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Rationing signals grim times for water out West
By Dan Keppen
Klamath Falls Herald and News
Guest Opinion
June 29, 2008
This month has been a grim one in the Western water world, and for once,
“Klamath” has not been in the headlines in two of the saddest stories.
But there are real ties to our community in both cases.
On May 30, John Keys III, the former commissioner of the Bureau of
Reclamation, lost his life when the plane he was piloting crashed in
Canyonlands National Park in Utah. That same day, irrigators on the west
side of the San Joaquin Valley learned that they would have to undertake
a severe water rationing plan that will dry up some of the most
productive farmland in the world and impact a multi-billion dollar local
economy.
I’ve had a lot of time recently to think about both of these sad developments. Earlier this month, I drove from Klamath Falls to Boise to attend the memorial service of Keys, a man I considered to be a close professional associate and personal friend. As commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation, John visited the Klamath Basin several times during and following the Klamath Project irrigation curtailment in 2001.
John had a very impressive career with Reclamation, one that spanned 39
years. In 1998, he was appointed by President Bush as the national
commissioner in Washington, D.C., where he served from 2001 to 2006.
John was a kind and gentle man, beloved by his family and friends. He
died on a beautiful day, in a beautiful place, doing something he loved
to do.
Driving to and from John’s service, I thought about how fortunate I was
to be able to work with him, even if only for a few years.
Winding through the high desert of Eastern Oregon, I also spent much
time brooding about my friends who manage and farm in California’s San
Joaquin Valley, which is now bracing for a shock that will likely far
exceed the devastation felt when Klamath Project irrigators lost their
water in 2001.
Similar government regulations and court-ordered directives favoring
fish over farmers will put the screws to San Joaquin communities this
summer. Because farmland within Westlands Water District — ground zero
in the current crisis — accounts for 20 percent of the $5 billion
agricultural production of Fresno County (the nation’s No. 1 farm
county), the potential economic impacts will dwarf the 2001 Klamath
crisis.
As a result of an extremely dry spring, and implementation of
court-ordered water delivery restrictions on Central Valley Project (CVP)
operations to protect fish, pumping to San Joaquin farmers has been
drastically curtailed this summer. For the producers in Westlands, this
means they will have a scant 6 inches of water to quench the thirst of
permanent crops like almonds over a three-month period.
Lawsuits launched by environmental activists have effectively throttled
the ability to move water out into San Luis Reservoir, which typically
supports western San Joaquin irrigation needs. Water users are
scrambling to enhance supplies by looking at alternative groundwater
sources, putting together water transfers and exchanges, and pleading
with government agencies for regulatory relief. As prospects for
implementing these alternatives diminish, local water users have
developed a rationing proposal intended to avoid a catastrophic total
depletion of stored water in San Luis.
This looming crisis is tragic and unfair. Like Klamath Project water
users, these producers are some of the most innovative people I know.
They have employed savvy and determination for many years, only to have
their efforts denied by administrative, judicial and statutory
restrictions beyond their control.
This time, it looks like they’ve run out of options.
Sad news to contemplate as I left John Keys’ moving memorial service in
Boise, headed back for Klamath Falls.
About the author
Dan Keppen of Klamath Falls is executive director of the Family Farm
Alliance.
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