<div dir="ltr"><div><a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-10-03/californias-environment-takes-biggest-hit-during-drought">https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-10-03/californias-environment-takes-biggest-hit-during-drought</a></div><div><div class="gmail-page-lead-media" style="box-sizing:border-box;background-repeat:no-repeat"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;background-repeat:no-repeat"><br><br class="gmail-Apple-interchange-newline"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:KisFBDisplay,"times new roman",times,serif;font-size:40px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:500;letter-spacing:-0.2px;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255);text-decoration:none;display:inline;float:none">California drought pits farmers vs. cities. But neither is the biggest water victim</span><br class="gmail-Apple-interchange-newline"><img class="gmail-image" alt="Crews conduct a survey of dead fall-run Chinook salmon in the Sacramento River." src="https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/19e2f1e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4200x2800+0+0/resize/1200x800!/quality/80/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F3f%2Ff5%2Fb723b86f45229c1a2acb1dc1eade%2F890757-me-salmon-along-sacramento-river-54-ajs.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: middle; display: block; height: auto; max-width: 100%; width: 1020px; margin-bottom: 10px; background-repeat: no-repeat;" width="1200" height="800"></span><div class="gmail-figure-content" style="box-sizing:border-box;font-weight:500;font-style:normal;font-size:0.75rem;line-height:0.875rem;margin:0px 0px 20px;padding-left:20px;padding-right:20px;background-repeat:no-repeat"><div class="gmail-figure-caption" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:inline;background-repeat:no-repeat">Crews conduct a survey of dead fall-run Chinook salmon in the Sacramento River in January of this year.</div><div class="gmail-figure-credit" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:inline;margin-left:5px;background-repeat:no-repeat">(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)</div></div></div><div class="gmail-byline" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:flex;margin-bottom:20px;max-width:680px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;background-repeat:no-repeat"><div class="gmail-authors" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:flex;margin-bottom:12px;text-transform:uppercase;background-repeat:no-repeat"><div class="gmail-author-name" style="box-sizing:border-box;font-weight:500;font-style:normal;font-size:0.75rem;line-height:0.875rem;display:inline;text-transform:uppercase;background-repeat:no-repeat"><span class="gmail-byline-prefix" style="box-sizing:border-box;background-repeat:no-repeat">BY</span><span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span><a class="gmail-link" href="https://www.latimes.com/people/hayley-smith" aria-label="Hayley Smith" style="box-sizing:border-box;text-decoration:none;background-repeat:no-repeat">HAYLEY SMITH</a><span class="gmail-author-title" style="box-sizing:border-box;font-weight:500;font-style:normal;font-size:0.75rem;line-height:0.875rem;margin:0px 0px 0px 4px;display:inline;background-repeat:no-repeat">STAFF WRITER </span></div></div><span class="gmail-published-date-day" style="box-sizing:border-box;background-repeat:no-repeat">OCT. 3, 2022<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span class="gmail-published-date-updated-date" style="box-sizing:border-box;background-repeat:no-repeat"><span class="gmail-published-date-updated-label" style="box-sizing:border-box;font-weight:700;background-repeat:no-repeat">UPDATED </span>6:59 AM PT</span><div class="gmail-page-actions" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;background-repeat:no-repeat"><span class="gmail-action-bar" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;background-repeat:no-repeat"><ul class="gmail-action-bar-menu" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;display:flex;list-style:none;background-repeat:no-repeat"><li style="box-sizing:border-box;margin-right:5px;background-repeat:no-repeat"><a class="gmail-action-link" href="https://www.facebook.com/dialog/share?app_id=134435029966155&display=popup&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fcalifornia%2Fstory%2F2022-10-03%2Fcalifornias-environment-takes-biggest-hit-during-drought" target="_blank" style="box-sizing:border-box;text-decoration:none;display:block;border:0px none;background-repeat:no-repeat"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;width:1px;height:1px;padding:0px;border:0px none;overflow:hidden;background-repeat:no-repeat">Facebook</span></a></li><li style="box-sizing:border-box;margin-right:5px;background-repeat:no-repeat"><a class="gmail-action-link gmail-ActionLink" href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fcalifornia%2Fstory%2F2022-10-03%2Fcalifornias-environment-takes-biggest-hit-during-drought&text=California%20drought%20pits%20farmers%20vs.%20cities.%20But%20neither%20is%20the%20biggest%20water%20victim" target="_blank" style="box-sizing:border-box;text-decoration:none;display:block;border:0px none;background-repeat:no-repeat"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;width:1px;height:1px;padding:0px;border:0px none;overflow:hidden;background-repeat:no-repeat">Twitter</span></a></li><li style="box-sizing:border-box;margin-right:5px;background-repeat:no-repeat"><a class="gmail-action-link" href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-10-03/californias-environment-takes-biggest-hit-during-drought#" style="box-sizing:border-box;text-decoration:none;display:block;border:0px none;background-repeat:no-repeat"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;width:1px;height:1px;padding:0px;border:0px none;overflow:hidden;background-repeat:no-repeat">Show more sharing options</span></a></li></ul></span></div></div><div class="gmail-page-article-container" style="box-sizing:border-box;max-width:680px;margin:0px auto;background-repeat:no-repeat"><div class="gmail-page-article-body" style="box-sizing:border-box;background-repeat:no-repeat"><div class="gmail-rich-text-article-body" style="box-sizing:border-box;background-repeat:no-repeat"><div class="gmail-rich-text-article-body-content gmail-rich-text-body" style="box-sizing:border-box;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.9375rem;background-repeat:no-repeat"><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 30px;background-repeat:no-repeat">As California fast approaches what is likely to be<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span><a class="gmail-link" href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-09-22/a-fourth-dry-year-likely-in-california-officials-say" style="box-sizing:border-box;text-decoration:underline;background-repeat:no-repeat">a fourth year of punishing drought</a>, residents are being asked to cut their water use to historic lows. But while city dwellers are rising to the occasion — including<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span><a class="gmail-link" href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-09-16/angelenos-are-using-record-low-amounts-of-water-now-what" style="box-sizing:border-box;text-decoration:underline;background-repeat:no-repeat">record reductions</a><span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span>in Los Angeles in August — urban consumption still represents only a small fraction of total water use in the state.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat">Where the rest of it goes depends on whom you ask. The California Department of Water Resources says 50% of the state’s water goes toward environmental purposes, 40% toward agriculture and 10% toward urban areas.<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat">But experts say that calculation tells only part of the story, especially because the environment’s share tends to shrink dramatically during dry years. Instead, a clearer picture begins to emerge when you consider water designated for domestic and business use. Of that, 80% goes toward agriculture and 20% toward urban areas.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat">While agriculture’s share may seem outsized to some urban residents being asked to<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span><a class="gmail-link" href="https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2022-04-28/southern-california-reacts-to-new-drought-restrictions" style="box-sizing:border-box;text-decoration:underline;background-repeat:no-repeat">let their lawns go brown</a>, experts say the sector is also dealing with cuts, shortages and shifts brought on by drought and climate change, even as it continues to play a major role in feeding the state and nation. California’s environment, however, is often overlooked in the noisy debate over urban and agricultural water use, as its constituents — plants, animals, rivers and aquifers — have little voice in the matter.<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat">The 50-40-10 breakdown “is misleading,” said Peter Gleick, co-founder and senior fellow of the Pacific Institute. “Because first of all, it implies that we, as a society, have made a decision to give half of the water to the environment. When what’s in fact the reality is that we have taken 50% of the water from the environment. The environment used to have it all.”<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><div class="gmail-teads-adCall" style="box-sizing:border-box;background-repeat:no-repeat"></div><div class="enhancement" style="box-sizing:border-box;width:680px;clear:both;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat"><div class="gmail-google-dfp-ad-wrapper" style="box-sizing:border-box;text-align:center;display:flex;min-height:270px;background-repeat:no-repeat"><div class="gmail-google-dfp-ad-caption" style="box-sizing:border-box;font-weight:500;font-style:normal;font-size:0.625rem;line-height:0.75rem;margin-bottom:5px;text-transform:uppercase;background-repeat:no-repeat">ADVERTISEMENT</div><div id="gmail-google-ad853b35ee-ab3b-481b-9e93-309c5c2f7a49" class="gmail-google-dfp-ad gmail-injected" style="box-sizing:border-box;text-align:center;width:auto;background-repeat:no-repeat"><div id="gmail-google_ads_iframe_/21787098806/web.latimes/california_1__container__" style="box-sizing:border-box;max-width:100%;border:0pt none;background-repeat:no-repeat"></div></div></div></div><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat"></p><div class="enhancement" style="box-sizing:border-box;width:680px;clear:both;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat"><span class="gmail-promo gmail-promo-position-small gmail-promo-small" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;padding:20px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat"><div class="gmail-promo-wrapper" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:flex;background-repeat:no-repeat"><div class="gmail-promo-media" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:grid;margin:0px 20px 0px 0px;overflow:visible;max-width:110px;width:110px;background-repeat:no-repeat"><a class="gmail-link gmail-promo-placeholder" href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-09-22/a-fourth-dry-year-likely-in-california-officials-say" aria-label="California should expect a ‘fourth dry year’ as drought persists" style="box-sizing:border-box;text-decoration:none;display:block;height:0px;padding-bottom:73.25px;background-repeat:no-repeat"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;background-repeat:no-repeat"><img class="gmail-image" alt="Lake Oroville, CA - July 20: Lake Oroville, located about 80 miles north of Sacramento is the largest reservoir in a state system that provides water to 27 million Californians on Wednesday, July 20, 2022, in Lake Oroville, CA. Officials had warned the lake - key to the roughly 700-mile State Water Project, which pumps and ferries water across the state for agricultural, business, and residential use - was at "critically low" levels on May 8. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)" src="https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/d935974/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6720x4480+0+0/resize/840x560!/quality/80/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F20%2F28%2F7c18e4624b06bb3f9a2cea7e6cf4%2F1166655-me-lake-oroville-drought-02-fo.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: middle; display: block; height: auto; max-width: 100%; width: 110px; color: transparent; background-repeat: no-repeat;" width="840" height="560"></span></a></div><div class="gmail-promo-content" style="box-sizing:border-box;background-repeat:no-repeat"><div class="gmail-promo-title-container" style="box-sizing:border-box;background-repeat:no-repeat"><p class="gmail-promo-category" style="box-sizing:border-box;font-weight:700;font-style:normal;font-size:0.625rem;line-height:0.625rem;margin:0px 0px 10px;text-transform:uppercase;background-repeat:no-repeat"><a class="gmail-link" href="https://www.latimes.com/california" style="box-sizing:border-box;text-decoration:none;color:inherit;background-repeat:no-repeat">CALIFORNIA</a></p><h3 class="gmail-promo-title" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 10px;font-size:1.125rem;font-style:normal;font-weight:600;letter-spacing:-0.2px;line-height:1.3125rem;background-repeat:no-repeat"><a class="gmail-link" href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-09-22/a-fourth-dry-year-likely-in-california-officials-say" style="box-sizing:border-box;text-decoration:none;background-repeat:no-repeat">California should expect a ‘fourth dry year’ as drought persists</a></h3></div><p class="gmail-promo-timestamp" style="box-sizing:border-box;font-weight:700;font-style:normal;font-size:0.625rem;line-height:0.625rem;display:block;margin:0px;text-transform:none;background-repeat:no-repeat">Sept. 22, 2022</p></div></div></span></div><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat">That’s not to say environmental water doesn’t still play an important role in California. Each year, the state’s water managers are tasked with doling out enough supplies to maintain the state’s scenic rivers, managed wetlands and wildlife habitats as well as the salinity of sources used by farms and cities.<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat">But the accounting system is based on a normal year, and in California, those are increasingly rare. When the state faces dry conditions, the environment is among the first to take a hit, and that can have harsh consequences for wildlife.<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat">Last year, for example, limited environmental releases from Shasta Lake caused river levels to drop and waters to grow warmer — conditions that are<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span><a class="gmail-link" href="https://www.latimes.com/projects/can-endangered-california-chinook-salmon-be-saved-from-extinction" style="box-sizing:border-box;text-decoration:underline;background-repeat:no-repeat">inhospitable to the state’s Chinook salmon</a>. Officials have now taken to<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span><a class="gmail-link" href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-05-19/northern-california-chinook-salmon-trucked-to-cooler-waters" style="box-sizing:border-box;text-decoration:underline;background-repeat:no-repeat">trucking the fish</a>, which are at risk of extinction, to cooler waters where they have a better chance at survival.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat"></p><div class="enhancement" style="box-sizing:border-box;width:680px;clear:both;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;background-repeat:no-repeat"><div id="gmail-nativo_1" style="box-sizing:border-box;background-repeat:no-repeat"><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat">Jeffrey Mount, a senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California, said it is all part of an annual equation made more delicate by worsening drought conditions and the demands of urban and agricultural water users. Critically, about 3.5 to 4 million acre-feet of water must flow out of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta — a linchpin of the state’s system that provides water to millions of Californians — otherwise “the Delta gets too salty for people to use it,” Mount said.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat">In 2021, the bulk of the water that ran off the surface of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Delta watershed was used for agriculture, Mount said. The water Southern California got was primarily from reservoirs, “and there was almost nothing for the environment.”</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat">“It is a mistake to actually blend the environment into the discussion,” he said. “That’s why the 50-40-10 number is so misleading, and probably is not the thing we should be talking about. But it is fair to discuss the relationship between what we call consumptive use of water — that is, water to support domestic and business uses in California. And that 80% number for agriculture is correct.”</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat"></p><div class="enhancement" style="box-sizing:border-box;width:680px;clear:both;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;background-repeat:no-repeat"><div id="gmail-nativo_1" style="box-sizing:border-box;background-repeat:no-repeat"></div></span></div><div class="enhancement" style="box-sizing:border-box;width:680px;clear:both;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat"><span class="gmail-promo gmail-promo-position-small gmail-promo-small" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;padding:20px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat"><div class="gmail-promo-wrapper" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:flex;background-repeat:no-repeat"><div class="gmail-promo-media" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:grid;margin:0px 20px 0px 0px;overflow:visible;max-width:110px;width:110px;background-repeat:no-repeat"><a class="gmail-link gmail-promo-placeholder" href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-09-16/angelenos-are-using-record-low-amounts-of-water-now-what" aria-label="L.A. is conserving water at record levels, but it’s not enough as drought worsens" style="box-sizing:border-box;text-decoration:none;display:block;height:0px;padding-bottom:73.25px;background-repeat:no-repeat"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;background-repeat:no-repeat"><img class="gmail-image" alt="ALTADENA, CA - JUNE 27: Portrait of Seriina Covarrubias along with her dogs, Sage and Dusty, at her home in Altadena on Monday, June 27, 2022 in Altadena, CA. Covarrubias replaced her once green lawn with California natives, a stone pond water catchment area and an array of drought tolerant plants. (Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)" src="https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/a05dc70/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3712x2475+0+0/resize/840x560!/quality/80/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fdf%2F6a%2F620c205a487cb525952183a679b4%2F974737-la-hm-turf-removal-covarrubias-mrt-05.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: middle; display: block; height: auto; max-width: 100%; width: 110px; color: transparent; background-repeat: no-repeat;" width="840" height="560"></span></a></div><div class="gmail-promo-content" style="box-sizing:border-box;background-repeat:no-repeat"><div class="gmail-promo-title-container" style="box-sizing:border-box;background-repeat:no-repeat"><p class="gmail-promo-category" style="box-sizing:border-box;font-weight:700;font-style:normal;font-size:0.625rem;line-height:0.625rem;margin:0px 0px 10px;text-transform:uppercase;background-repeat:no-repeat"><a class="gmail-link" href="https://www.latimes.com/california" style="box-sizing:border-box;text-decoration:none;color:inherit;background-repeat:no-repeat">CALIFORNIA</a></p><h3 class="gmail-promo-title" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 10px;font-size:1.125rem;font-style:normal;font-weight:600;letter-spacing:-0.2px;line-height:1.3125rem;background-repeat:no-repeat"><a class="gmail-link" href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-09-16/angelenos-are-using-record-low-amounts-of-water-now-what" style="box-sizing:border-box;text-decoration:none;background-repeat:no-repeat">L.A. is conserving water at record levels, but it’s not enough as drought worsens</a></h3></div><p class="gmail-promo-timestamp" style="box-sizing:border-box;font-weight:700;font-style:normal;font-size:0.625rem;line-height:0.625rem;display:block;margin:0px;text-transform:none;background-repeat:no-repeat">Sept. 16, 2022</p></div></div></span></div><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat">While it may be tempting to vilify agriculture for its massive share, Mount and other experts said the sector plays an invaluable role in the nation’s food supply. Though agriculture accounts for only about 3% of the state’s gross domestic product, it’s about 13% of all agricultural production in the country, more than any other state. In some ways, its proportion makes sense.<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat">“It’s hugely imbalanced, but it also is sort of logical because of history and because of economics,” Gleick said.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat"></p><div class="enhancement" style="box-sizing:border-box;width:680px;clear:both;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;background-repeat:no-repeat"><div id="gmail-nativo_1" style="box-sizing:border-box;background-repeat:no-repeat"></div></span></div><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat">Part of the reason agriculture uses such a massive share of the state’s water is because it is consumptive, Gleick explained — meaning most water used by crops does not make it back into the system. By contrast, water that runs down a bathroom sink can be captured, treated and reused for other purposes.<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat">The consumptive nature of agriculture is the same reason why outdoor watering is among the first cuts to be made in urban areas, where an estimated<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span><a class="gmail-link" href="https://pacinst.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/PI_California_Untapped_Urban_Water_Potential_2022-1.pdf" target="_blank" style="box-sizing:border-box;text-decoration:underline;background-repeat:no-repeat">44% of water</a>goes toward irrigating lawns and other uses outside the home. In Southern California, for example, officials this summer limited millions of residents to<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span><a class="gmail-link" href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-06-01/southern-california-new-drought-rules-june-2022" style="box-sizing:border-box;text-decoration:underline;background-repeat:no-repeat">one- or two-day-a-week outdoor watering</a><span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span>and saw a significant reduction in demand as a result.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat">But the total volume of water is only one metric for considering agriculture’s share, according to Isaya Kisekka, a professor of agricultural water management at UC Davis. Instead, he said, the best way of looking at water use is to look at nutritional water productivity, or how much protein, nutrients and calories are produced by a unit of water.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat"></p><div class="enhancement" style="box-sizing:border-box;width:680px;clear:both;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;background-repeat:no-repeat"><div id="gmail-nativo_1" style="box-sizing:border-box;background-repeat:no-repeat"></div></span></div><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat">Farmers also consider economic water productivity — or how much economic value is produced by that unit of water — which “has been increasing in the state for a few years now,” he said. “That’s when crops like almonds, pistachios, grapes come into play, and that’s why you’ve seen a lot of growers shift to these crops, because they have very high economic water productivity.”</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat">Indeed, the state has seen a dramatic swing away from field crops such as wheat, cotton and alfalfa and toward fruits, vegetables and nuts in recent years. Production of cotton, for example, was down 26% in 2020 compared to the year prior, while pistachios and almonds were up 41% and 22%, respectively, according to<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span><a class="gmail-link" href="https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/Statistics/PDFs/2021_Ag_Stats_Review.pdf" target="_blank" style="box-sizing:border-box;text-decoration:underline;background-repeat:no-repeat">the California Department and Food and Agriculture</a>.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat"></p><div class="enhancement" style="box-sizing:border-box;width:680px;clear:both;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;background-repeat:no-repeat"><div id="gmail-nativo_1" style="box-sizing:border-box;background-repeat:no-repeat"></div></span></div><div class="enhancement" style="box-sizing:border-box;width:680px;clear:both;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat"><span class="gmail-promo gmail-promo-position-small gmail-promo-small" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;padding:20px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat"><div class="gmail-promo-wrapper" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:flex;background-repeat:no-repeat"><div class="gmail-promo-media" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:grid;margin:0px 20px 0px 0px;overflow:visible;max-width:110px;width:110px;background-repeat:no-repeat"><a class="gmail-link gmail-promo-placeholder" href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-06-01/southern-california-new-drought-rules-june-2022" aria-label="Unprecedented water restrictions hit Southern California today: What they mean to you" style="box-sizing:border-box;text-decoration:none;display:block;height:0px;padding-bottom:73.25px;background-repeat:no-repeat"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;background-repeat:no-repeat"><img class="gmail-image" alt="Covina, CA, Tuesday, May 24, 2022 - A barren median on N. Citrus Ave. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)" src="https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/0913c90/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2999x1999+1+0/resize/840x560!/quality/80/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fae%2F62%2Fd27787b74f52adcf7026551429f9%2F963556-me-0524-drought-1-rcg.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: middle; display: block; height: auto; max-width: 100%; width: 110px; color: transparent; background-repeat: no-repeat;" width="840" height="560"></span></a></div><div class="gmail-promo-content" style="box-sizing:border-box;background-repeat:no-repeat"><div class="gmail-promo-title-container" style="box-sizing:border-box;background-repeat:no-repeat"><p class="gmail-promo-category" style="box-sizing:border-box;font-weight:700;font-style:normal;font-size:0.625rem;line-height:0.625rem;margin:0px 0px 10px;text-transform:uppercase;background-repeat:no-repeat"><a class="gmail-link" href="https://www.latimes.com/california" style="box-sizing:border-box;text-decoration:none;color:inherit;background-repeat:no-repeat">CALIFORNIA</a></p><h3 class="gmail-promo-title" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 10px;font-size:1.125rem;font-style:normal;font-weight:600;letter-spacing:-0.2px;line-height:1.3125rem;background-repeat:no-repeat"><a class="gmail-link" href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-06-01/southern-california-new-drought-rules-june-2022" style="box-sizing:border-box;text-decoration:none;background-repeat:no-repeat">Unprecedented water restrictions hit Southern California today: What they mean to you</a></h3></div><p class="gmail-promo-timestamp" style="box-sizing:border-box;font-weight:700;font-style:normal;font-size:0.625rem;line-height:0.625rem;display:block;margin:0px;text-transform:none;background-repeat:no-repeat">June 1, 2022</p></div></div></span></div><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat">The reason for that shift is primarily economic, Mount said.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat">“Agriculture is not some public trust resource that belongs to everybody,” he said. “Agriculture is run by businessmen and women, and they seek to maximize profits on their throughput.”</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat">But its footprint is shrinking, especially as the state ramps up enforcement of the<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span><a class="gmail-link" href="https://www.latimes.com/local/political/la-me-pc-groundwater-regulation-bills-20140916-story.html" style="box-sizing:border-box;text-decoration:underline;background-repeat:no-repeat">Sustainable Groundwater Management Act</a>, a 2014 act aimed at reducing the pumping of groundwater from beneath the state’s surface. (During dry years, farmers tend to lean heavily on those underground supplies, which is leading to a host of problems including<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span><a class="gmail-link" href="https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2022-09-01/central-california-shoulders-drought-inequities" style="box-sizing:border-box;text-decoration:underline;background-repeat:no-repeat">drying wells</a><span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span>and land subsidence in the state.)</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat"></p><div class="enhancement" style="box-sizing:border-box;width:680px;clear:both;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;background-repeat:no-repeat"><div id="gmail-nativo_1" style="box-sizing:border-box;background-repeat:no-repeat"></div></span></div><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat">The act “changes everything, because they’ve been mining groundwater for a hundred years and now they have to stop doing that,” Mount said of farmers. “Right there, that’s 500,000 to 700,000 acres of irrigated land that has to come out of production to meet the requirements of that law.”<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat">Last year, severe drought and reduced water deliveries resulted in 395,000 acres of California cropland — an area larger than Los Angeles — going dry and unplanted, costing an estimated 8,745 jobs and<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span><a class="gmail-link" href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-02-25/california-agriculture-takes-1-2-billion-hit-during-drought" style="box-sizing:border-box;text-decoration:underline;background-repeat:no-repeat">$1.2 billion in direct costs</a>. This year’s impacts could be even larger, with researchers projecting that nearly 800,000 acres may be fallowed, including about half of all rice acreage in the state.<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat">That could have disastrous and unintended consequences for migratory birds, Mount said, because they rely on flooded rice fields during their annual fall migration.<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat"></p><div class="enhancement" style="box-sizing:border-box;width:680px;clear:both;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;background-repeat:no-repeat"><div id="gmail-nativo_1" style="box-sizing:border-box;background-repeat:no-repeat"></div></span></div><div class="enhancement" style="box-sizing:border-box;width:680px;clear:both;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat"><span class="gmail-promo gmail-promo-position-small gmail-promo-small" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;padding:20px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat"><div class="gmail-promo-wrapper" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:flex;background-repeat:no-repeat"><div class="gmail-promo-media" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:grid;margin:0px 20px 0px 0px;overflow:visible;max-width:110px;width:110px;background-repeat:no-repeat"><a class="gmail-link gmail-promo-placeholder" href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-02-25/california-agriculture-takes-1-2-billion-hit-during-drought" aria-label="California agriculture takes $1.2-billion hit during drought, losing 8,700 farm jobs, researchers find" style="box-sizing:border-box;text-decoration:none;display:block;height:0px;padding-bottom:73.25px;background-repeat:no-repeat"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;background-repeat:no-repeat"><img class="gmail-image" alt="DELANO, CA - AUGUST 13: Farmworker Alma Guedea packs up freshly harvested grapes Thursday, Aug. 13, 2020 in Delano, CA. Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)" src="https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/46a26dd/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5472x3648+0+0/resize/840x560!/quality/80/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F66%2F79%2Fbd8a4e8a478d926c9657ff60f00a%2Fla-photos-1staff-592036-la-me-coronavirus-kern-county-10-brv.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: middle; display: block; height: auto; max-width: 100%; width: 110px; color: transparent; background-repeat: no-repeat;" width="840" height="560"></span></a></div><div class="gmail-promo-content" style="box-sizing:border-box;background-repeat:no-repeat"><div class="gmail-promo-title-container" style="box-sizing:border-box;background-repeat:no-repeat"><p class="gmail-promo-category" style="box-sizing:border-box;font-weight:700;font-style:normal;font-size:0.625rem;line-height:0.625rem;margin:0px 0px 10px;text-transform:uppercase;background-repeat:no-repeat"><a class="gmail-link" href="https://www.latimes.com/california" style="box-sizing:border-box;text-decoration:none;color:inherit;background-repeat:no-repeat">CALIFORNIA</a></p><h3 class="gmail-promo-title" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 10px;font-size:1.125rem;font-style:normal;font-weight:600;letter-spacing:-0.2px;line-height:1.3125rem;background-repeat:no-repeat"><a class="gmail-link" href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-02-25/california-agriculture-takes-1-2-billion-hit-during-drought" style="box-sizing:border-box;text-decoration:none;background-repeat:no-repeat">California agriculture takes $1.2-billion hit during drought, losing 8,700 farm jobs, researchers find</a></h3></div><p class="gmail-promo-timestamp" style="box-sizing:border-box;font-weight:700;font-style:normal;font-size:0.625rem;line-height:0.625rem;display:block;margin:0px;text-transform:none;background-repeat:no-repeat">Feb. 25, 2022</p></div></div></span></div><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat">Driven by both nature and economics, farmers are improving their irrigation practices, Kisekka said. That includes shifting away from flood irrigation — a practice that literally includes flooding fields — and toward techniques such as drip irrigation, which dole out one drop at a time.<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat">However, conditions today are more dire than<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span><a class="gmail-link" href="https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2022-02-14/western-megadrought-driest-in-1200-years" style="box-sizing:border-box;text-decoration:underline;background-repeat:no-repeat">almost any time on record</a>: The state appears poised to enter yet another year of drought; pressure is mounting on Southern California to slash its use of Colorado River water and warming temperatures driven by human-caused climate change are continuing to<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span><a class="gmail-link" href="https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2022-06-30/aridification-kills-civilizations-is-california-next" style="box-sizing:border-box;text-decoration:underline;background-repeat:no-repeat">evaporate more of the state’s surface water</a>. Another round of severe reductions in water allocations from state and federal suppliers is also looking<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span><a class="gmail-link" href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-09-04/california-water-agencies-brace-for-colorado-river-cuts" style="box-sizing:border-box;text-decoration:underline;background-repeat:no-repeat">increasingly likely in 2023</a>.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat"></p><div class="enhancement" style="box-sizing:border-box;width:680px;clear:both;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;background-repeat:no-repeat"><div id="gmail-nativo_1" style="box-sizing:border-box;background-repeat:no-repeat"></div></span></div><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat">As with other sectors, “agricultural water users have experienced unprecedented cuts to both their surface water diversions and allocations from the state and federal water projects since the<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span><a class="gmail-link" href="https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2021-04-21/california-drought-newsom-mendocino-sonoma" style="box-sizing:border-box;text-decoration:underline;background-repeat:no-repeat">governor’s first drought proclamation</a><span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span>in April 2021,” Steve Lyle, director of public affairs for the California Department of Food and Agriculture, said in an email. He said allocations from the projects have at times been “as little as five percent of contracts.”<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat">Yet while California has a framework to control allocations, it cannot go so far as to tell farmers what crops they should grow. Alfalfa, for example, saw a 22% increase in production in 2020 despite being so water intensive.<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat">Kisekka said farmers have continued to grow alfalfa — and export it to other states and nations — because demand remains “sky high” and prices have been soaring. Many dairies, feed lots and other operations use alfalfa in their feed rotations.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat"></p><div class="enhancement" style="box-sizing:border-box;width:680px;clear:both;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;background-repeat:no-repeat"><div id="gmail-nativo_1" style="box-sizing:border-box;background-repeat:no-repeat"></div></span></div><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat">The state is also somewhat stymied when it comes to water rights, which in California have long<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span><a class="gmail-link" href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-12-27/can-california-water-rights-enter-the-digital-age" style="box-sizing:border-box;text-decoration:underline;background-repeat:no-repeat">operated under an antiquated system</a><span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span>sometimes referred to as “first in time, first in right,” which basically means water rights are doled out based on whoever was first in line, Mount said.<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat">“There is authority to take water away from people, but you have to make a very compelling case that it’s waste and unreasonable use,” he said, adding that the current laws are very clear that “growing a crop is not viewed as waste and unreasonable use.”</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat">The rules have long been a battleground in the state, with some farmers<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span><a class="gmail-link" href="https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2022-08-23/ranchers-told-to-stop-diverting-water-in-drought-hit-area" style="box-sizing:border-box;text-decoration:underline;background-repeat:no-repeat">quick to fight against curtailments</a><span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span>and other efforts to reduce their use. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s water supply strategy, released in August, also drew criticism from experts for its apparent<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span><a class="gmail-link" href="https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2022-08-11/newsom-outlines-sweeping-strategy-to-bolster-water-supplies" style="box-sizing:border-box;text-decoration:underline;background-repeat:no-repeat">unwillingness to take on “Big Ag</a>.”<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat">“It’s long past time to revamp the water rights rules in California, but to say that that’s a heavy lift politically would be an understatement,” said Gleick, of the Pacific Institute.<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat"></p><div class="enhancement" style="box-sizing:border-box;width:680px;clear:both;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;background-repeat:no-repeat"><div id="gmail-nativo_1" style="box-sizing:border-box;background-repeat:no-repeat"></div></span></div><div class="enhancement" style="box-sizing:border-box;width:680px;clear:both;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat"><span class="gmail-promo gmail-promo-position-small gmail-promo-small" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;padding:20px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat"><div class="gmail-promo-wrapper" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:flex;background-repeat:no-repeat"><div class="gmail-promo-media" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:grid;margin:0px 20px 0px 0px;overflow:visible;max-width:110px;width:110px;background-repeat:no-repeat"><a class="gmail-link gmail-promo-placeholder" href="https://www.latimes.com/projects/california-drought-status-maps-water-usage" aria-label="Tracking the California drought" style="box-sizing:border-box;text-decoration:none;display:block;height:0px;padding-bottom:73.25px;background-repeat:no-repeat"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;background-repeat:no-repeat"><img class="gmail-image" alt="An illustration of the map of California as cracked, dry land" src="https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/858ae85/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5001x3334+0+1/resize/840x560!/quality/80/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F76%2Ff7%2Fc48fd21d4214a33fc0db42548d19%2Fcracked-earth-drought-share-solid-dropshad800-02.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: middle; display: block; height: auto; max-width: 100%; width: 110px; color: transparent; background-repeat: no-repeat;" width="840" height="560"></span></a></div><div class="gmail-promo-content" style="box-sizing:border-box;background-repeat:no-repeat"><div class="gmail-promo-title-container" style="box-sizing:border-box;background-repeat:no-repeat"><p class="gmail-promo-category" style="box-sizing:border-box;font-weight:700;font-style:normal;font-size:0.625rem;line-height:0.625rem;margin:0px 0px 10px;text-transform:uppercase;background-repeat:no-repeat"><a class="gmail-link" href="https://www.latimes.com/environment" style="box-sizing:border-box;text-decoration:none;color:inherit;background-repeat:no-repeat">CLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT</a></p><h3 class="gmail-promo-title" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 10px;font-size:1.125rem;font-style:normal;font-weight:600;letter-spacing:-0.2px;line-height:1.3125rem;background-repeat:no-repeat"><a class="gmail-link" href="https://www.latimes.com/projects/california-drought-status-maps-water-usage" style="box-sizing:border-box;text-decoration:none;background-repeat:no-repeat">Tracking the California drought</a></h3></div><p class="gmail-promo-timestamp" style="box-sizing:border-box;font-weight:700;font-style:normal;font-size:0.625rem;line-height:0.625rem;display:block;margin:0px;text-transform:none;background-repeat:no-repeat">July 8, 2022</p></div></div></span></div><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat">That doesn’t mean urban users are off the hook either. While farmers have received scrutiny for using the state’s water to grow crops that are exported overseas, Californians also import immense amounts of water — often in the form of manufactured goods such as cars, lumber and even craft beers, Mount said.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat">Kisekka added that a lot of water is represented in the meals on Californians’ dinner plates, and that “we should make sure we are not throwing away food.”</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat"></p><div class="enhancement" style="box-sizing:border-box;width:680px;clear:both;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;background-repeat:no-repeat"><div id="gmail-nativo_1" style="box-sizing:border-box;background-repeat:no-repeat"></div></span></div><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat">And while agriculture’s 80% share strikes a nerve among some, it’s not all that different from usage elsewhere in the world. Both nationally and globally, about 70% to 80% of water goes toward agriculture.<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat">As for whether an almond orchard should take precedence over an urban lawn — that probably depends on whom you ask, Gleick said.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:30px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat">“It’s understandable that a homeowner asked to let their beautiful lawn go dry sees farmers using 80% of the water and they think, ‘Well that doesn’t seem fair,’” Gleick said. “I completely understand that. It’s just not the way it really works. Farmers really do have, also, many challenges that they have to face during droughts.”</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:30px 0px 0px;background-repeat:no-repeat">Put simply, he said, “agriculture uses a lot of water because it takes a lot of water to grow food.”<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></p></div></span></div></div></div></div></div><br class="gmail-Apple-interchange-newline"><br></div></div>