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we had some conservation goals that we will not be meeting this year because of the delayed implementation.” The deficit irrigation program was initial- ly slated to begin June 1. The program could still be authorized this year, but farmers said the later in the summer it gets, the harder it would likely be to solicit participation. “Every day the odds diminish of us having a deficit irrigation program this year,” said Mark McBroom, who chairs IID’s Agricultural Water Advisory Committee and grows citrus fruit, alfalfa and other crops. McBroom said the delayed implemen- tation of Imperial Valley conservation programs had complicated cropping de- cisions for some farmers. “It puts every- body in a quandary,” he said. “There are so many intangibles connected to this deficit irrigation plan.” Land leases, which often begin and end in July, as well as crop planning, ground rotation and budgeting water use for the year, could all be affected by a farmer’s par- ticipation in the program. “You’ve got a pretty good amount of farmers that have been underfarming based on this expectation of a deficit-ir- rigation program,” McBroom said, adding that he held off on possibly planting more Bermuda grass this spring due to plans to participate in such a program. The deficit irrigation program would pay
farmers to forfeit a portion of their yearly water allotment. But the exact amount can- not be determined in advance, McBroom explained, so some farmers began the year using less water than usual to ensure they would have enough left in their allotment after the program concludes for fall and winter crops. Because of existing water agreements that pass on the Imperial Valley’s “un- derrun” to urban users in Southern California, the water savings generated by underfarming will not bolster river supplies. “It benefits no one here locally,” McBroom said. Cox, who also serves on the water ad- visory committee, said last week he was advising farmers to plan for the possibil- ity of a deficit-irrigation plan beginning in July or August, but to also have a back- up plan if the program is not authorized this year. Meanwhile, IID officials and state law- makers have sought solutions to enable the conservation effort to get underway. In February, the irrigation district spon- sored state legislation, Assembly Bill 2610, that would allow Fish and Wildlife to au- thorize the “take,” or killing, of endangered species resulting from the implementa- tion of IID conservation programs that are part of the Lower Basin’s short-term plan to protect the Colorado River. The bill, authored by Eduardo Garcia,
D-Coachella, would extend an author- ity already given to the department to permit the take of endangered species resulting from water transfers from the Imperial Valley to San Diego under a 2003 deal. It would also unlock $175 million in federal funds—tied to the completion of water conservation—for habitat restoration projects at the Salton Sea. The bill passed the Assembly last month with bipartisan support. “Assemblyman Garcia’s legislative sup- port means we have the opportunity to more quickly materialize conservation programs that growers are ready to sign up for while protecting the Colorado River and ensuring the full extent of fed- eral dollars are used to fund habitat and air quality projects at the Salton Sea,” JB Hamby, California’s Colorado River com- missioner and IID vice president, said in a statement. IID officials said they did not believe the water reductions anticipated from the programs—up to 800,000 acre-feet over three years—would result in habitat loss for the pupfish or bird species. According to Shields, an IID analysis found the con- servation program would not have a great- er impact on the Salton Sea than happens from normal year-to-year variability in drainage flows. (Caleb Hampton is an assistant editor of Ag Alert. He may be contacted at champton@cfbf.com.)
could not estimate how long it might take to conclude the environmental reviews. “We appreciate and support the critical need to conserve and reduce Colorado River water usage,” Tim Daly, information officer for CDFW, said in a statement. “We look forward to continued and active en- gagement with the many partners at the table to evaluate final environmental re- view proposals.” Michelle Helms, public affairs offi- cer for the Bureau of Reclamation, said in a statement that the department was consulting with other federal and state agencies to assess the environmental ef- fects of reduced irrigation, “including po- tential impacts to the endangered Desert Pupfish that live in the drain system lead- ing to the Salton Sea.” The inland sea has been fed for decades by runoff from Imperial Valley farms and is shrinking as farmers cut back on water use. Two endangered bird species—the California black rail and the Yuma clapper rail, which live in the marshes at the edge of the Salton Sea—were also included in the consultation, the Desert Sun reported. It is not unusual that environmental re- views for large water transfers or conserva- tion programs take years to complete, “but we also know that this is a short-term com- mitment,” IID Water Manager Tina Shields said in an interview in March. “Obviously,
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12 Ag Alert June 5, 2024
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