Using publicly available data and satellite imagery, OpenET will for the first time make data on how much water crops use widely accessible at no to low cost to farmers and water managers large and small in 17 western states. OpenET will go live next year.<\/p>\n
The early days of satellite methods<\/strong><\/p>\n I first learned about the possibility of using satellite data to measure crop water use in 1993 as a graduate student in Colorado, where I was researching how to improve water and nutrient management on farms along the South Platte River. Another graduate student was working on this new satellite-based method, and to earn some extra pizza money, I signed on to help with ground measurements to test its accuracy.<\/p>\n Even in those early days the satellite method worked pretty well. If only that data were widely available and affordable, I could have used it in nearly every water resources project I\u2019ve worked on since, from evaluating long-term water supplies for Sacramento Valley farmers to supporting water savings projects to help salmon in California\u2019s north coast rivers.<\/p>\n The ET in OpenET<\/strong><\/p>\n The \u201cET\u201d in OpenET stands for evapotranspiration, which is the process by which water evaporates from the land surface and transpires off plants. When irrigation water is applied to crops, between 60% and 95% of that water is returned to the air through ET, while the rest of the water sinks into the ground or runs off into canals or rivers and remains part of the local water system.<\/p>\n Managing water without ET data is like balancing your checkbook without knowing how much money you are spending day in and day out. With data from OpenET, farmers will be able to refine irrigation practices, maximize their \u201ccrop per drop\u201d and improve their bottom line. With data from OpenET, local water managers will be able to create more accurate water budgets and design innovative conservation and responsible water-trading programs to help make farms and communities more resilient to drought and water scarcity.<\/p>\n Sparking innovation among water managers<\/strong><\/p>\n We\u2019re already seeing how OpenET can drive innovation in California\u2019s Central Valley, a region that is required to substantially reduce groundwater use over the next two decades under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act<\/a>.<\/p>\n In Kern County, the Rosedale-Rio Bravo Water Storage District is using OpenET data in a new online accounting and trading platform<\/a> for landowners to better track their water use in a way that\u2019s as simple as checking their online bank account. The accounting portion of the platform launched this year and the trading portion is expected to launch next year. Well-designed water trading programs can help to significantly soften the potential economic impacts of SGMA and reduce the need to retire land to reduce overpumping, according to a Public Policy Institute of California study<\/a>.<\/p>\nThere's finally a better way to measure how much water is used to grow the food we eat, says @maurice_water <\/a><\/span>Share on X<\/a><\/span>\n Helping farmers maximize “crop per drop”<\/strong><\/p>\n Meanwhile, in Diamond Valley, Nevada, farmer Denise Moyle believes OpenET will help her move closer to answering an existential question: \u201cHow do I cut my water consumption by 50% over the next 30 years and still manage to grow a crop of alfalfa?\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Farmer](\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/52\/files\/2020\/09\/Denise-Moyle-1024x683.jpg\")
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