Irrigation Reform in Nebraska and China
by Jacob from Omaha, NE
The world is plagued by many serious problems, each of which is capable of causing pain, destruction, and death. Such depressing topics as disease, climate change, and terrorism pervade the media and cast a shadow over any discussion of the future of mankind.
Personally, I would rather think about food.
Alas, the overuse of groundwater irrigation, if unchecked, could decimate the world’s food supply. The prospect of mass starvation is hard to stomach. In fact, since agriculture is the bread and butter of the world’s economy, how we choose to distribute and conserve water will have far-reaching effects. The challenge before all world governments is to achieve a level of irrigation that produces enough food to feed the world’s population but does not deplete fresh water supplies.
In the 1990s, Northern China was shocked to discover that the historic Yellow River, the ancient lifeline of Chinese civilization, had lost so much volume that it no longer reached the Pacific Ocean (Yardley). The Chinese government responded with an irrigation reform program, but the region is still in peril. Meanwhile, in the other hemisphere, the state of Nebraska has faced similar issues surrounding its Republican River. The circumstances of the two regions are subtly different, their cultures starkly different, but the fundamental problem is the same. Therefore, lessons learned in one realm will undoubtedly be valuable to the other.
At first glance, Nebraska appears to be the last place on Earth where one would worry about running out of water. Nebraska sits atop the Great Plains Aquifer, the largest underground lake on the North American continent. Big agribusiness has thrived in the Cornhusker state, pumping groundwater with abandon. Indeed, decades of intense well drilling has barely tapped the enormous aquifer, but the practice has incurred unintentional consequences. Scientific research in the 1980s concluded that when water is pumped from underground sources, surface water replenishes the groundwater supply (“Rolling”). Thus, the Republican River and dozens of small streams and creeks have suffered, prompting the ire of conservationists and surface water irrigators who depend on the Republican River to produce viable crops.
As Mark Twain said, “Whisky is for drinking, water is for fighting over.” In 1943, Nebraska, Colorado, and Kansas signed the Republican River Compact, an agreement that allocated 49 percent of the river’s annual water supply to Nebraska and 40 percent to Kansas. As the connection between groundwater and surface water became clear, Kansas grew irritated at the immense volume of groundwater irrigation in Nebraska. A Supreme Court case decided in 2002 held that groundwater pumping must be factored into the percentages established by the Compact (“Republican”). Nebraska has been deeply indebted to Kansas ever since, and the deficit now exceeds 130,000 acre-feet (“Paring”). In short, Nebraska is in deep water.
Nebraska’s first forays into groundwater regulation began in the early 1970s, when the state was divided into 23 Natural Resources Districts (NRD), bureaucratic bodies that are unique to Nebraska. The NRDs were given the power to restrict water “mining,” the practice of withdrawing more water per year than is restored by precipitation (“Rolling”). The most recent legislation, enacted in May 2007, would establish a moratorium on well drilling and would levy taxes on irrigated acres.
The present water crisis in China is more severe than that of Nebraska, forcing the hand of the Chinese government. The 200 million people who inhabit the northern plain may be left with insufficient drinking and bathing water if the situation is not rectified. The Chinese government’s single biggest initiative is a $60 billion project to pipe water from the Yangtze River in the south to the areas with water shortages in the north. If farms in the northern plain are unable to obtain sufficient water, China may be forced to import large quantities of grain. Increased grain prices would aggravate poverty around the world (Lague).
Chinese regulation of irrigation in the last decade began with increasing local control, a break from the tradition of central power in the Communist Party. Local water user associations (WUAs) with elected officials are responsible for the operation and maintenance of irrigation canals. Many of these waterways had fallen into disrepair, exacerbating the water shortage (Murphy). The creation of the WUAs is analogous to that of the NRDs in Nebraska. In both cases, establishing local control was an important first step toward appropriate regulation.
Both China and Nebraska have made use of pecuniary incentives, but China’s approach has been more effective. Nebraska currently uses a tax based on irrigated acreage. China has gradually switched to a system based on volume of water rather than land area. According to World Bank economist Richard Reidinger, “This simple reform cut water usage by up to 20% in some villages” (Murphy).
Studies have shown that Chinese flood irrigation systems waste large amounts of water due to evaporation and runoff. Nebraska’s mechanical irrigation methods are much more efficient (Xurong).
Public support will be crucial to irrigation reform. Progress in China is impeded because its people are often uninformed. When questioned about water shortages on the Yellow River, one Chinese farmer said, “It’s a rumor” (Yardley). In Nebraska, officials have taken great pains to keep the citizenry involved. In one case, an NRD lawyer sent letters to all 4,000 groundwater irrigators in his district (“Paring”). However, Nebraskans must not allow their renowned independence- their pioneer spirit- to transform into stubbornness on the irrigation issue. Nebraska should be just as, if not more, proactive than China.
The silver lining to the dropping water levels of the Yellow and Republican Rivers is that they have pushed a critical issue into the open. All human beings are bound together by a common need for food. The keys to preventing mass starvation lie with not only one of the world’s oldest civilizations but also a state that was established in the nineteenth century. The world need not be left high and dry.
Works Cited
Hendee, David. "Paring back irrigation on the Platte." Omaha World Herald May 21, 2007. < http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2798&u_sid=2387644>. (Accessed June 11, 2007).
* * * "Republican River Valley's prosperity trickles away." Omaha World Herald May 20, 2007. < http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2798&u_sid=2387135>. (Accessed June 11, 2007).
* * * "Rolling back years of growth in pumping groundwater." Omaha World Herald Feb 18, 2007. < http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page
=2798&u_sid=2333463>. (Accessed June 11, 2007).
Lague, David. "In China, a trickle down effect?" International Herald Tribune Nov 10, 2006. < http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/11/10/news/water.php>. (Accessed June 11, 2007).
Legislature of Nebraska. Natural Resources Committee. Legislative Bill 701. Jan 7, 2007.
Murphy, David. "Water Conservation: New Streams of Thought." Far Eastern Economic Review Jan 24, 2002. <http://www.fsa.ulaval.ca/personnel/vernag/EH/F/
cause/lectures/water_conservation.htm>. (Accessed June 11, 2007).
Xurong, Mei. "Water Shortage and Food Production in China: Issues, Potential and Solutions." Agrometeorology Institute, CAAS, Bejing, 1998.
Yardley, Jim. "Water, once plentiful in China's Ningxia region, becomes a scarce resource." International Herald Tribune Nov 20, 2006. < http://www.iht.com/
articles/2006/11/20/news/yellow.php>. (Accessed June 11, 2007).
