One thing we can be certain about is water demand. People have an expectation that water will be available, on-demand, 24-7 in our small towns, cities and metropolises at all times. On the other hand, farmers want certainty but rarely have sureness that their water will be delivered by Mother Nature or through irrigation systems on time and in the right place. Why is that?
Natural rainfall and snowmelt are acts of God that are not easily predicted when climate changes are superimposed over the chance of getting enough rain based on the last 100 years of probabilistic analysis. Irrigation systems are society created and depend on the physical constraints of storage and conveyance systems and the political tug-of-war that develops between stakeholders and the available seasonal water.
Some say that we not dwell over things that are out of our control and focus on where we can make good change. Managing seasonal water deliveries is one of those things. It begins with everyone having a seat at the table. It starts by listening to the vision and dilemma reflected by each person’s story. It includes patience, fairness, diligence to each other and an integrity that unites everyone. We have this in our communities.
Let’s exercise this process:
- To those farmers in the Central Valley of California that will receive an allocation of 65% on a year that produced near record snow fall and precipitation in the watershed.
- To the Native People that desire inclusion of their principal water values with all society and a safety net that protects them from risky projects that pollute or divert good quality water away from their needs.
- To the disadvantaged communities across the state that are unseen in their dilemma in having clean and safe drinking water and shower water for their homes.
- To groundwater well users that find themselves in harm’s way from industrial well fracking programs that raise risk to domestic and farming populations that rely on potable water to live.
- To the communities that simply desire to retain water for their critical needs.