Agricultural Water Issues Sustainable Irrigation

Richard McNider, John Christy, James Cruise and Richard Marcus

University of Alabama in Huntsville

Ashutosh LimayeUniversities Space Research Association

James Hairston and Upton HatchAuburn University

Alabama Water Resources ConferenceOrange Beach, AL September 8-9,2005

The Past

Rain-fed Agriculture in the Eastern U.S.

•At the turn of the 20th century most of the U.S food and fiber production was found in the East and Midwest based on rain-fed agriculture

•Due to transportation and distribution issues regional markets were a necessity

•Commodity prices in these regional markets included weather losses as a part of the production costs

P>EP<E

Rain-fed Agriculture

Precipitation minus Evaporation

from NCEP 1963-2002

By 1950 this agricultural system that had endured for generations began to go through a dramatic change

Western water projects coming fully online and cheap electricity in the Great Plains for pumping from the Ogallala Aquifer

substantially increased the amount of irrigated acreage in the U.S.

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Faster and cheaper transport and refrigerated transport had also begun to amalgamate the regional markets.

1925 1955 1975 1995

State Corn Prices

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IL

With the upturn of western irrigated agriculture and amalgamation of markets Eastern rain-fed farmers were then faced with an intrusion into the market that removed drought losses as a cost of production.

Cotton Production, pounds/acre, Belle Mina

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Larry CurtisAuburn University

Farm decline in Alabama almost inversely mirrors agricultural increases California as water projects came on line.

CA irrigated farmland

The end result of the sustained and improved productivity by western irrigated agriculture was a substantial decrease in agricultural output in the east from 1950-1990

Alabama lost over 12 million acres of farmland since 1950

acreage

During the the same period that Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi were losing cotton - California and Arizona were gaining cotton

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Maine Potatoes?

In 1939 Maine led the nation in potato production. New York and Pennsylvania were also significant producers.

As water projects came on line, Idaho began to increase its production.

After 1950 Maine, New York and Pennsylvania began a sharp decline.

Today Idaho is #1 in potatoes followed by Washington. Maine, New York and Pennsylvania are no longer in the top 5. [Effland 2003]

This massive shift in agriculture was highly subsidized. The Federal government spent billions of dollars on Western water projects for agriculture. This included massive dams, canals, piping to provide basically free water to farmers.

The tremendous increase in western agriculture due to irrigation came with additional costs beyond what the federal government paid.

For example in California tremendous environmental damage was done as rivers were totally depleted destroying salmon runs and wetlands.

Urban areas had to develop ever expensive projects to find water for increasing populations. Water had to be moved hundreds of miles over thousands of feet of elevation rather than use water allocated to agriculture

The Present

With poor water holding soils the south was particularly hard hit. In a slow, painful decline the southeast’s agricultural economy was decimated by the subsidized irrigated agriculture in the west.

Historically the richest part of Alabama is now its poorest region. Large areas are third world in terms of poverty, education and infant mortality.

Landowners faced with the competition of Western subsidized irrigated agriculture in large part resorted to accepting government set asides or timber farming.

Land is now in timber or low intensity pasture.

Rural towns dependent on farming business died out.

When a farmer is farming he is turning over $500-$750 per acre per year which is part of the local economy

With timber production he is only turning over $18-22 per acre per year.

The southeast is currently under-utilizing its land and water resources

(Birmingham News.Bernard Troncale)

The era of competition from subsidized irrigated western faced by eastern farmers in the last 50 years may be coming

to an end.

New pressures are now forcing a cost-accounting for Western irrigated-agriculture. In the long-term many observers feel this desert agriculture is not sustainable.

•Ground water overdrafts from pumping

•Water demand from rapid urban growth

•Farmers vs municipalities ($15 farmer cost vs $200-600 municipal water cost per acre-foot)

•Silting of reservoirs

•Salt and selenium surface poisoning

•New air, water, and soil pollution regulations

•River restoration and endangered species initiatives

The Future

Population growth in the west is expected to continue at a rapid pace. For example California’s population is increasing by 600,000 per year.

Environmental initiatives for river and wetland restoration will consume additional water (Salton Sea, San Joaquin river) .

Thus, billions of dollars will have to be spent to find and develop water sources just to keep pace with needs.

Demand for water may not be the biggest issue facing the west. Rather, it may be supply.

Recent reconstruction of climate indicate that the past 70 years may have been abnormally wet and future supply could be much

less. The current drought may be the norm.

From Piechota et a. 2004

Abnormally Wet

With increasing demand and decreasing supply there will likely have to be a contraction in agriculture in the U.S.

Where and how will this production be replaced?

Agricultural production could go offshore. However, this may not be in the best interests of food and fiber security for the U.S.

Additionally, agriculture is not benign in its environmental or human impact with pesticides, water quality, erosion and labor.

In a global sense the U.S. is likely to better protect the environment and work force than the third world.

The solution we propose is that agriculture should return to the east under an irrigated assisted rain-fed system. The vast and sustainable surface water resources in the east dwarf water availability in the west.

Rio Grande

0.8 million ac-ft/year

Alabama River @ Claiborne

10 to 34 million ac-ft/year

The Alabama River in Monroe County had an annual flow for the driest year on record (2000) of near 10 million acre-ft - 12 times that of the Rio Grande

Agricultural experts (and data) tell us that eastern farmers with new genetics can be just a productive as western farmers.

Alabama is simply not participating in irrigated agriculture.

Cotton Production, pounds/acre, Belle Mina

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30% PanEvap

60% PanEvap

Larry CurtisAuburn University

Economic Impact can be substantial

Adding 2 million acres under irrigation in Alabama (of ten million lost) at $750/acre would be the economic equivalent of the direct payroll of all the automotive assembly plants attracted to the State.

Corn

CottonEconomic impact would be greatest in the poorest parts of the State

Would reduce welfare and costs of other subsidy programs

Alabama Can Compete with the West!

Alabama California

$484 $845Total Costs per Acre

Cotton

Alabama consumes 220 million bushels corn

Alabama produces 16 million bushels

What if Alabama produced what it consumed?

204 million bushels x $2.80 bushel = $560 million to State economy

Using 2.5 multiplier effect (equipment sales, transportation,banking etc) this would add $1.5 billion to State economy.

Costs including center pivot and pond

Assume $750 Center pivot cost per acre

15 acre pond irrigating 300 acres - $80,000 ($266/acre)

Total cost $1016 per acre

Amortize at 7% interest for seven years - $239 per year per acre

Can Alabama develop a sustainable and environmentally acceptable system for utilizing its water resources for irrigated agriculture?

Alabama ranks near the bottom in acreage under irrigation in the U.S.

Demopolis Lake

What about available water in Alabama and the Southeast for

expanded irrigation?

Run-off

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Annual Fraction of Water Withdrawal in Southeast is Extremely Low

Based on Withdrawals

There is plenty of water availability in the east on an annual basis. However, uptake of water by natural vegetation reduces streamflows during summer to critical levels.

2.5%27%

102%

We are withdrawing the most water for irrigation in precisely those areas that have the least water availability.

Why irrigate in the south? Because that’s where the water is.

TOTAL MEAN STREAMFLOW ALABAMA RIVER AT CLAIRBORNE L&D1976-2004

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While average precipitation is relatively uniform through the year stream flows have a pronounced intra-annual variation due to water uptake by vegetation.

Solution may be a managed irrigation system using stored winter surface water

•Irrigation from ground water generally not sustainable if aquifers are depleted or depressed – for example Georgia and Florida

•On-demand summer withdrawals adversely impact summer low stream flows and for small streams this is not environmentally acceptable

Sustainable Southeastern Model - Storage of Winter Surface Water

Even in dry years crops need less than a foot of water. Irrigation can be supported with a fraction of the winter river flow removed.

Wringing the final drops of water out of the western system will be incredibly expensive. Catching and storing water in the east is easy and inexpensive. Rather than big multi-year storage reservoirs needed in the west. Simple on-farm storage ponds can be filled with excess winter water from small streams and catchments.

In many areas a 15 acre pond ten feet deep (enough to irrigate nearly 300 acres) can be constructed for less than $100,000.

South needs help with investment of storage infrastructure

The nation cannot continue to subsidize the expensive unsustainable system of desert agriculture. The value of water in the west is vastly overvalued relative to what can equivalently be derived from eastern agriculture.

The recent DOI agreement on allocation of Colorado River water included a requirement to line the American canal at a cost of $200 million which will save 77,000 acre-ft per year. This would equivalently serve 20,000 irrigated acres.

In Alabama $200 million would build on- farm storage for 300,000 acre-ft which would support 300,000-600,000 acres of irrigated land.

The Temperance Flat Dam Project has been proposed as a solution to catch more water in the San Joaquin Basin near Fresno, CA. The cost of this project is estimated to be $1.7 billion. It would add 250,000-750,000 acre-ft of additional storage which would serve up to 190,000 irrigated acres.

In the Southeast this $1.7 billion would add over 2.5 million acre-ft of storage and support 3 - 5 million acres of irrigated land.

The efficiency of SE irrigation infrastructure costs is 15 to 1 better than CA

Alabama and Florida as litigants in the AL/FL/GA water disputes have fostered an atmosphere of scarcity based on water withdrawals by the fast growing Atlanta metropolitan area.

A secondary emphasis has been on irrigating farmers in South Georgia

Any plan for increasing irrigation in Alabama will have to be done against this backdrop!

The fraction of water actually consumed (evaporated) by urban water use is small.

Atlanta withdraws approximately 1. million acre-ft/year (USGS)1

Fraction consumed (0.10 -0.2) – 150,000-200,000 acre-ft/year

Increased consumption since 1973 - 75,000-100,000 acre-ft/year

Estimated based on Georgia 2000 total withdrawals for public water supply

Consumption due to landscape change

The transformation of Atlanta from a heavily forested region to an urban landscape has probably decreased water consumption as deep-rooted vegetation has been replaced by impervious surfaces and grasses. The net result has likely been increased run-off and higher stream flow rates.

Courtesy Dale Quatrocchi,NASA MSFC

Estimate of Consumption Change Due to Land Use

Atlanta Land Use History and ProjectionsFrom Lo and Yang, 2002

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From Kovner 1957 Proceedings of American Foresters, 1957 Memphis,Tennessee

Coweeta Watershed Forest Cut in 1939

Estimated evapotranspiration decreased by 10 inches after cutting forest.

Change in consumption due to land use change in Atlanta

1973-1999 decrease in forests 2200 sq.km or 518,000 acres

For a 10 inch decrease in evapotranspiration based on Coweeta experiment this yields 200,000 -400,000 acre-ft of reduced consumption of water in Atlanta area

Compare to increased consumption by urban use 75,000-100,000 acre-ft per year.

While the average annual and summer run-off and flows are likely increased due urban growth there may still be issues with summer withdrawals during extreme droughts.

STREAMFLOW VOLUME VS PRECIPITATION PEACHTREE CREEK ATLANTA

y = 1304.9x + 3E+06

y = -0.0766x + 57.981

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acre feet/yr precip/yr Linear (acre feet/yr) Linear (precip/yr)

While urban consumption may not be an issue consumption by irrigated agriculture in the Flint/Chattahoochie Basin and in Florida may be problem.

STREAMFLOW VOLUME VS PRECIPITATION FLINT RIVER NEWTON, GA

1957-2003

y = -0.0507x + 50.819

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Corn rainfed – 12-15 inches

Corn irrigated 18-20 inches

Forests 20-26 inches (USGS)

In humid environments water will be consumed by vegetation even if not in agricultural production

Natural forests or farmed forests may consume more water over a season than irrigated corn

Environmental concerns

1. Impact of winter water withdrawals on estuarine sediment enrichment

2. Impact of winter water withdrawals on freshwater balance in estuarine areas

Initial belief is that winter withdrawals will be so small especially in light of the huge natural variability that impact will be insignificant

3. Impact of nutrient run-off due to increased acreage under production

This is major concern that increased run-off due to irrigation will degrade stream quality. Riparian buffer zones and fertigation may ameliorate nutrient impacts.

4. If large scale irrigation is fostered by federal infrastructure support then issues such as endangered species should and will be addressed.

Positive Impact of Managed Irrigation

1. Managed Winter Water Is More Sustainable Than Use of On-Demand Summer water

Use of winter water should be much preferred over the current on-demand system where farmers pump from small streams or aquifers that cannot stand this withdrawal during critical low flow summer conditions. Freshwater aquatic habitats adversely impacted.

2. Bringing Agriculture East to the Water Helps the Environment in the West

Increased agricultural output in the southeast could potentially free up water for environmental restoration in the west.

3. Bringing Agriculture to the East Helps the Environment to the Global South

Increased agricultural output in the southeast could potentially reduce reliance on agricultural imports from poor countries in the global south where environmental protection would not be up to standards that will be adhered to in the southeast. At the same time it reduces the resource cost of transporting agricultural goods excessive distances.

Add Water Withdrawal

One million acre-ft withdrawn

Even Year Withdrawal

Odd Year Withdrawal

One million acre-ft withdrawn

Environmental Concerns

In the end we believe that environmentalists will accept this managed winter water irrigation scheme as the best environmental solution for the region and for the country and world as a whole.

University community is proposing a comprehensive economic and

environmental study

What would be the economic cost and return for increasing irrigation?

Can this be done without significant adverse impact on other water users (navigation, hydro-electric, public water supply)?

Can this be done in an environmentally acceptable way?

How can State and federal government encourage investment in irrigation infrastructure?

20th Century: Move Water to Agriculture

The western belief that it was a crime to let water flow into the sea lead to the financing of colossal projects to divert water onto deserts. Moving water is expensive and long term problems are now apparent.

In wet climates, only inches per year of irrigation are needed to supplement natural rainfall. The most cost effective and sustainable solution for U.S agriculture is to bring it back to water.

21st Century: Move Agriculture to Water

Coffeeville Lock and Dam in Alabama11 to 35 million ac-ft /year

Friant Dam near Fresno CA0.5 to 3 million ac-ft/year

Acknowledgements:

This work was partially supported by a USDA grant to Florida State University on Risk Reduction in SE Agriculture. The results and opinions in this study do not necessarily reflect those of USDA.

GOES-8 Skin Temperature19 May 1999 3:00 PM CDT

Land Sat Image

Urban surfaces are warm in part due to decreased evapotranspiration

What can and should government do to encourage irrigation?

1. Allow water to be removed from surface streams/rivers during the winter and transported across non-riparian land to fill on-farm storage ponds

2. Federal government should build or help build on-farm storage ponds.

3. State government should provide tax credits for irrigation infrastructure