A recent press report noted the 23 percent drop in groundwater levels in areas contiguous with the Guymon, OK. pork-packing plant operated by Seaboard Foods. Although a major local employer and contributor to the regional economy, the consumption of water by the pork plant will have a deleterious effect on the community. Similar depletion of subterranean water has occurred in areas adjacent to ethanol plants that use a disproportionate quantity of water. Agricultural enterprises in California including almond groves and even large egg production complexes and dairies compromise local water supplies by abstraction at rates that are not replenished by precipitation and inflow.
In the short term, packing plants and users of large volumes of water should evaluate reduction and reuse. This will conserve water for future generations.
In 2022, irrigation of alfalfa fields became an issue in the gubernatorial campaign in Arizona. A company owned by investors in Saudi Arabia was cultivating and packing alfalfa for export while operating under a “sweetheart” lease allowing ground water abstraction at a low price.
In evaluating local conflicts, especially in arid regions, militant activity is less a function of acreage than the availability of water vital to life.