Citing the dire challenges agricultural water users face in the West, a coalition of western agriculture groups is calling on the Department of the Interior to immediately put into effect the $4 billion in drought funding from the Inflation Reduction Act.

“Beyond the urgency of the dire hydrological situation faced in many western watersheds, this prompt action is essential for a variety of other reasons,” the coalition said in a letter to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Touton.

Significant time and effort are being put into the development of response plans. For those to result in meaningful progress, it is essential to understand the key factors that will be considered in providing any future financial assistance, the coalition said.

“The ability of agricultural producers to participate in any voluntary, compensated water reduction program becomes much more difficult, if not impossible, if not initiated and implemented soon. This is due to the timeframes associated with contracting, purchasing and planting of crops for the coming year,” the letter said.

This is particularly important in areas such as the Imperial Valley in California and Yuma, Ariz., where large-scale winter-time agricultural production occurs, the letter said.

The coalition asked Interior to work with its organizations to quickly release a “notice of funding availability” with guidance to water managers currently developing drought response proposals and quickly deploy that funding to address the most urgent needs.

The letter included the following recommendations:

• Work with local water managers to articulate the considerations and approaches to utilizing funding so the modification or development of viable plans results in desired and defensible outcomes for all engaged.

• In basins where voluntary water reductions might occur, any program should set goals focused on driving the participation needed to produce measurable volumes of water. Local water managers should also be enabled to decide which actions will be taken to achieve targets.

• Keep the process, selection criteria and any necessary agreements simple and transparent. Requiring prescriptive, complicated or overly restrictive requirements or agreements will slow progress and reduce participation in programs.

• Any program designed to temporarily reduce agricultural water use must recognize the value of lost production, the extended impact on the rural community and the cost of developing new water supplies. It is also critical to avoid any actions that result in profound, long-term economic damage to western communities as well as the long-term capacity to produce food and fiber.

• Agriculture should not be the only sector expected to reduce water use for the benefit of river systems. Urban planners and water users must also seriously address growth and reduce overall use or diversions, as opposed to per capita reductions, to protect these systems. The government must also reevaluate the true environmental water needs of river systems in light of projected ongoing drought conditions throughout most of the western U.S.

The letter was signed by Western Growers, Family Farm Alliance, Agribusiness and Water Council of Arizona and state Farm Bureaus of California, Arizona, Colorado and Oregon.