The twentieth century was one of the wettest going back several centuries.
University of Arizona scientist Connie Woodhouse said tree rings in the Colorado River basin indicate that the amount of moisture has fluctuated widely over hundreds of years, but has tended to be drier than was seen in the last 100 years.
California ranks No. 1 in population with 37 million people and No. 1 in agricultural output at $ 36.6 billion in 2007. At the present time there is not enough water to supply both those demands. California is facing the most significant water crisis in its history. June 2008, the governor declared a state wide drought.
A study released in February by the Scripps Institute of Oceanography in San Diego said there’s a 50 percent chance that Lake Mead could run dry by 2021. Several models by different scientist have made predictions about the future flow of the Colorado River, all of which forecast less water. The current usage is simply not sustainable said Tim Barnett, one of the Scripps study’s authors. “It’s a question of when,” he said. Lake Mead is the Las Vegas water supply.
If the drought continues until spring, California water officials there are planning to ration municipal water deliveries and dry up as much as 200,000 acres of farmland, according to AG Weekly 12/08/08. Without adequate water storage we are putting our food supply in jeopardy.
Land owners up and down the Virgin River Valley have either sold or leased nearly all the water rights in the Mesquite Valley to Southern Nevada Water Authority or Virgin Valley Water District. The fields will not be green next spring; there will be no hay to put up in Mesquite. The Virgin River feeds into Lake Mead.
Added value to land with water rights, and irrigated farm land in Nevada. Nevada state water laws date back 100 years and are very clear. Laws vary greatly from state to state, and the Colorado River serves seven states. The control, use and ownership of water rights will dictate future development.
Climate change is the wild card in all the predictions, the collision course between supply and demand is clear. Demand for food, and the future demographic population shifts are going to increase pressure. Increased storage capacity may be one of the answers for some areas. Limits on use and conservation will play increasingly bigger roles.
For information about land in Nevada currently available with water rights and irrigated farm land in Nevada. Call Chris W. Miller
