LOWER COLORADO AGRICULTURE...Mexico 1.5 MAF: 16% Nevada Agriculture 0.75 MAF: 8% Nevada Cities 0.31 MAF: 3% Lower Colorado Water Use by State Agriculture 4.825 MAF 63% Municipal/ Industrial

REIMAGINING LOWER COLORADO AGRICULTUREContext & Solutions for the Restoration of Colorado River EcosystemsJames Powell LA602 Landscape Design : Natural Processes Winter 2012 Prof. Jessica Hall

LOWER COLORADOAGRICULTURE

INTRO CONTEXT POLICY PRODUCTION LONG-TERM STRATEGIES CONCLUSIONS

PROJECT OVERVIEW

GOALImprove ecological and human health through revised agricultural practices in the Lower Colorado River watershed.

OBJECTIVESRestore water to the Colorado River Delta.

Reduce toxicity in the Salton Sea.

Identify alternatives to current crops and agricultural land use.

Encourage a market for healthier and more geographically-appropriate California foods.



STUDY AREASDavis Dam

Laguna Dam

Parker Dam

Hoover Dam

Morelos Dam

Imperial Dam

Whitewater River

San Gorgonio River

Coachella Canal

Utah

Arizona

California

Nevada

BajaCalifornia Sonora

Colorado River Delta

Salton Sea

Alamo R

iver

New River

Havasu / Mohave Lakes

Low

er C

olor

ado

Lower Gila

Colorado River

Lake Mohave

Lake Mead

Lake Havasu

MexicaliValley

Imperial Valley

Yuma and Gila

Palo Verde Valley

Coachella Valley

All American Canal

Colorado River Aqueduct

0 50 10025 Miles

i

N

Legend Farmland

Remediation Sites

Dams

Streams

Aqueducts



PROJECT OVERVIEW!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

California

Arizona

Sonora

Baja California

Parker Dam

Laguna Dam

Imperial Dam


Salton Sea

Colorado River

Danby Lake

Lake Havasu

Imperial ReservoirFerguson Lake

Alamo R

iver

New R

iver Im

peria

l Res

ervo

ir

Lower

Colo

rado

Yuma

Indio

Niland

Blythe

Calexico

San Luis

El Centro

Palm Springs

Lake Havasu City

Mexican Agriculture

Imperial Valley

Yuma and Gila

Palo Verde ValleyCoachella Valley

All American Canal


--

--

++++

++

++

--



REGIONAL FLOWS

0 50 10025 Miles

Davis Dam

Laguna Dam

Parker Dam

Hoover Dam

Morelos Dam

Imperial Dam

Whitewater River

San Gorgonio River

Coachella Canal

Utah

Arizona

California

Nevada

BajaCalifornia

SonoraColorado River Delta

Salton Sea

Alamo R

iver

New River


Low

er C

olor

ado

Lower Gila

Colorado River

Lake Mohave

Lake Mead

Lake Havasu

MexicaliValley

Imperial Valley

Yuma and Gila

Palo Verde ValleyCoachella Valley

All American Canal


i

1.1 MAF

Intermittent InflowWaste & Runoff

3.8 MAF

1.5 MAF

0 AF

N

Legend Farmland

Remediation Sites

Dams

Streams

Aqueducts



WATER USAGE

Arizona Agriculture

1.075 MAF: 12%

Arizona Cities 1.606 MAF: 18%

California Agriculture 3 MAF: 33%

California Cities 0.907 MAF: 10%

Mexico 1.5 MAF: 16%

NevadaAgriculture

0.75 MAF: 8%

Nevada Cities 0.31 MAF: 3%

Lower Colorado Water Use by State

Agriculture 4.825 MAF

63%

Municipal/Industrial2.823 MAF

37%

Lower Colorado Water Use by Type

0

1,000,000

2,000,000

3,000,000

4,000,000

300,000

Imperia

l & C

oachella

Valley

308,000

Southern

Neva

da Wat

er Auth

ority

504,032

Colorado R

iver I

ndian R

eserv

ation

508,400

Yum

a County

Water U

sers

’ Ass

ociatio

n

556,000

Wellton-M

ohawk Ir

rigat

ion and D

rainag

e

Fort Yu

ma I

ndian R

eserv

ation

716,161

Colorado R

iver I

ndian R

eserv

ation

716,800

MWD and/o

r Los A

ngeles Are

a

1,100,000

Central A

Z Wat

er Conse

rvat

ion Dist

rict

2,980,000 3,850,000

Palo Ve

rde/Im

perial V

alley/Y

uma

Top 10 Lower Colorado Diversions (Total 11.54 Million Acre-Feet/Year)



DIVERSIONS

Arizona Agriculture

1.075 MAF: 12%

Arizona Cities 1.606 MAF: 18%

California Agriculture 3 MAF: 33%

California Cities 0.907 MAF: 10%

Mexico 1.5 MAF: 16%

NevadaAgriculture

0.75 MAF: 8%

Nevada Cities 0.31 MAF: 3%

Lower Colorado Water Use by State

Agriculture 4.825 MAF

63%

Municipal/Industrial2.823 MAF

37%

Lower Colorado Water Use by Type

0

1,000,000

2,000,000

3,000,000

4,000,000

300,000

Imperia

l & C

oachella

Valley

308,000

Southern

Neva

da Wat

er Auth

ority

504,032

Colorado R

iver I

ndian R

eserv

ation

508,400

Yum

a County

Water U

sers

’ Ass

ociatio

n

556,000

Wellton-M

ohawk Ir

rigat

ion and D

rainag

e

Fort Yu

ma I

ndian R

eserv

ation

716,161

Colorado R

iver I

ndian R

eserv

ation

716,800

MWD and/o

r Los A

ngeles Are

a

1,100,000

Central A

Z Wat

er Conse

rvat

ion Dist

rict

2,980,000 3,850,000

Palo Ve

rde/Im

perial V

alley/Y

uma

Top 10 Lower Colorado Diversions (Total 11.54 Million Acre-Feet/Year)



IMPERIAL COUNTY

Davis Dam

Laguna Dam

Parker Dam

Hoover Dam

Morelos Dam

Imperial Dam

Whitewater River

San Gorgonio River

Coachella Canal

Utah

Arizona

California

Nevada

BajaCalifornia Sonora

Imperial County


Salton Sea

Alamo R

iverNew R

iver


Low

er C

olor

ado

Lower Gila

Colorado River

Lake Mohave

Lake Mead

Lake Havasu

MexicaliValley

Imperial Valley

Yuma and Gila

Palo Verde Valley

Coachella Valley

All American Canal


0 50 Miles 25

i

N93%

3% 4%

value

Imperial Valley

Palo Verde Valley

Yuma and Gila

93%

3% 4%

value

Imperial Valley

Palo Verde Valley

Yuma and Gila

93%

3% 4%

value

Imperial Valley

Palo Verde Valley

Yuma and Gila

Land Area

93%

3% 4%

value

Imperial Valley

Palo Verde Valley

Yuma and Gila



IMPERIAL COUNTY

$0

$1,000,000

$2,000,000

$3,000,000

$4,000,000

$5,000,000

$6,000,000

0

100000

200000

300000

400000

500000

600000

700000

1910 1920 1925 1930 1935 1940 1945 1950 1954 1959 1964 1969 1974 1978 1982 1987 1992 1997 2002 2007

Land and Value of Farms

All-American Canal (1942)



SUBSIDIES

$20,000,000,000Domestic Subsidies

$1,000,000,000Export Subsidies

$240,242,000To California Farms



SUBSIDY DISTRIBUTION

Feed grains,mostly corn

35%

Cotton 18%

Wheat 15%

Rice 14%

Soy 8%

EverythingElse 10%

Farm Subsidy Distribution



CALIFORNIA SUBSIDIES

Total subsidies$19,990,000

$21,064Avg/Farm

Farms withsales of

$100K-250K


$59,821Avg/Farm

Farms withsales of

$1-5 million

Average net income of CA farms: $98,518


$84,542Avg/Farm

Farms withsales of more

than $5 million



IMPERIAL COUNTY


$37,006Avg/Farm

457 Farms in Imperial County, 45% have

over $500K in salesAverage net

income of Imperial Countyfarms: $431,044



VIRTUAL WATER EXPORTS

RICE

1.1 MAF/YR

#2 PRODUCER OF HAY IN CA

HAY

0.5 MAF/YR

STATEWIDE



IMPERIAL WATER EXPORTS

California1,723,147

Imperial County 229,569

Acres of Forage Crops

California 600,000


Exported Tons of Forage

California 452,219


Exported AF as Forage

California1,723,147



California 600,000



California 452,219



California1,723,147



California 600,000



California 452,219





SPECIALTY CROPSCALIFORNIA SPECIALTY CROP BLOCK GRANTS

$50,000 - $400,000 PER PROJECT

Andy Ciordia 2006 Victor Radziun 2006 flickr user graibeard 2010



IMPERIAL COUNTY

HARVESTED ACRES PER CROP

Hay 229,569

Vegetables (Excl. Lettuce) 54,735

Field and Grass Seed Crops 54,293

Wheat for Grain 41,085 Lettuce 28,751

FARM STATISTICS452 FARMSAVG. SIZE 945 ACRESAVG. VALUE $5 MILLION427,349 ACRES FARMLAND 376,535 ACRES IRRIGATED

WATER PRICESCA AVERAGE: $1303/AFIMPERIAL VALLEY: $20/AF



ESTIMATING IRRIGATION NEEDS PER CROP TYPE

IRRIGATION DEMANDESTIMATED IRRIGATION USAGE BY CROP (AF/YR)

Hay1,082,827Vegetables

124,442

Field & grassseed crops

219,788

Wheat forgrain

104,082

Lettuce68,194

Estimated Irrigation per Crop, AF/yr

4.65

Hay

2.30

Vegetable

s

4.07

Field &

grass

seed crops

2.53

Wheat f

or

grain

2.40

Lettuce

Crop Evapotranspiration Ft/yr



PROPOSED PRODUCTIONCROPS GROWN IN IMPERIAL COUNTY, 2007

427,349 ACRES

427,349 ACRES

$607 MILLION 1.5 MAF TOTAL

$1.23 BILLION 1.04 MAF TOTAL

PROPOSED CROP ALLOTMENT

Hay 57%

Vegetables 20%

Other 23%

Vegetables 57%

Hay 20%

Other 23%

$33

8

$26

9

Vegetables

Hay

$1,

149

$79

Vegetables Hay

191,

726

1,32

1,37

8

652,

114

388,

171

191,

726

1,32

1,37

8

652,

114

388,

171

$33

8

$26

9

Vegetables

Hay

$1,

149

$79

Vegetables Hay

475,000 AF SAVINGS

$620 MILLIONADDITIONAL SALES



WATER NEEDS OF FOODS

35

12 13

60

31 48

96 79

57

269

7 18 25 28

43

66 67

114 134

346

Vegetable

s

Starc

hy Roots

Cereals

Eggs

Legumes

Milk

Nuts

Chicken

PorkBeef

AVERAGE WATER PER PERSON FOR ONE DAY’S MEALS: 800-1200 GALLONS



DIET ADJUSTMENT



CROP COMMUNITIES

AMARANTH(Amarantus cruentus)

SUNFLOWER(Helianthus annuus)

TOMATOES(Solanum lycopersicum)

IRRIGATED AREAS AND NEAR STREAMS

DRY AREAS DISTANT

FROM WATER

SALTY SOILS, REMEDIATION

AREAS

MAIZE(Zea mays)

SQUASH(Cucurbita spp.)

BEANS(Phaseolus spp.)

HONEY MESQUITE(Prosopis glandulosa)

PRICKLY PEAR(Opuntia spp.)

JOJOBA(Simmondsia chinensis)

PRICKLY PEAR(Opuntia spp.)

PICKLEWEED(Salicornia subterminalis)

SEA PURSLANE(Sesuvium verricosum)



FARM WITH THE RIVER

Mesquite Amaranth/Corn OpuntiaFallow Lettuce Alfalfa



FARM WITH THE RIVER

Mesquite Amaranth/Corn OpuntiaFallow Lettuce Alfalfa



ANNUAL FLOOD

LEACH SALTS, REPLENISH GROUNDWATER, FEED SALTON SEA AND DELTA



ALFALFA ALTERNATIVESAS FEED & FOOD IN CROP ROTATION

International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center 2007 flickr user Net_efekt 2010

Paul Asaman 2008 Heather Dunhill 2011



CONCLUSIONSReprioritize subsidies to promote human health and water conservation over quantity and market domination.

Emphasize high-nutrition, low-water specialty crops.

Adapt heirloom crops and traditional growing methods to larger scales.

Direct conserved water to delta and Salton Sea for ecological remediation.

$

Documents

LOWER COLORADO AGRICULTURE...Mexico 1.5 MAF: 16% Nevada Agriculture 0.75 MAF: 8% Nevada Cities 0.31 MAF: 3% Lower Colorado Water Use by State Agriculture 4.825 MAF 63% Municipal/ Industrial