Pubdate: Thu, 26 Mar 2015
Source: North Coast Journal (Arcata, CA)
Copyright: 2015 North Coast Journal
Contact:  http://www.northcoastjournal.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2833
Author: Grant Scott-Goforth

DRAINED DRY

A study published last week posits a parched forecast for several 
North Coast watersheds that host concentrated marijuana cultivation sites.

The report, co-written by scientists from the California Department 
of Fish and Wildlife and the National Marine Fisheries Service, 
outlines the stream-sucking impacts of grows in the areas of Upper 
Redwood Creek, Salmon Creek and Redwood Creek South, located in 
Humboldt County, and Mendocino County's Outlet Creek.

Using satellite imagery, stream flow data and anecdotal evidence 
gathered by tagging along during raids, the team determined that in 
three out of the four watersheds, "water demands for marijuana 
cultivation exceed streamflow during low-flow periods."

In other words, the researchers predict that during summertime - when 
growing marijuana plants require the most water and rainfall all but 
ceases - many stream beds will dry up.

This won't come as much of a surprise to anyone who's seen maps like 
the ones environmental biologist Scott Bauer (who co-authored the 
study for Fish and Wildlife) has produced, showing clusters of grows 
on tributaries of many North Coast rivers.

And while research areas contain tens of thousands of marijuana 
plants, "the total number of registered, active diversions on file 
with the State Water Resources Control Board accounted less than half 
of the number of parcels with [grows] that were visible from aerial 
imagery," the study reads. "In some watersheds, the number was as low 
as 6 percent."

The research indicates that relatively small, private-land grows have 
proliferated in the last two decades. Most of those rely on surface 
water to irrigate crops, meaning big draws on streams from many 
users. That adds up, the research shows, and it can have devastating effects.

"Flow modification is one of the greatest threats to aquatic 
biodiversity," the report reads. But before now, most research on the 
impacts of dewatering watersheds has been limited to large-scale 
projects like hydroelectric dams.

The focus areas of the Fish and Wildlife study are rich in fragile 
species, including the coho and Chinook salmon and steelhead trout, 
each of which are considered threatened by the federal and/or state government.

Even for the larger streams that aren't anticipated to run completely 
dry, lower flows are correlated with rising temperatures, which 
hinder salmon's ability to reproduce and survive. "Given the specter 
of climate change-induced ... droughts and diminished summer stream 
flows in the region, continued diversions at a rate necessary to 
support the current scale of marijuana cultivation in Northern 
California could be catastrophic for aquatic species," the report reads.

Fish, amphibians and other water-reliant wildlife aren't the 
researchers' only concern either. "On a localized scale, with 
regional implications, this study detects an emerging threat to not 
only aquatic biodiversity but also human water security, since 
surface water supplies most of the water for domestic uses in 
watersheds throughout Northwestern California."

One can imagine a farmer, surprised by a usually reliant stream's 
mid-season shrinkage, taking matters into his or her own hands and 
stalking up a creek bed with bolt cutters, lopping every upstream 
water pipe along the way.

Bauer and his co-authors call for more research of streamflow 
impacts, more enforcement of illegal diversions, more education of 
best practices for growers, and careful attention to land use 
policies for local and state legislators. (Read the full 25-page report here.)

After all, pot is for smoking; water's for fighting.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom