Delta defines Baja, Sea of Cortez

After a long-term brain fart, I'm back to visiting Nomads and wanted to post the following article that I also posted in my conservation forums.

The question I have for all you Nomads is: How has the Colorado River Delta shaped your ideas of Baja and the Sea of Cortez?

Gringorio

Simple water fee could salvage ecosystems

Karl Flessa
My Turn
Aug. 21, 2006 12:00 AM

Arizonans know the value of water. We drink it, we swim in it, we wash with it. Water supplies our farms and industries and carries away our wastes.

Arizona's growing economy thrives on water diverted from nature for our human needs.

Not enough water falls from the sky to satisfy our needs. So we build reservoirs, dig wells, construct canals and pump the water from where it is to where we live and work.

We treat it and deliver it to our homes and farms. In fact, we pay only for treatment and delivery. Does that make our water free?

We pay a hidden cost for diverting water, one that's not reflected in our water bills. When Arizona was settled, the Gila and Santa Cruz rivers flowed all year round. Forests of cottonwoods and mesquites once lined their banks, offering cool shade for humans and animals alike.

Groundwater pumping has drained the Gila, the Santa Cruz and many other Arizona rivers. So much water is now taken from the Colorado that the river no longer reaches the sea. Many springs have gone dry because we have pumped out the groundwater that supplied them. We've already lost a lot of these riparian habitats; we can't afford to lose more.

Our free-flowing streams and springs support the habitats, fish and wildlife that attract the hikers, campers, boaters, fishers, hunters and bird-watchers that are an important part of Arizona's economy.

Natural floodplains reduce the damage from violent floods. Wetlands serve as natural purifiers of polluted water. Colorado River flow increases the shrimp catch in the Gulf of California, providing much-needed jobs in Mexico. Human society benefits from these and other ecosystem services that depend on water.

We can put some water back into our rivers by paying just a little for the water we divert. It won't cost much but it could restore many riparian habitats and protect them for the benefit of future generations of Arizonans.

Here's how it could work: Just add an ecosystem fee of $1 for every 100,000 gallons of water used. That's about $1.34 per year for the average Phoenix household. According to the Water Services Department, the average Phoenix household pays about $275 to use approximately 134,000 gallons of water per year.

Adding an ecosystem fee of just $1 per year for every 100,000 gallons won't have much impact on the average household. If every household and farm in the Southwest that used Colorado River water paid an extra dollar per 100,000 gallons, the ecosystem fees would add up to about $45 million each year. Add in fees from other surface water and groundwater and the money adds up fast.

An ecosystem fund would support restoration and protection of the ecosystem services that depend on water. The fund could help improve irrigation practices, allowing the saved water to be used for restoration.

Ecosystem-fund money could support research on the best ways to use reclaimed water for restoring riparian habitats. The fund could compensate farmers who were willing to let their field lie fallow for a year, letting their water support natural or restored habitats.

Natural ecosystems don't recognize political boundaries so the ecosystem fund must be regional and international in scope. Everybody pays; everybody benefits.

If we don't protect the water that ecosystem services depend on, our economy and our society will suffer.

Putting water back into the rivers isn't just good for nature. It's good for people, too.

The writer is professor of geosciences at the University of Arizona. He directs the Research Coordination Network for the Colorado River Delta. He can be reached at kflessa@email.arizona.edu.

The Colorado River Delta------