Archived Water News Headlines | Irrigation, Farming and Rural Issues

The archives below were published in 2003 and 2004.  Because they are dated, some of the links to news stories may be decayed. 

Panel Backs Interruptible Irrigation in Washington State (The Miami Herald, 4/1/04) - To minimize threats to salmon, state regulators should step up their authority to stop irrigation and other water withdrawals during periods of low flow in the Columbia River, a national panel of experts concluded Wednesday. The report by the National Academy of Sciences could sway looming decisions on water rights needed for the development of farms, orchards, industries and growing cities in Washington and throughout the Columbia River Basin.

Favor salmon over farmers, panel says | Study looked at drought withdrawals from Columbia River (Seattle Post-Intelligencer Reporter - 4/1/04) - Farmers should not be given permission to withdraw more water from the Columbia River in the hot summer months unless the flow can be cut off during droughts, because salmon already are under assault by water that is too warm. That was the conclusion of a long-awaited National Academy of Sciences study released yesterday to the praise of environmentalists and the scorn of farmers. Instead, conservation and purchases from those who hold long-standing water rights should help lessen the effects of droughts on farmers, the panel of the congressionally chartered academy said.

PRESS RELEASE FROM THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES - includes information on how to obtain the report, Managing the Columbia River: Instream Flows, Water Withdrawals, and Salmon Survival

Millions of dollars in property tax breaks intended to preserve farmland... (The Mercury News | AP Wire, 3/31/04) - Millions of dollars in property tax breaks intended to preserve farmland are going instead to companies that bulldoze farms to build housing subdivisions, malls and industrial parks, an Associated Press investigation has found.

Court ruling favors fish protection | Judge: BLM must consult wildlife experts (The Idaho Statesman, 3/30/04) - Ranchers and farmers who get their water in diversions that cross federal land may face another hurdle to ensure that their operations are not harming endangered salmon and bull trout. A federal judge has thrown out the Bureau of Land Management policies that irrigation diversions initiated under the Mining Act of 1866 are not subject to its oversight and therefore don´t require assessment for harm to endangered species. In a 13-page order issued earlier this month, U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill found that modifications to the 1866 law during the last 110 years left the BLM with control over the diversions. That control, Winmill wrote, requires that those irrigation diversions and ditches across federal land be evaluated with federal fish and wildlife managers to ensure they will not further threaten species protected under the Endangered Species Act.

Water study data anxiously awaited (Tri-City Herald, 3/24/04) - The end of the month can't come soon enough for orchard owner Bob Brammer. That's when the National Academy of Sciences will release its study of whether there is enough water in the mighty Columbia River for irrigation, power production, cities, commercial use and fish. It appears everybody, not just Brammer, wants to know. Now. Brammer's water right application to irrigate more apple and cherry trees in Brewster is waiting with about 90 others statewide. The applications have not been reviewed by the state Department of Ecology because the agency itself is waiting on the academy's study. About 200 applications to use ground water that is near or related to the Columbia River also are delayed. Agency officials said they couldn't determine whether taking the requested extra water from the Columbia River would affect federally listed fish.

USDA to Provide $84 Million to Protect Farm and Ranch Land - WASHINGTON, March 16, 2004 – Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman today announced that $84 million will be available to protect farm and ranch land through USDA’s Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP). “The Bush Administration is committed to conserving our natural resources,” Veneman said. “Through this program, USDA will work cooperatively with states, tribes, local communities and individuals to protect farm and ranch lands.” Through USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), FRPP protects productive agricultural land by purchasing conservation easements to limit conversion of farm and ranch lands to non-agricultural uses. NRCS will accept proposals from interested state, tribal and local governments and non-governmental organizations until the end of April 2004. The Request for Proposals will be published in tomorrow's Federal Register, March 17, 2004. For those proposals selected for FRPP funding, USDA enters into agreements with selected entities to support their efforts to protect soils and historical and archaeological sites. USDA provides up to 50 percent of the appraised fair market value of the conservation easement. To participate in FRPP, landowners agree to limit the use of their land for nonagricultural purposes and to develop and implement a conservation plan. To qualify, the farm or ranch land must contain productive soils or historic or archaeological sites and be:

• part of a pending offer from a nongovernmental organization, state, tribe or local farmland protection program;
• privately owned;
• covered by a conservation plan;
• large enough to sustain agricultural production;
• accessible to markets for what the land produces; and · surrounded by parcels of land that can support long-term agricultural production.

For a copy of the FRPP Request for Proposals or more information regarding the program, please consult the following Website: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/frpp/

Nye County opposing Las Vegas plan to reach north for more water (The Reno Gazette-Journal, 3/18/04) - Nye County is opposing plans for Las Vegas to reach north to tap groundwater supplies in Lincoln and Clark counties. “There is truly a need for us to protect our water resources,” Nye County Commissioner Midge Carver said of a 5-0 vote Tuesday to oppose a Southern Nevada Water Authority plan to invoke water rights it obtained more than a decade ago as the Las Vegas Valley Water District.

RURAL NEVADA: Water timetable speeds up | Drought forces early start to plans for pipeline projects, officials say (Las Vegas Review-Journal, 2/25/04) - Spurred by the region's record drought, the Southern Nevada Water Authority is accelerating its plans to develop more than $1 billion worth of wells and pipelines connecting Las Vegas to water resources in rural Nevada.

Call placed on North Platte (Casper Star Tribune, 2/18/04) - The Wyoming State Engineer's Office has placed restrictions on the use of water from the North Platte River in an effort to help fill Pathfinder and Guernsey reservoirs. Pathfinder's water right dates to 1904 and Guernsey's to 1923, meaning upstream water users must have older water rights to be able to use the river water before the call ends May 1. Besides the reservoirs remaining low after several years of drought, forecasts predict water to continue to be in short supply, according to John Lawson, Wyoming area director for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.

Farming Facing Competing Demands for Water (American Farm Bureau Press Release)- HONOLULU, January, 12, 2004 – Maintaining sufficient amounts of fresh water for agricultural irrigation, municipal use and other needs will be a growing concern in the next few years, according to two conference speakers today at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 85th annual convention.

Water use in the United States peaked in 1980, and has decreased since then despite a 16 percent rise in population, said Jonathan Pawlow, counsel for the House Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee. That’s good news, but the country could be on the cusp of a change for the worse, Pawlow said.

The decrease in water use was achieved largely because of improved efficiency, such as better irrigation equipment. But, as the U.S. population continues grow, the demand for water is starting to outstrip the efficiency gains.

The arid West has seen water conflicts for decades, but droughts in recent years have focused more attention on water conflicts in the East. Total irrigated acres in the West have decreased, while irrigated acres in the East are rising. These trends have resulted in more water wars where water used to be considered plentiful and affordable.

Meanwhile, migration to the South, Southwest and West has only intensified the water wars in those regions, Pawlow said.

“There should be adequate water to meet our needs,” he said, “but pollution has eliminated some usable water, the water supply is not uniform around the nation and water isn’t necessarily where the population and the needs are. People are trying to work out solutions to these problems.”

Pawlow said his subcommittee had held several hearings on the issue. He called on the conference attendees to support passage of the 21st Century Water Commission Act (H.R. 135), which would establish a commission to assess the water supply and come up with a comprehensive strategy. The House passed the bill last November, but the Senate has yet to act on it. Pawlow said attendees should also urge their senators to pass the Water Resources Development Act (H.R. 2557), which would also provide resources to assess and address the water quantity problem. The House passed the bill last September; the Senate has yet to consider it.

The majority of water wars still occur in the arid West. The second conference speaker, Lee Miller, an attorney with the Colorado law firm of Burns, Figet and Will, explained several aspects of the Interior Department’s “Water 2025” project to develop ways to meet water supply challenges and help prevent more lawsuits and conflict over water rights in the West.

Miller said the proposal wasn’t perfect, but, “We can’t put our heads in the sand and hope it goes away because we don’t like what’s being proposed. We have to be involved in the process. Miller focused on the importance of maintaining adequate water for agricultural use, despite competition from cities, recreational interests and endangered species protection. Miller represents Colorado Farm Bureau in its efforts to defend Colorado farmers’ water rights.

“If we destroy our agricultural industry in this country, food isn’t going to be as safe and we really have a homeland security issue,” he said.

Fight Continues over the Klamath Project (The Oregonian, 8/25/03)- Klamath Water Users seek assurances from Bush administration; critics claim farmers receive preferential treatment.

Colorado River Water Wars (Sun National, 8/17/03)- Thirsty California, desperate for water, is willing to pay reluctant farmers billions to get some of their surplus

Rural Watershed Victory in California (8/7/03) Rural counties in California are faced with a having to provide water to an increasing population. In past years, these "water rich" rural areas sent, through state-authorized transfers, any surplus to providers in water-poor areas in the Central Valley and Southern California. Under state law, the counties where the water originated were assured that they could take their water back from the large water projects when they needed the water. The El Dorado Irrigation District, facing such a time of need, sought to withdraw its first rights from Folsom Lake. In granting the permit, however, the State water board imposed restrictions limiting the District's withdrawals in order to "protect water quality downstream." The District appealed. In what is being haled a landmark decision in Sacramento County, the Superior Court upheld the first rights of rural counties to water that originates in their watersheds. The rural counties are jubilant, but implications to Central and Southern California are less than ecstatic as they face cutting back their water uses if the upper rural counties do not. The court held that if the water board was to impose restrictions, it had to impose restrictions on users downstream, too.

Links:

• El Dorado wins big on water rights The ruling backs first dibs by rural counties. (Cathy Locke -- Bee Staff Writer)
• El Dorado Irrigation District

Conservation District Buys Up Water Rights (Aug '03). In Colorado's Arkansas Valley, voters approved the formation of the Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District, a special conservation district that buys water rights to keep them out of the hands of outsiders. The point of contention is the historic Fort Lyon Canal, built in 1860, 115 miles long and including several reservoirs. Some southeast Colorado farmers have sold the rights to almost 32 billion gallons of water a year to developers who plan to sell it outside the valley several years from now. The Fort Lyon Canal Co. has gone to court to try to stop the developer High Plains A&M LLC from shipping the water north. The canal company has been joined by about 50 parties. In the meantime, local farmers have been selling their farms to the special conservation district, thus keeping the water in their valley [Source: Arkansas Valley fights water-rights flight - Special district formed to thwart developers (Kit Miniclier, Denver Post Staff Writer)]

Feds offer money to Klamath farmers not to irrigate (U.S. Water News, March 2003)