While driving through Salinas or on the way to Monterey, you can easily spot the rolling fields of agriculture: lush strawberry bushes, tomato fields, and almond trees. California’s agricultural output feeds about ¼ of the United States annually. But California will need more water to grow that supply–and we’re running out fast.
Farmers have previously drained the groundwater supply without taking any necessary precautions for the future. This problem will soon lead to one of two choices: halt the production of Californian agriculture or pipe water from the Great Lakes–or another large water source–to preserve the output. In a recent New York Times article, Jay Famiglietti reflects on the negatives of transporting water that far across the country, focusing on both the practical and aesthetic, highlighting that building a transportation system would be not only hard on the eyes but also “complex, expensive and environmentally disruptive.” She later points out that although this system could have consequences, we might not have any other choice in the future.
Graph from (nature.com), shows the steady decrease of groundwater in California since the 1960s.
So what can we do to save California’s agriculture? With annual droughts becoming the new normal, will crops die out and global warming increase? Other world powers that have encountered this same problem have started to come up with initiatives to support water. China, for example, has started to create a solution, a project that will be completed by 2050. The “China South to North Water Transfer Project” should be able to haul around 15 tons of water annually. The biggest project worldwide concerning the depleting groundwater supply, China’s project is estimated to cost around 62 billion dollars (water-technology.net). Due to extreme cost benefits, the United States has not started a similar project, however, if started we could save Californian agriculture and possibly prevent the complete absence of groundwater reserves in the West.
This graph from (nature.com) shows how China’s water initiative will help save water supply.
Although no nationwide plans have been made, California has established the Office of Sustainable Groundwater Management, which hopes to preserve the supply through planning, monitoring, and funding, among other methods. This office provides grants to construct water recycling facilities, public drinking fountain projects, and many other initiatives. While this is a step in the right direction, California must weigh the future of agriculture in its hands while planning to conserve and protect water from being exploited or overused.
Overall, the groundwater issue, while seldom discussed, is a problem that will plague the future of California’s agriculture as we know it if preventative measures aren’t taken.