A Water Transfer and Agricultural Land Retirement in a Drainage Problem Area

Abstract

The increasing scarcity of water in California and the rising cost of compliance with environmental regulations are motivating some farmers in the San Joaquin Valley to sell their land and water, and discontinue production of irrigated crops. In the summer of 2004, all landowners in the 3,700-ha Broadview Water District decided to sell their land to Westlands Water District. The land sales have been completed and Westlands has acquired Broadview's water supply contract. Farmland in Broadview will no longer be irrigated. We describe what motivated the purchase and sale of land and water in Broadview and discuss the potential gains to participants. We describe also the potential public benefits that include an increase in economic activity and environmental enhancement in the San Joaquin Valley. Farm workers displaced by land retirement in Broadview will find employment in the Westlands Water District. Tenant farmers in Broadview will need to find other land on which to continue farming after the land sales are completed. The challenge they face is caused partly by a regional trend toward greater production of perennial crops that is leaving less land available for annual leases.

Climate change impacts on soil salinity in agricultural areas

“…A comparison of salinity levels for 2,400 ha of the former Broadview Water District in the WSJV from 1991 (Figure 3a) to 2013 shows an increase in soil salinity has occurred (Figure 3b). In February 2005, Broadview Water District land became fallow as a result of their water allocation being sold to an adjacent water district, Westlands Water District (Wichelns & Cone, 2006). Figure 3a shows a map of salinity for the Broadview Water District in 1991 obtained from the EC a ‐directed soil sampling approach of Corwin et al (1999), Corwin and Lesch (2003) and Corwin and Leach (2005).…”

Alfalfa production using saline drainage water

“…A zero salt balance will ensure that there will be no accumulation of salt in the root zone and has been proven to sustain agricultural production. This approach to salt management is no longer possible on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley because of regulatory limitations placed on drainage water disposal (Wichelns and Cone, 2006).…”