Cliff Mass to Shatner: Send California’s farms north

William Shatner may be on to something with his idea of providing California with Washington water, he just might have it backwards.

Shatner suggested the drought-ridden state take water from the more well-equipped Pacific Northwest. He went so far as to start a Kickstarter campaign to raise $30 billion to build a pipeline.

But why build an expensive water pipeline to an arid region with a large population to support agriculture, when the agriculture could be moved north?

“California needs to decrease its water-intensive agriculture, including switch to less water-hungry crops,” Cliff Mass wrote on his blog. “Less almonds, for example.”

Though the Pacific Northwest’s snowpack may be reduced by warming temperatures, it will “modestly” increase its total precipitation, according to Mass. He predicts the Northwest’s growing seasons will lengthen as temperatures warm.

There is a problem with the Northwest’s precipitation, however. Most of it falls during the winter, Mass pointed out. To adjust, Washington would need to build more reservoir capacity and use water more efficiently. Water rights must also be adjusted, as water is a communal resource, Mass wrote.

Meanwhile, California could decrease its acreage of crops and save more water.

“This year is giving us a taste of the future impact of global warming (even though the cause was natural),” Mass wrote. “No wonder a former starship captain is thinking about it.”