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- 14. Megdal response to Kiser article in Daily Star
Some weeks ago, columnist Jim Kiser wrote an opinion piece about agricultural use of water in Arizona ("Farms have big thirsts," Sept. 26). His basic premises were 1) agriculture uses a lot of water, 2) agriculture is not particularly important to Arizona's economy, and 3) reductions in water use by agriculture should be part of the state's approach to dealing with drought.
How much water does irrigated agriculture use in Arizona? When the Water Resources Research Center was planning its April 2004 conference on the future of agricultural water use in Arizona, experts found it difficult to quantify the "use" of water by agriculture. For example, is it water pumped or water "consumed" by the crops? Some areas of the state do not report groundwater withdrawals while others do. Estimates indicate from roughly two-thirds to 80 percent of water is "used" by agriculture.
There are consequences to significant reductions in water use by agriculture. After it is applied to crops, much water seeps back into the ground and finds its way into aquifers or washes and streams. It is important to recognize that major cutbacks of water use by agriculture could have unintended consequences to other water users or the environment.
On the economic front, the Arizona Farm Bureau estimates the contribution of Arizona's agriculture to the economy to be $6.6 billion. Agriculture may not be particularly important to Tucson's economy, but it is important to various local economies in the state. Some agriculture activity is ceasing - witness the houses going up near Interstate 10 in Casa Grande - or moving, such as dairies leaving Maricopa County for Pinal County. Other areas, such as the Gila River Indian Community and Yuma County, are experiencing increases in irrigated agriculture.
Agriculture has some of the most senior surface water rights in the state. Pursuant to the 1980 Groundwater Management Act, in certain regions of the state agriculture cannot increase its acreage beyond the levels of the late-1970s, but it can continue to irrigate certain acres in perpetuity. One can't simply take away agriculture's rights to use water, but voluntary transfer of water is one way to reduce agricultural water use in times of drought.
Within the state's Active Management Areas, mostly urban areas where groundwater use by all sectors is regulated, the Arizona Department of Water Resources has implemented a best management practices program for agriculture.
The Governor's Drought Task Force recently submitted the state's first Drought Preparedness Plan. Although the plan's Guidelines for Drought Response and Mitigation do not include explicit conservation requirements for agriculture, when drought conditions are deemed extreme, it is recommended that the state "facilitate voluntary water purchases/transfers from irrigated agriculture (at fair market price) or other permit holders for potable water deliveries or for environmental protection. …" A footnote includes a task force request that conservation guidelines be developed for agriculture within a year.
Not surprisingly, agriculture gets very nervous when it knows that others are eying the water it uses and does not appreciate suggestions that it's an unimportant sector of our economy. There could be better communication between this water-using sector and the public, especially when it comes to conservation measures.
However, while we consider our options for addressing drought, let's not belittle agriculture's contributions to Arizona's economy.
See the new Arizona Drought Preparedness Plan at www.water.az.gov/gdtf
● Sharon B. Megdal is a professor in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics and director of the Water Resources Research Center at the University of Arizona. - Updated: November 10, 2004
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