WASHINGTON, March 23, 2016 - Speaking at the White House Water Summit, Congressman Jared Huffman said he doesn’t think enough has
been done to address agricultural water use in his drought-stricken home state
of California.
“We have gone to
really herculean extremes on urban water efficiency and conservation,” the
Democrat said, adding that more still could be done. However, he said that
collective interests have done “very little on agricultural water conservation,
and yet that is where most of the water is used.”
The Summit, held at the White House on World Water Day,
focused on a variety of water issues ranging from price and scarcity to
infrastructure and use. Huffman, who represents the coastal area of northern
California, was part of a panel on agricultural ramifications of water issues,
and he said there has been a lack of “investments in cutting-edge water
efficient technology” during a “historic drought of record.”
“In too many cases, folks just turned on the groundwater
pumps and created tomorrow’s problem to solve today’s problem,” Huffman said.
“We need to figure out creative ways to incentivize and promote water
conservation across the board in agriculture where there are enormous savings
to be had.”
Shortly before the ag panel spoke, Mia Sheppard with the
Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, announced that its petition
recognizing “serious risks to the country’s water supply” had been signed by
more than 1,000 sportsmen. The risks include rising water temperatures coupled
with decreasing water levels. The petition calls for action from federal
officials.
In all, more than 150 organizations took part in the Summit,
announcing about $5 billion in private sector funding for research and
infrastructure projects. A National Water Model was also released. The White
House said the model “will dramatically enhance” river-forecasting capabilities
for about 2.7 million locations, up from the current 4,000.
#30
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