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California drought impacting state economy

California is heading into its fourth consecutive year of drought.  California Water Alliance executive director Aubrey Bettencourt says the drought continues to put strain on the state’s ag economy.  “Last year UC Davis estimated about 17,000 people unemployed that are directly connected to agriculture,” she says.  “Then you look at the fact that about $2 billion was lost to the state economy as a result, the fact that there was around 400,000 acres of land fallowed and then this year we’re look at 800,000 acres fallowed.”

But, she tells Brownfield the solution to California’s water problems is more than just rainfall and precipitation.  “The reservoirs are now at the lowest level since construction, we need to create some sort of flexibility in the operation of our systems so we can maximize the precipitation and snow pack that we do get,” she says.  “Which allows us to store more behind the reservoirs opposed to leave it released.”

Bettencourt says there are three main users of California’s water supply: agriculture, people, and the environment.  And all three users, she says, will have to change the way they use water moving forward.

Bettncourt spoke at the National Institute for Animal Agriculture annual conference this week in Indianapolis.