The Flow of Water

In  most parts of the world, water flows downhill.  In the western US, it is said, water flows uphill towards money.
-Marc Reisner, author Cadillac Desert

As we headed out of El Centro this morning, it became clear that the Imperial Valley is quite the fertile agricultural producer.  Everything from salad greens to strawberries, to citrus fruit and avocados were on display. 

But just beyond the fields and orchards, the soil is bone dry.  How can such a dry area produce so much bounty?  The answer became clear as we rode along, passing numerous conduits of Colorado River water, distributed to all of the local farms.

 

These aren't your normal family farms.  For dozens of miles, there are no farm houses, no barns, no agricultural equipment sheds - just fields and rows of crops.  The land is just too valuable to waste on putting up homes.  And there's probably a lot of money propelling this juggernaut forward.  Like Marc Reisner observed, the water here is not flowing downhill.  It is flowing uphill to the rich factory farms to grow the crops that southern California is known for.  And yes, all of us Americans enjoy the bounty, but there is still this dark underbelly of agricultural production that isn't often revealed. 



As we passed over the last irrigation canal, and began our climb, it was very interesting to see the change in vegetation.  Less than a quarter of a mile out, the only thing growing were scraggly bushes and occasional cacti.

And further up, all vegetation disappeared with only flowing dunes of sand to be seen.

 In some places the only manmade object was a warped flip-flop, possibly left by a fleeing immigrant from central America.

All of this becomes quite sobering when scientists predictions of reduced precipitation due to climate change are considered, and how vulnerable our food supply really is.