Some Arizona cities will be cut off from Colorado River water on January 1

[corydon]

Originally Posted by WanderingRebel

https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/05/us/ar...ate/index.html

Still not sure why this is legal.

This.....
“This is home,” Kaisor said. “You don’t hear a noise. It’s quiet. I don’t want to be around a lot of people. You can do whatever you want.”

[thedirtman]

Originally Posted by WanderingRebel

https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/05/us/ar...ate/index.html

Still not sure why this is legal.

The problem with the article is that it causes focus on the fact that it is a UAE corporation, which makes the article look politically motivated. The article, if scientifically motivated, would focus on the fact that alfalfa production draws more water from the ground to the atmosphere, which should be concerning. It appears as a CNN trick to get people voting in their interest.

[mlulu23]

Originally Posted by WanderingRebel

https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/05/us/ar...ate/index.html

Still not sure why this is legal.

Someone is on the take.

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by thedirtman

The problem with the article is that it causes focus on the fact that it is a UAE corporation, which makes the article look politically motivated. The article, if scientifically motivated, would focus on the fact that alfalfa production draws more water from the ground to the atmosphere, which should be concerning. It appears as a CNN trick to get people voting in their interest.

I am thrilled to see someone other than me recognizes that the issue is not UAE or Saudis, but the crop. Anytime the US exports anything from bombers to pistachios, our resources that were consumed in its production are exported along with it. The US is a major agricultural exporter so we ship "water" around the world. This includes Arizona.

What really is the issue here is that alfalfa is a low value crop that consumes large amounts of water. The reason the Saudis want to grow it here for export to their market is that they recognize what a waste of water it is and have banned growing it in their own country. Instead of pulling our hair out over who is doing it, we need to do the same as the Saudis and severely cut back on growing crops, including alfalfa, that have market value far less than the real value of the water they use.

[odinloki1]

Originally Posted by corydon

Well.... money is #1. That is how it was, and always will be.

Not surprising from the state that gave us Goldwater.

[gemstone1]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

I am thrilled to see someone other than me recognizes that the issue is not UAE or Saudis, but the crop. Anytime the US exports anything from bombers to pistachios, our resources that were consumed in its production are exported along with it. The US is a major agricultural exporter so we ship "water" around the world. This includes Arizona.

What really is the issue here is that alfalfa is a low value crop that consumes large amounts of water. The reason the Saudis want to grow it here for export to their market is that they recognize what a waste of water it is and have banned growing it in their own country. Instead of pulling our hair out over who is doing it, we need to do the same as the Saudis and severely cut back on growing crops, including alfalfa, that have market value far less than the real value of the water they use.

True enough, but it is more than just the crop. At issue is also the fact that the Saudis were almost gifted the land lease at an apparent below market value....who approved this and why ?
And to equate this situation with another high export crop, say California almonds, leaves out the fact that almonds are farmed by, and on land owned by US Corporations and/or family farms. It would be a stretch to imagine that the Saudis care about the water situation/land stewardship.... which affects our citizens (not theirs), at the same level of concern as our family farmers.

But, take the Saudis and the Colorado River out of the equation, and look at water misuse in the Willcox basin.

The Willcox basin is a "dry" basin, that is, there is no ground water. No creek or river enters the basin. The only source of water is drilling down and pumping from the aquifer, and existing wells are going dry at a rapid rate. Why you ask ? See this article about factory farming in dry areas, and ask "who approved this, and why" ?