By Scott Hamilton, President, Hamilton Resource Economics
If you ask farmers what it takes to succeed, you’ll likely receive a variety of answers — hard work, discipline, continual attention to the crop, strategic marketing, motivated employees, and maybe even some good luck. Additionally, successful farmers have a deep understanding of production – they know how to grow their crops better than anyone else. Ask them about inputs, and they likely won’t mention that too much of a good thing can be harmful — it’s obvious to them. Excess water can lead to poor root health and disease. Too much fertilizer can kill plants. And excessive overhead costs can erode profits.
Now, if you talk to many biologists, they also won’t tell you that too much of a good thing can be bad – but that’s because they don’t realize it. A prime example is the amount of water flowing into the ocean.
Around 100,000 acre-feet per day flowed into the ocean during the first week of January. At the same time, the water projects were pumping around 11,000 acre-feet per day. At that time, San Luis Reservoir was only three-quarters full. That situation might rightfully lead to some relevant questions. But the real problem is an entrenched belief in Sacramento, held by many biologists, that such high outflows to the ocean are good. That is seen in several forums. In 2017, many respected scientists published an article titled “Water Wasted to the Sea?” challenging the idea that high outflows were a waste of water. The concept appears in regulations imposed by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife that require high spring outflows. That belief is shared by State Water Resources Control Board staff who claim that “more is better” when it comes to Delta outflow.
Certainly, high outflows provide a number of ecological services. But delta smelt and other fish face severe depletion because of insufficient food. Food is produced as a complex interaction of several factors including nutrient availability and water temperature. Also key is what’s known as “residence time.” If flows are too high, nutrients and zooplankton (the food that fish eat) are washed downstream. They never stay in one place long enough to reproduce and multiply, resulting in insufficient food supplies for fish. Just like fertilizer, there is an optimal level of outflow. Too much is bad, and not recognizing that basic fact is devastating for some listed fish species.
The challenge for water and conservation managers is to find the right balance. That requires understanding science. The State Water Resources Control Board is in the process of updating the Bay-Delta Plan. Their staff are pushing strongly for more outflow. This effort is strongly opposed by the Water Blueprint for the San Joaquin Valley and other organizations that understand how mismanagement of California’s water resources can trigger social and economic crises, as well as negatively impact certain endangered fish. Ultimately, the hope is that the decision-makers in Sacramento will come to know what farmers know.