To be sure, the price differential between desalinated water and Colorado River water begs for the greater context of many complex historical, legal, political and technical factors. Terms of Use | Privacy Policy. In the 1970s, new state and federal laws began compelling water managers to make allowances for the environmental effects of their diversions. As a result, the river is at a record low. Cooler temperatures lead to less evaporation from plant leaves, for example, and so countries that export virtual water end up using about 22 percent less water overall to produce a good than the importing country would need to produce it at home. But the company is far from alone. Factor in the cheap price for river water and the high price for new sources such as desalination and that economic advantage probably reaches hundreds of millions a year or more. To support our nonprofit environmental journalism, please consider disabling your ad-blocker to allow ads on Grist. What are some of the ways in which the way we use water just doesnt make sense?. ), Its another case of, you suck out all the resources, then ship off the wealth and the value someplace else, and the local people get some kind of pittance, said Jody Emel, a research scientist at Clark University and former water resource planner in Arizona. The market is small enough that you learn whom to call, he said. A crop can last up to five years, but Fondomonte generally rips up and replants after two or three; any longer than that and the alfalfa grows more stem-heavy, and thus drops in quality. We need to stop the exportation of water from the Great Lakes to China Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. (U.S. Now, though, foreign companies buying land to export those same crops are starting to receive more attention. We're asking people to reduce there water use by up to 20%.". The amount of water you need to irrigate a field isbig and heavy; its slippery to hold it we need special containers (like reservoirs); its always moving, and mixing, and splitting into pieces, so its hard to tell whose is whose; it unpredictably falls out of the sky, and has no respect for property lines; if you drop it, it disappears into the ground. All it requires is funding and determination. Then, Id actually pretty much be done. And the state has the power, even the obligation, to reallocate water if necessary to balance various public interests, including economic, recreational and environmental benefits. It installed meters to measure how much each farmer was taking. Drought is often an excuse for politicians to build dams or reduce environmental controls, but it's no long-term fix. But Australia was also two years into a drought, which stretched on until 2010. To avoid this, the pumps only run in July, August, and September, and so sometimes theres not enough pumping capacity to make all the deliveries, and water gets trapped up north. [3] Freshwater export between Canada and the US currently takes place at a small scale, mostly as bottled water exports. Known as one of the greenest commercial buildings in the world, since it opened its doors on Earth Day in 2013 the Bullitt Center has been setting a new standard for sustainable design. Instead, we rely on our readers topitch in what they can so that we can continue bringing you our solution-based climate news. Answer (1 of 12): Could they. Ive got some old almond trees that arent producing anymore, and, instead of planting more, Id just like to sell 100,000 acre feet of irrigation water. Nestle is under scrutiny by California legislators for selling water from the drought-stricken state. Instagram, Follow us on Australia passed a law to clarify water rights and make them more easily tradable. And it's what MoJo and our community of readers have been doing for 47 years now. In "This Is Not a Crisis. And the state's population boomed to 40 million thirsty human beings. If its raining, the employee told me, the farm manager can just farm from behind his desk. The Delta is the bottleneck of Californias water system. Water laws dating back to the 1850s, when White Americans. The California Constitution, while acknowledging long-standing legal water rights that farmers view as sacrosanct, also makes clear that water users do not own the water. We'll also be quite transparent and level-headed with you about this. There is no wiggle room, we've already cut everything we can, and we urgently need more readers to pitch inespecially from this specific blurb you're reading right now. Dot #1 China begins its covert war on the FREE American republic in the 1950's by . Copyright 2023 Mother Jones and the Foundation for National Progress. Alfalfa is the third largest economic product in the US, but only 4% is exported annually. California has the infrastructure to move water: giant dams, pumps, canals, tunnels that run under mountain ranges, and pipes that go over them. Facebook, Follow us on Saudi Arabia. The deal came with 146,000 acres of land in nine states. We then drove to a part of valley where, in partnership with various environmental organizations, the Palo Verde Irrigation District had planted a large grove of trees to revive some of the habitat that once stretched so abundantly along this part of the Colorado. Youve got this water behind a dam somewhere, and you dont know if you are physically going to be able to move that water across the Delta. It can stay in the reservoir as long as water levels are low, but if theres a threat of a flood, the dam operators have to let the water spill out into the ocean. The questions become obvious: Does that make sense? Water war bubbling up between California and Arizona Putnam, along with many farmers I spoke to, urges people to consider how much water crisscrosses the globe in the current supply chain. I think if we dont deal with science, she added, were doomed.. When Almarai first began purchasing land in the western US, environmentalists, and many average citizens, were outraged. Usually, the Department of Water Resources will have a scientist visit me to check out my situation and ask questions. The Colorado river as seen from the PVID Diversion dam in Blythe, California. California Drought Forecast 2022 Means No State Water Allotment - Bloomberg Farmers trade water all the time especially from the east side of the San Joaquin Valley to the west. American crops ranging from alfalfa to almondsof which up to 70 percent are exportedare major moneymakers for states like California, but also require intensive watering. Drought-hit California moves to halt Nestl from taking millions of The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. A major draw for Almarai and many other corporations may be the easy access to water for landowners in states like Arizona and California. "It's a huge amount. In "News Never Pays," our fearless CEO, Monika Bauerlein, connects the dots on several concerning media trends that, taken together, expose the fallacy behind the tragic state of journalism right now: That the marketplace will take care of providing the free and independent press citizens in a democracy need, and the Next New Thing to invest millions in will fix the problem. Year. (Almarai did not respond to requests for comment from Undark. 145. Read about our approach to external linking. Alfalfa-hungry Fondomonte would prefer to plant every inch. In the wake of the ban, Almarai decided to purchase land wherever it is cheap and has favorable water conditions to produce enough feed for its 93,000 cows. Its basically exporting water in the form of alfalfa to countries that are water scarce, said Alida Cantor, an assistant professor at Portland State University in Oregon who researches water management and sustainability. Alfalfa fields and storage warehouses at Fondomonte Farms. Thanks for the tip! Here in the middle of the desert, weve got a little forest, he said, proudly. Are the leftovers from home remodeling trash or treasure? But water-intensive crops arent always grown in areas with an abundance of water. Its all part of their ongoing effort to maximize their efficiency and crop quality, thus their profit, thus their empire in Saudi Arabia perhaps, eventually, here as well. California isn't asking for Great Lakes water. Nestl then sells the people's water back to them at great profit under many dozen brand names. "This should be like Eden right now," farmer John Dofflemyer says, looking out over a brutally dry, brown valley as his remaining cows feed on the hay he's had to buy in to keep them healthy. Opinion: While UC system workers and students struggle to get by, highly paid executives get raises, Commentary: Why you shouldnt let your child play football, Opinion: The Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha is for eating, drinking and remembrance of God, Opinion: Heres the case for La Jolla leaving San Diego to form its own city. Californias lawmakers must make them happen, Opinion: My 12-year-old trans friend came to my drag pageant. T he network of clear streams comprising California's Strawberry Creek run down the side of a steep, rocky mountain in a national forest two hours east of Los Angeles. Covid jab spike proteins get "delivered" to ALL bodily organs, resulting in hyper-accelerated aging; Alfalfa: ice-cream in the making., Grant Chaffin, owner of Chaffin Farms (left). It might take a little while, he said. An invasive species from Asia that drain the water table and leave salt deposits in the soil, which destroys the other plants. Buying farmland directly also allows these companies to guarantee long-term access to the cropsand waterthey desire, said George Frisvold, a professor of agricultural and resource economics at the University of Arizona. Nestle continues to sell bottled water sourced from California - RT But then I learned that, actually, California already has a water market. More than half of the acreage was dedicated to cattle and pork production, and companies from Mexico, China, and Canada were the top purchasers of agricultural land during this time period. My experience in trying to sell hypothetical water left me with the sense that the risks and transaction costs would make it prohibitively unattractive. But does this sale send the wrong message with calls for Sacramentans to conserve? But right next door, in Imperial County, agriculture is paying $20 an acre-foot for water from the Colorado River and using it to grow thirsty crops like alfalfa, much of which is then shipped to China. Donate today to keep our climate news free. In 2013, a Chinese company called Shuanghui Internationallater renamed WH Groupbought Americas largest pork producer, Smithfield Foods. The river is also shrinking due to climate change. "Instead, most of us in the states, we think of water like the air, it's infinite and inexhaustible, when for all practical purposes it's finite and it's exhaustible.". Is it good public policy? VideoThe surprising truth about frozen fruit, What Titan sub wreckage can tell us about the tragedy. Its vital reporting made entirely possible by loyal readers like you. Japan, Korea and the United Arab Emirates all buy Californian hay. But its exporting it from a region that is also water scarce.. The conservative court flexed its muscles. The city says it expects the groundwater to be replenished when wetter conditions prevail, and it will put most of the profits from the water sale back into groundwater programs and infrastructure. Sunday, March 29, 2015 by: Sandy J. Duncan Tags: California drought, farming, selling water. But keep in mind that agriculture, important as it is, constitutes a fraction of the overall state economy according to the U.S. bureau of Economic Analysis, it is less than 2 percent of the states gross domestic product. The type of water thats used matters, too. Reader support helps sustain our work. And this is not to second-guess the decision to build the desal plant or to disparage agriculture in the Imperial Valley, which helps feed California, the nation and the world. Foreign firms sucking "virtual" water from America's parched Southwest P.S. Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation. This is just good manners, and if you can sell the water locally you avoid a significant hassle. As part of the law, most businesses selling products in California must provide "clear and reasonable warnings" before knowingly exposing people to any chemical on the list, unless the expected level of . Then the storms came in. So why is America's most valuable farming state using billions of gallons of water to grow hay which is then shipped to China? Large corporate farms often have the capital to dig deeper wells and access more groundwater, according to a 2019 investigation by The Arizona Republic. In 2012, the drought-stricken Western United States will ship more than 50 billion gallons of water to China. Domestic farmers have long shipped food overseas, and companies like Almarai, as well as independent researchers, have suggested the outsized focus on foreign companies may be xenophobic. And in theory, the virtual water trade could actually conserve water in the long run by allowing regional climate and soil conditions to dictate where certain crops are grown. Learn more about why this is so urgent in News Never Pays, or about our finances and nonprofit operation here, and please support the journalism you get from us if you can right now. Subscribe today and get a full year of Mother Jones for just $14.95. HOUSTON After a Chinese billionaire with plans to create a wind farm bought up more than 130,000 acres of Texas land, some of it near a U.S. Air Force base . The only newsroom focused on exploring solutions at the intersection of climate and justice. Inexpensive, too! Allan also argued that importing water-intensive goods instead of producing them can prevent environmental degradation in water-scarce countries that may otherwise have to damage fragile ecosystems to access water. China's Worsening Water Crisis And Efforts To Mitigate It We did end up getting a third, seven years later.. YouTube. Suppose Im a farmer in your water district, I told Melville, and I want to sell my water. Facebook, Follow us on We can't afford to come up short. Instagram, Follow us on Grist is powered by WordPress VIP. California farmers begin selling water instead of crops as drought June 20, 2014 7:56 PM PT Once upon a time, California and Arizona went to war over water. A farmer on theTrinity River, 200 miles north of San Francisco, can sell water to Los Angeles, and the system can actually make that delivery. Just because this has long been the status quo doesnt mean it makes sense. Newsom get away with this flip-flop. A Tale of Two Coastlines: Desalination in China and California But in areas where water-intensive crops such as alfalfa grow, residents have felt the effects of declining water supplies. It brings the desert alive with hundreds of hectares of lush green fields - much of it alfalfa hay, a water-hungry but nutritious animal feed which once propped up the dairy industry here, and is now doing a similar job in China. Wed start by asking if there was anyone in the district who wanted that water, he said. But its a lot more complicated than selling a car so complicated that it scares some people off. The export of crops and the water used to grow them, known as virtual water, has been accelerating for decades, despite concerns that in drought-stricken areas such as the Southwest, this system is unsustainable in the long term. California's legislature has passed a bill banning foreign entities from buying its agricultural land, a move that is part of reignited discussions about whether the United States should block. Lets cut to the chase: Just export water to China and let them grow their own while we choke on sand and weeds and our own dairy industry becomes unsustainable. Thirteen miles south, the communities of Montecito and Summerland, boast numerous polo fields and homes that top $45 million and attract a who's who of Hollywood because of their secluded paradise:. "This year the market is unbelievable," said Thomas Greci, the general . Read about our approach to external linking. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Id have to show that nothing was growing on the land, not even weeds. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Foreign demand for alfalfa supplied by American farmers far outstrips the amount grown by foreign companies that own land in the US, indicating that the problem will be harder to solve than just restricting foreign land purchases. Blythe farmers are thus only charged to cover the water districts overhead $77 an acre a year, an astonishingly low rate. He broke open a bale with his hands as if tearing off a piece of bread. JR Echard, assistant manager of the Palo Verde Irrigation District. Opinion: Another study shows San Diego police disproportionately stop people of color. On its face, foreign ownership of farmland hasnt proved significantly different from American ownership for large-scale production of crops like alfalfa. People will find goods at the cheapest prices, and companies in areas with unstable resources will relocate elsewhere. Were in the desert, Echard said, but we live next to a massive river and have rights to it. Thomas Blythe might have appeared crazy to want to build an empire of agriculture out here in the desert but, in Echards eyes, Blythe was on to something. Go ahead, make your billions while you can, agribusiness, sucking the Ogallala aquifer dry. It wants to ensure that Im actually letting water flow past that I would have used if I werentmaking a sale. Its a huge risk. So you see tensions in areas where youve had water tables drop, but at the same time, theres a fairly strong resistance in a lot of quarters [to] having government control.. On our way back from the dam to the district offices, Echard drove me up along the access roads to get a panorama of the canals, and past some bright fields of alfalfa. Moreover, growing demand for water-intensive products like meat and dairy, as well as water scarcity driven by climate change, are expected to spur even more virtual water exports. Each day on their massive, gated farm headquarters, Fondomonte employees take samples of the alfalfa and test its quality: the higher the ratio of leaves to stems, the better the quality, and thus the better the milk the cows will produce. For the survival of that country, Putnam said of Saudi Arabia, they will look to other parts of the world.. Just to get you in the mind frame of a water transfer manager its not as fun as it looks, said Steve Hirsch, Metros water transfer manager, at a 2012 event. Opinion: Defund the police accountability? Nestle Continues Stealing World's Water During Drought - MintPress News Newsom should demand it. Jerry Brown has an obligation to consider all options and choose the optimal approach the one that is in the best interests of Californians and best secures our future quality of life and prosperity. Near the town of Blythe, water from the Colorado River turns the dry earth into verdant farmland, much of it to grow a single cropalfalfa, a type of plant used mainly to feed dairy cows. Opinion: Sand is disappearing from San Diego County beaches. Terms of Service apply. The whole process might take a couple months, Melville said. Chinese companies and individuals own farmland in the U.S. : NPR I dont see how this farm is any different., The Saudis, theyre here buying up at a good price, Echard explained. Saudi company draws unlimited Arizona ground water to grow alfalfa amid With the Saudi Arabian landscape there being mostly desert and alfalfa being a water-intensive crop, growing it there has always been expensive and draining on scarce water resources, to the point that the Saudi government finally outlawed the practice in 2016. Opinion: Finally, more San Diego officials are urging Joe Biden to declare a sewage emergency here. The direct effects of other countries buying the virtual water on American farmland are difficult to quantify. Companies notice these lax rules. Even as the Colorado River Basin enters its 21st year of sustained drought and climate change threatens to further exacerbate water scarcity, virtual water trading is expected to triple globally by 2100, with a large share moving from the US to other countries. Last year Nestl siphoned. Philip Bowles, a farmer from Los Banos, told me he worried that selling water could put water rights in jeopardy. our finances and nonprofit operation here, This Is Not a Crisis. No one wants it, he said, as he yanked the truck into gear and headed back out again amid the bright carpets of alfalfa stretching in all directions. Overall, California's desalination sector is more efficient than the fledgling industry in China and thus enjoys advantages in cost competitiveness and . Each month, Fondomonte Farms loads the alfalfa on to hulking metal shipping containers destined to arrive 24 days later at a massive port stationed on the Red Sea, just outside King Abdullah City in Saudi Arabia. Its not just alfalfa, and its not just agriculture. Canada has 7% of the world's renewable supply of freshwater. When the Great Plains are a permanent Dust Bowl in the next few decades and the migration of the grain-growing region northward crashes into the solid rock of the Canadian Shield, that will give new meaning to the Cato Institute scholars growing food demand..