Edward Ring Outlines a Water Plan for California Agriculture

On a recent episode of the AgNet News Hour, Edward Ring, director of Water and Energy Policy at the California Policy Center, returned for Part 2 of a conversation on California water, laying out the combination of projects he believes could substantially increase supplies for farms, communities and cities.

Ring began with one of the issues discussed in Part 1: dredging the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. He argued sediment removal could improve the Delta's ability to move water while also reducing flood risk. Ring also pointed to research suggesting the turbidity created by dredging can provide smaller fish with protection from predators.

But dredging is only one piece of his proposed water strategy.

Asked what he would do if given the opportunity to reshape California water policy, Ring outlined a combination of desalination, additional storage and new methods of moving water from the Delta during wet years. He proposed developing roughly 500,000 acre-feet per year of seawater desalination capacity in Southern California and pursuing what he described as “fish-friendly Delta diversions” capable of capturing more water during heavy rainfall.

Storage would also play a major role. Ring called for completing Sites Reservoir, building Temperance Flat Reservoir, adding other off-stream storage and raising Shasta Dam by at least 18 feet. He said the Shasta expansion alone could add approximately 600,000 acre-feet of storage.

Ring also argued that California could make desalination considerably more affordable by reducing regulatory and construction costs. He estimated that, with lower construction and electricity costs, desalinated water could become much more competitive with existing treated-water supplies.

Beyond new construction, Ring said better weather forecasting could allow reservoir operators to capture more water with infrastructure California already has. He said improved forecasting technology, coupled with changes in operating procedures and faster information sharing, could help the state retain additional supplies during wet periods.

For agriculture, Ring argued the stakes extend well beyond individual farms. He said replacing productive farmland with solar development cannot replicate the economic activity, employment and food production generated by California's agricultural economy.

“The solution is to save our farm economy,” Ring said.

Listen to Part 2 of the full interview below or on your favorite podcast app.