October 2003
Q. Is there an overdraft of the aquifer
supplying the
A. Yes. The numbers speak for themselves:[1]
Average
Annual Recharge (1981-2003)
4,800 acre/ft/yr
Average Annual Use same period -22,300
acre/ft/yr
Average
Annual Overdraft same period -17,500
acre/ft/yr
The
water table has been dropping by about two feet per year for the past 22
years. In the last year alone, however,
test wells in the north (agricultural) end of the Valley have fallen by six
feet – a sudden and alarming change.[2]
Q. How long will the groundwater supply
last?
A. Based on standard agricultural
use rates, a1990 BWD study[3]
estimated accessible water would last until 2080 if usage did not increase. The
same study estimated water quality could be impacted as early as 2025 – again,
if usage did not increase.
It
now appears, however, that these estimates were far too optimistic. Indeed, the “milky water” being pumped for
daily use in some areas of the Valley indicates that we are already
encountering water quality problems in those areas[4]. Because it will likely take 10 years and
millions of dollars to reverse our water use patterns, we must begin
immediately if we are to prevent an economic and ecologic disaster in our
Valley.
Q. How
much will it cost to pump water from increasing depths?
A. We know with certainty that for each
foot the water table drops the cost of pumping an acre foot of water[5]
increases. We also know that as we bore ever deeper into the aquifer, water
quality declines and more treatment is required to purify it, which adds still
more costs. While we cannot say with
certainty exactly what the incremental cost of raising water from increasing
depths and treating it to make it potable are, it is nonetheless safe to say
that such costs will be considerable and will continue to increase so long as
we overdraft the aquifer.
Q. Are you saying the quality of the water
changes as the water table drops? How
does water quality decline in the same aquifer?
A. Minerals and other dissolved
solids in the aquifer settle, so lower
levels of the aquifer naturally contain more of them. Also, salts and fertilizers “washed in” to
the aquifer by agricultural irrigation begin to concentrate as less water
remains to keep them in solution. As we
approach the “bottom” of the aquifer the cost of water purification increases
as well.[6] Eventually the rising costs of pumping and
treatment will make water unaffordable.
Q. It sounds as if the increases projected
in additional drilling costs and water purification costs are a more imminent
problem than actually running out of water?
When will that impact my water bill?
A. It already has - see the “Ground
Water Management” charge on your recent bills[7]. No one knows exactly when our groundwater
supply will be exhausted; but it doesn’t matter because water will become
unaffordable long before that and perhaps sooner than we think.
Q. Who is using all of this water?
A. According to a study by the Borrego
Water District[8], the
breakdown is:
Q. Why can’t we just import water from
somewhere else?
A. Importing water from “somewhere else”
was studied thoroughly by the Borrego Water District and dismissed as
economically prohibitive.[9] There is no suitable source of supply and,
even if there were, the costs of purchasing, piping and pumping water to our
isolated valley would be astronomical.
No one could afford it.
Q. Won’t
rainwater replenish the aquifer?
A. According to estimates by the U. S.
Geological Survey, which monitors groundwater in the Valley, recharge of the
aquifer appears to remain stable year to year regardless of fluctuations in
precipitation. Moreover, our overdraft
is so serious that an especially wet year or even a period of years will not
replenish the aquifer. As long as we take out more than goes in, we are living
on borrowed time.
Q. What
are the possible solutions?
A.
There is only one solution: We stop using so much water.
Agriculture
and golf courses together account for ninety per cent of total water use, while
residences, local commerce, and the Park combined use less than the recharge
rate. While drought resistant
landscaping and domestic water conservation are important, even drastic
reductions of water use by residents and visitors would do little to reduce the
overdraft. The deficit can only be
eliminated by reducing agriculture and redesigning golf courses to use far less water. Retrofit and redesign of golf courses and
retirement of farm land will require a collective civic investment; but
sustainable use is the only way to bring the aquifer to an equilibrium state
and protect our water supply for the future.
Q. What
is The Save Our Aquifer Coalition?
A.
The Save Our Aquifer Coalition (“SOAC”) is a voluntary association of residents, property owners,
business people and visitors to Borrego Springs working locally, regionally and
statewide to reduce the overdraft and bring demand and recharge into
equilibrium through rational and sustainable water use.
Q. How do you propose to solve the
problem? What about the farmers? They have been here for generations, haven’t
they?
A. Only a few farms have been in
continuous production under the same owner since the early days of
Borrego. What water might be available
short term for agriculture should rightly go to them. SOAC supports purchase of water rights from
high water use farmers, and is actively seeking funding to accomplish
this.
However,
many large, corporate agribusinesses are simply taking advantage of lax groundwater regulation in
Q. What can I do about it?
A. Join SOAC. SOAC welcomes new members who share the goals
of bringing about sustainable use of precious groundwater and preserving our
unique Valley for future generations.
We’ll keep working and let you know when your calls, letters or public
attendance at meetings and hearings can make a difference in this critical
effort.
To
find out more about SOAC and groundwater in the Borrego Valley, lend your name
in support of our goal, volunteer, send a donation ($25 is suggested) or obtain
an application for membership contact us.
Save
Our Aquifer Coalition
Email: mailto:SOAC@CABLEUSA.COM
[1]. Borrego
Water District. Ground Water
Management Plan,
[2]
[3] “Projected
Life Of The
[4] “Milky Water,” Study prepared by Lin Burzell, Consulting Civil Engineer for the Borrego Water District, Summer 2003.
[5] 1 acre/ft. = 326,000 gallons or enough for two average households for one year or 1 acre covered to a depth of 1 foot.
[6] Borrego Water
District. Ground Water Management
Plan,
[7] See also: “A Change In The Format Of Your Water Bill,” Borrego Water District, Summer 2003
[8] Borrego
Water District. Ground Water
Management Plan,
[9] Borrego
Water District. Ground Water
Management Plan,