Tag Archives: farming

National, Terra Firma, Weather

Historic drought sends lakes to record lows throughout the West

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[OROVILLE, Cali] – (MTN) Lake Oroville is less than two feet above an all-time low while Lake Shasta is at its fourth-lowest level on record as historic drought grips the western United States. Lake Shasta continues to be shrouded in smoke from the Lava Fire, where the water sits 145 feet below full pool. At 921.93 feet above Sea Level, Shasta sits at about the same level it was in January 2016. Lake Oroville is at 646.63 feet, just 19 inches higher than a record set in 1977.

At Oroville, operators need to continue water flowing to support fisheries and farmers in the San Joaquin Valley that rely on water from the Sacramento River for irrigation. The river is already dealing with record high temperatures that have devested wild salmon, and the intrusion of saltwater upstream adding pressure to the ecosystem and farmers.

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The historic low levels have forced over 140 houseboats out of the lake, and only one temporary gravel boat ramp remains operations around the entire lake. Even that ramp is in danger of closing as the level is expected to continue to drop another 25 to 30 feet by October.

The Edward Hyatt Pump-Generating Plant is capable of generating 132 megawatts of power during peak operation. Although up to 17,000 cubic feet of water can flow through the plant per second, approximately 6,000 cubic feet can be recovered and pumped back into the lake. The outflow is captured in additional reservoirs to be sent into the Sacramento River basin and support the needs of farmers to the south. Under extreme conditions, water is sent out to the Yuba River. The water level is expected to reach what hydrologists call deadpool, and the hydro plant may have to close for the first time in its 53 year history.

Lake Shasta, outside of Redding, sits below the headwaters of the Sacramento River and also generates hydroelectricity.

To the north outside of Klamath Falls, over 300 homes have had their private wells run dry, leaving residents without water for farming and personal consumption. Demand for water delivery and drilling companies has driven up costs and lead time, while some communities are providing water at pickup points. Ranchers and homeowners are looking to drill deeper, but after twenty-two years of mostly drought-filled years, there are no assurances those wells won’t run dry.

In the Klamath, a perfect storm of climate change, overutilization, treaties with first nations, and too many promises by government officials have come to head. Some have resorted to stealing water from the district, with complaints of illegal marijuana farms in the area. In this hardscrabble area with an undertone of independence and anti-government sentiment, other operators are also taking water pitting neighbor against neighbor.

Tule Lake on the Oregon-California border is divided into four regions. The most visible at the beginning of the road to Lava Beds National Monument has been allowed to drain dry. The soil deeply cracked and baking under the relentless heat. In the early 1900s, Tule Lake was significantly drained to create the farmland that surrounds the area today. Operators elected to let the most visible part of the lake complex run dry, in an attempt to convert it into a more productive marshland when and if the water returns. Area residents are skeptical and some are complaining about dust and irritation coming from the evaporating mud puddle.

To the north Upper Klamath Lake is the largest freshwater body in Oregon. The shallow lake has suffered from declining water quality for decades, both from natural and manmade influences. In 2001, water was cut off from farmers by the Bush Administration to protect native suckerfish that are on the endangered species list and protect area salmon per First Nations treaties. The impact was devastating to farmers who depend, and hold contracts for water rights.

Upper Klamath Lake is shallow – just 8 feet on average and a maximum depth of 50 feet. Although the lake currently sits at 100% of the normal level today, it has been steadily declining since 2019. Increasing temperatures, agricultural runoff, and naturally occurring chemicals turn the lake green with algae blooms.

Farmers aren’t just facing a shortage of water, they are also facing a shortage of forage and feed for livestock. The cost of hay has skyrocketed adding additional pressure on the battered finances for the region. Tariffs, a reduction in international shipping, depressed prices, have forced some to send animals to market early, getting only pennies on the dollar for their efforts while costs keep going up.

In Utah and Arizona, fear and frustration are mounting at Lake Powell. The lake is only inches from setting a new historic low, beating the record set in 2005. Frustrated locals are growing increasingly angry.

Glen Canyon Dam is the second-largest hydroelectric generating facility in the Southwest, only behind Hoover Dam outside of Las Vegas. The dam generates 1,320 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 400,000 homes. Rapid population expansion in Arizona and Utah has driven up demand as the water level continues to decline. A shutoff of the outflow through the dam would cut off a critical electrical source increasing rates, and potentially plunging communities into darkness. Officials believe the water level at Lake Powell will continue to drop until the spring of 2022 and is dependent on significant snowfall in the Rockies to stage any kind of recovery.

Misinformation on the Internet also abounds with complaints that water is flowing out of Lake Powell and Lake Mead unnecessarily and out to the ocean in California. Both lakes are on the Colorado River, which reaches the Gulf of California in Mexico, where international agreements also require water for the nation on the United States border.

In Walla Walla, Washington, city officials have had to tap one of seven wells to supplement the city water supply. Under normal conditions, water would come from Mill Creek, but extreme drought coupled with extreme demand has forced the city to tap the backup supply. There is enough water in the reserves to supply the city for “several years,” according to officials. The area is known for its wine production. Some growers are reporting up to 50% of their crops were lost in a late June heatwave, that saw temperatures soar to 110 to 115 degrees F. This is the second hit in a row for grape producers who saw some of their harvests destroyed last year by “smoke taint” a growing concern as increasing smoke from wildfires in Washington and Oregon start to creep into the region.

In a cruel twist, a heavier than normal monsoon season has sent floods sweeping through parts of Utah and Arizona. The land has become so baked it can’t absorb the water, so flash floods tear through parks, deserts, and communities offering little in the way of adding to the water supply. In Washington and parts of Oregon, it appears rain is coming next week, but lightning will be included in some areas, increasing wildfire risks in regions battered by the confluence of climate change, government policy, and overuse.

Terra Firma, Weather

Rain of the scarecrow

United States farmers are facing the worst crisis since the 1980s Soviet grain embargo. Although weather played a factor in the 1980s, the weather is a leading role in 2019. After years of drought impacting much of the country, the nation is now awash in water. Historical amounts of rain have created historic flooding, both in duration and ferocity, devastating farm operations across the United States.

In the first quarter of 2019, 160 farms filed for Chapter 12 bankruptcy, which would put 2019 for 600 plus filings, a 29% increase from last year. The total number of farms in the United States has been in steady decline since 2007, dropping about 10% in 11 years (statistics go to 2018). Total land use for farming in the United States has also declined during the same period, dropping about 5%.

Crop failures in the United States are at the worst levels in 30 years, and in many cases, it is because arable land is underwater, or too soaked to plant. Generally, at this time of the year, 79% of the cropland dedicated to soybean production would be planted – today it stands at 39%. For corn, the average would be 96% – today it is less than 65%. Farmers are facing a now or never choice this week across the nation. File crop insurance claims for, “prevented to plant,” and accept about 50 cents on the dollar on what would already be meager profits for doing nothing, or roll the dice and plant anyway. If they plant and the crops don’t provide a yield, they could file for federal aid or insurance. That assumes that the farmer has coverage in the first place.

Soil moisture levels were already at saturation for much of the eastern US by February, 2019

This crisis has been years in the making through a combination of climate change, market conditions, and the political landscape. In the 2000s, ethanol became mandated in US gasoline. Small ethanol producers were bought up by large corporations, and farmers shifted to corn to sell to the ethanol industry. The shifting of corn to ethanol production reduced the overall supply of other grains and raised the cost of feedstock for farm animals. The demand for beef and pork dropped due to rising prices. At the same time, rBST was sending milk production through the roof, creating an oversupply. Dairy farmers sent their herds to slaughter and gave up, while pork and beef producers sent their animals to market at a younger age.

Flooding in Nebraska impacted military operations at Offutt AFB in March, 2019

Fast forward a few years later, and with smaller dairy and livestock herds, demand for grains for feedstock plummeted creating a vast oversupply. The price of corn, soy, and wheat collapsed, gutting the profits reaped earlier this decade. The Obama Administration block the planned E15 ethanol mandate for all US gasoline, and the Trump Administration continues to block the rule. The expected increase in ethanol production never happened, adding to more oversupply and further depressing prices.

Add in a buying embargo by China for US soybeans, tariffs, a global oversupply of milk and milk products, US farmers were already reeling. Congress playing a game of chicken for disaster aid didn’t help matters, and the heartland of the United States will inevitably need more support going forward.

The weather patterns producing this historical rain event have eased, but there is still a tremendous amount of water that needs to flow through these river basins for weeks to come. All of this spells bad news for Louisiana, where the increased freshwater flow will accelerate land loss in the Mississippi Delta, and hurt oyster farms and harvesters. The decrease in salinity in the gulf lowers oyster yields.

Coming up next on the list of impacted agriculture from 2019 flooding, Gulf of Mexico oyster producers and harvesters

As for the ongoing flooding, in some cases, entire farms and communities have likely been lost forever. The tangle of levees in many of these regions is managed by independent cooperatives and local governments, which don’t have the money or resources to update or maintain them. The Army Corps of Engineers has already channeled and tamed the Arkansas, Missouri, and Mississippi Rivers, so there is little left they can do beyond build dams and levees they manage higher. Once a levee is overtopped, the flow of the water eats away it, requiring major repair, if not a full replacement. If a levee blows out at a middle point, the rushing water chews away at both sides. In many cases, the strategy is to wait for the rain to stop and wait for the water to recede – that could still be months away in some places.

As for the average American, in the short term, you can expect lower prices at your grocery store for some commodities that aren’t Heche en Mexico. Later this year as the full impact of the crop failures are felt, prices will likely go up. Corn plays a huge role in the American food chain, as a feedstock for farm animals that impacts meat, egg and dairy prices, as a grain for cereals, and for corn syrup production as a sweetener. It also will likely increase costs at the pump (more likely it will blunt the slow decline we start to see after the Fourth of July holiday weekend), with the gasoline you put in your car requiring 10% Ethanol content per federal law.

Copyrights 2008 Mario R. Duran (mariordo@aol.com).Release under Creative Commons Attribution – Wikipedia Creative Commons

The impact of climate change continues to play out as predicted in models that go back to the 1980s. The weather is not climate, and the climate is not the weather. Single weather events don’t serve as proof a change to this planet, but when taken together in aggregate, it is evident something is wrong.

Think about it.

Malcontent, out.