Billions of gallons of California water sent overseas

June 4, 2015

In parched California, farmers’ long-standing water rights are being re-examined

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Billions of gallons of California water sent overseas

Every day, fields in California’s Imperial Valley are flooded using a massive irrigation system, primarily for alfalfa hay. Much of that hay is sent to China, Japan and the United Arab Emirates, raising questions as California struggles with another year of drought. The Imperial Valley, a farming community of fewer than 200,000 people, uses more than 880 billion gallons of river water every year. The rest of Southern California uses less than half that. In this excerpt from America Tonight, Michael Okwu reports on the ongoing battle over access to water in the state.


 

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