Middle Flint Basin Irrigation Water Use

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Middle Flint BasinIrrigation Water Use

• Dr. Jim Hook
• National Environmentally Sound Production
  Agriculture Laboratory
• June 5, 2001
• SW Georgia Water Resources Task Force
• WATER SUMMIT VI

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Rapid Growth
Steady Growth
DecliningIrrigation
Pre-Irrigation
No Irrigation
No AgencyRegulation
AgencyPermitting
Regulated/Restricted
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Why do farmers irrigate?

• Reduces risks associated with dry weather (still
  leaves risks associated with commodity prices)
• Stabilizes income
• Opportunities for good profits
• Opportunity to grow other crops
• Vegetable, peanut, early grain contracts
• Operational loan (availability, amount)
• Land rentals

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Why do farmers irrigate?

• Land values (collateral, resale, taxes)
• Eliminates wasted inputs
• Reduces risks of quality loss

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Irrigation Decisions create uncertainty

• Decision to install/expand irrigation
• Can I obtain capital, what risks
• Annual Decision on which Lands to irrigate
• Do I need to rotate
• Annual Decision on which Crops to irrigate
• What will be profitable at market time, how cost.
• Daily Decisions to irrigate or not
• When, how much will it pay for itself
• Tough economic business decisions
• Too many wrong decisions mean economic failure

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Decisions about irrigation

• A good businessman makes these decisions as part
  of a well thought out development/ investment
  plan over a period of years.
• Competition requires farmers to used the most
  efficient use of their combined resources land,
  water, equipment, labor, experience.

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DNR-EPD Permits all (almost) withdrawals
exceeding 100,000 gpd

• Since 1988 farmers are required to get a permit
  from EPD if their pump is capable of pumping gt 70
  gpm (larger than 4well).
• Ground water withdrawals
• Surface withdrawals from streams, canals,
  ditches, springs, sinkholes, etc.
• Surface withdrawals from farm ponds (?)
• No reporting requirements
• No renewal necessary
• No conservation plan required

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Restrictions on Permitted Withdrawals 1998-2001

• Freeze on new groundwater withdrawals from
  Dougherty Plain area of Flint Basin
• Freeze on surface water withdrawals from streams
  everywhere in the Flint Basin
• Site visits required by EPD before future
  permitting. New rules for drillers.
• Studies to get accurate acres and irrigation
  amount. Voluntary - UGA
• Flint River Drought Protection Act evoked March
  1, 2001. A 33,000 acreage reduction for 2001.

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EPD vs Ext. Survey of Irrigation

• Survey during fall 2000 showed the 13 counties
  had 357,200 acres irrigated that year
• EPD has issued permits for a total of 515,100
  acres from those counties.
• Their freeze on new permits is based on their
  numbers to prevent the estimated 100,000
  additional requested acres.
• Their buyout this year with FRDPA was to
  eliminate 33,000 surface irrigated acres.

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