Farmers compensated for not farming.
By Natalie Willis, Reporter, Valley Ag Voice
On Wed., the Biden Administration announced a series of agreements with water districts and tribes — primarily in California — to use less water in return for $295 million. The conservation agreements expect to save up to 643,000 acre-feet in Lake Mead rather than allowing flows down to users below the Hoover Dam.
According to a news release from the U.S. Department of the Interior, California agencies involved in the agreement include the Coachella Valley Water District to save up to 105,000 acre-feet through 2025, as well as an agreement with the Quechan Indian Tribe to save up to 39,000 acre-feet.
The Imperial Irrigation District also agreed to save 100,000 acre-feet in 2023. Water from the district irrigates almost half a million acres of farmland in the Imperial Valley. Farmers in the district that conserve water will be compensated $776 per acre-foot.
Additional agreements with the Palo Verde Irrigation District, the Bard Water District — in cooperation with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California — and a second agreement with the Coachella Valley Water District are expected to be finalized in the coming weeks.
Agriculture will face another setback in production with the new conservation agreements. Bart Fisher, president of the Palo Verde Irrigation District, told Politico that nearly 30% of agricultural land will be fallowed in his region of California, near the Arizona border.
“But if we can stabilize the river…it is worthwhile because it secures our own water future,” Fisher said.
The agreements are part of 21 water conservation contracts by the Biden Administration, with federal compensation allocated from the Inflation Reduction Act. During the signing, Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton explained that the agreements are part of a collective effort to address water management challenges within the Colorado River Basin.
“Addressing the drought crisis requires an all-hands-on-deck approach and close collaboration among federal, state, Tribal, and local communities,” Touton said.
Current investments in the Colorado River Basin include $281 million for water recycling projects, $233 million in conservation funding for the Gila River Indian Community — which includes $83 million for a water pipeline — over $73 million for infrastructure repairs on water delivery systems, $71 million for 32 drought resiliency projects, $50 million to improve infrastructure over the next five years, and $20 million in small surface and groundwater storage.
