Purchasing Farmland for More Water Rights
With interest I read your article (Editorial Pages, Dec. 16) on the purchase of farmland by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, to increase the supply of water to the Southland.
The idea, to purchase farmland in the Imperial and Coachella Valley areas, and integrate a farming operation with deliveries of Colorado River Water to the Southland, was first advanced by me four years ago. Both Mr. Baronkay and Mr. Kennedy were presented with this plan at the time. This was after the ballot measure for the peripheral canal, the billion-dollar project to expand the State Water Project, was defeated by the voter. Water from the State Water Project, if not accepted by one contractor, will be offered to the others. Even then, water not contracted for may still be delivered as surplus water, at a very low rate. Furthermore the Aqueduct System has insufficient capacity to deliver additional supply, its operation is not under direct control of Metropolitan and the cost of pumping this water is twice the cost of pumping Colorado River Water. These factors do not favor the featured plan.
In contrast, the Colorado River Supply, which was recently curtailed due to its adjudication to Arizona, can be economically augmented by the purchase of farmland in the Imperial and Coachella Valley area. This land is irrigated by low-cost water and at more water per acre. Such a plan would allow us to take full advantage of capacity in the existing Aqueduct and Distribution System, otherwise left unused, while pumping would cost less than half. A viable agriculture makes integration feasible.
The purchase of farmland for its water rights may save a billion dollars, or could waste half that much. The present application appears ill-perceived, not adding to water supplies but paying once again for the existing one, while saving large landowners financial losses and government embarrassment.
GUSTAAF VAN’T HOF
Downey
Van’t Hof is former head of operations planning, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.
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