Drought Aid in the West

El Niño is gracing the West Coast of the United States and water watchers are enjoying relief from the past few years of drought, but the catch-up game may take longer than hopefuls could dream. Reports from the U.S. Climate Prediction Center indicate that wetter weather is forecast for the West Coast through at least November 24th, but may only be enough to recover part of the damage caused by drought. Not only would water storage reservoirs need to be restored to normal, levels of both surface and groundwater would also need to at least approach normalcy for El Niño to solve the West’s water scarcity issues.

Organizations such as the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program are seeking to aid with scarcity issues, whether El Niño proves itself as a force this winter or not. On November 16, 2015, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the availability of $350 million funded through the ACEP to benefit the restoration and protection of working agricultural lands and wetlands. The funding was created by the 2014 Farm Bill to protect critical water resources and wildlife habitats, but is also extended to landowners to help protect and restore key farmlands, grasslands and wetlands across the nation. According to a news release by the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, private landowners can use programs like the ACEP to maintain land for farming and ranching purposes. Voluntary easement sales can help landowners engage in the conservation efforts by limiting future development to protect key resources such as water.

The news of ACEP’s funding comes down right alongside a Presidential Memorandum written in early November. The memorandum is addressed to secretaries such as USDA’s Vilsack and specifically directs such programs to, “Avoid and then minimize the harmful effects to land, water, wildlife, and other ecological resources (natural resources) caused by land- or water- disturbing activities, and to ensure that any remaining harmful effects are effectively addressed, consistent with existing mission and legal authorities.” (Western Livestock Journal)

While El Niño may bring hope to the West Coast, efforts from the USDA and ACEP will be needed to aid the long-term protection of farmland, grassland and wetland in the US, as well as the restoration and consistency of water quality and levels.