for utilizing its water resources for irrigated agriculture?

29. What about available water in Alabama and the Southeast for expanded irrigation?

31. Run-off

32. Annual Fraction of Water Withdrawal in Southeast is Extremely Low Based on Withdrawals

33. There is plenty of water availability in the east on an annual basis. However, uptake of water by natural vegetation reduces streamflows during summer to critical levels. 102% 2.5% 27%

34. We are withdrawing the most water for irrigation in precisely those areas that have the least water availability. Why irrigate in the south? Because that’s where the water is.

35. While average precipitation is relatively uniform through the year stream flows have a pronounced intra-annual variation due to water uptake by vegetation.

36. Solution may be a managed irrigation system using stored winter surface water • Irrigation from ground water generally not sustainable if aquifers are depleted or depressed – for example Georgia and Florida • On-demand summer withdrawals adversely impact summer low stream flows and for small streams this is not environmentally acceptable

37. Sustainable Southeastern Model - Storage of Winter Surface Water Even in dry years crops need less than a foot of water. Irrigation can be supported with a fraction of the winter river flow removed.

38. South needs help with investment of storage infrastructure Wringing the final drops of water out of the western system will be incredibly expensive. Catching and storing water in the east is easy and inexpensive. Rather than big multi-year storage reservoirs needed in the west. Simple on-farm storage ponds can be filled with excess winter water from small streams and catchments. In many areas a 15 acre pond ten feet deep (enough to irrigate nearly 300 acres) can be constructed for less than $100,000.

39. The nation cannot continue to subsidize the expensive unsustainable system of desert agriculture. The value of water in the west is vastly overvalued relative to what can equivalently be derived from eastern agriculture. The recent DOI agreement on allocation of Colorado River water included a requirement to line the American canal at a cost of $200 million which will save 77,000 acre-ft per year. This would equivalently serve 20,000 irrigated acres. In Alabama $200 million would build on- farm storage for 300,000 acre-ft which would support 300,000-600,000 acres of irrigated land.

40. The Temperance Flat Dam Project has been proposed as a solution to catch more water in the San Joaquin Basin near Fresno, CA. The cost of this project is estimated to be $1.7 billion. It would add 250,000-750,000 acre-ft of additional storage which would serve up to 190,000 irrigated acres. In the Southeast this $1.7 billion would add over 2.5 million acre-ft of storage and support 3 - 5 million acres of irrigated land. The efficiency of SE irrigation infrastructure costs is 15 to 1 better than CA

41. Alabama and Florida as litigants in the AL/FL/GA water disputes have fostered an atmosphere of scarcity based on water withdrawals by the fast growing Atlanta metropolitan area. A secondary emphasis has been on irrigating farmers in South Georgia Any plan for increasing irrigation in Alabama will have to be done against this backdrop!

42. The fraction of water actually consumed (evaporated) by urban water use is small. Atlanta withdraws approximately 1. million acre-ft/year (USGS)1 Fraction consumed (0.10 -0.2) – 150,000-200,000 acre-ft/year Increased consumption since 1973 - 75,000-100,000 acre-ft/year Estimated based on Georgia 2000 total withdrawals for public water supply

43. Consumption due to landscape change The transformation of Atlanta from a heavily forested region to an urban landscape has probably decreased water consumption as deep-rooted vegetation has been replaced by impervious surfaces and grasses. The net result has likely been increased run-off and higher stream flow rates.

44. Courtesy Dale Quatrocchi,NASA MSFC

45. Estimate of Consumption Change Due to Land Use Low density urban Forest

46. Coweeta Watershed Forest Cut in 1939 From Kovner 1957 Proceedings of American Foresters, 1957 Memphis,Tennessee

47. Estimated evapotranspiration decreased by 10 inches after cutting forest.

48. Change in consumption due to land use change in Atlanta 1973-1999 decrease in forests 2200 sq.km or 518,000 acres For a 10 inch decrease in evapotranspiration based on Coweeta experiment this yields 200,000 -400,000 acre-ft of reduced consumption of water in Atlanta area Compare to increased consumption by urban use 75,000-100,000 acre-ft per year. While the average annual and summer run-off and flows are likely increased due urban growth there may still be issues with summer withdrawals during extreme droughts.

50. While urban consumption may not be an issue consumption by irrigated agriculture in the Flint/Chattahoochie Basin and in Florida may be problem.