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Peter Gleick: Growing jobs – Where should the water go?

Posted by: Maven on May 13, 2009 at 7:54 am

From Peter Gleick at his City Lights blog:

Some of the numbers I post will be interesting (I hope), but not very controversial. The last post (about the recent apparent decline in bottled water sales) seems to be one of those. But some of them will be remarkably controversial–not so much for what the number is as much as what the number might imply, or signify. This next one is certain to fall into this controversial category.

So before I get to it, let me solicit polite and thoughtful comments by asking readers the following: what do you think the numbers should, if anything, mean for water policy, water allocations, and water management? Should this kind of information play a role in the decisions we make around water?

Water Number: Data from the California State Department of Finance shows that 1000 acre-feet of water used to grow cotton, rice, or alfalfa produces between 1 to 5 jobs; 1000 acre-feet of water used to grow vegetables in California produces 18 to 35 jobs; 1000 acre-feet of water used in office buildings produces 2500 jobs; 1000 acre-feet of water used to produce semiconductors supports 9000 jobs. (Source: Gleick, P.H. 2004. California’s “Economic Productivity” of Water Use: Jobs, Income, and Water Use in California. Pacific Institute, Oakland, California.)

Read more from Peter Gleick and the City Brights blog by clicking here.

May 13, 2009 · Filed Under Agriculture, San Joaquin Valley

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