SRBC Moves Toward With Ag Water Storage Proposal
HARRISBURG (Dauphin
Co.) Work is progressing on a
proposal to store water in existing
dams on the Susquehanna River
and its tributaries for release dur
ing periods of drought on behalf of
the state's production agriculture
industry.
According to a recent publica
tion of the Susquehanna River
Basin Commission a tri-state/
federal compact that has authority
over the regulation of flows in the
entire Susquehanna River
Basin a 1995-developed water
use proposal to purchase and store
adequate water supplies to com
pensate for water lost because of
consumptive uses by the state’s
agricultural sector appears to be
proceeding well.
As background, in 1992 the
SRBC proposed regulations that
called for those who consume
large quantities of water to either
pay the SRBC for the storage of
water lost, or to create water stor
age to be released during drought
The proposal for agriculture was
suspended until further study
could be done.
The term “consumed” in this
case refers to any act which
changes the form of water from
liquid to its gaseous stale and then
releases the gas freely into the
atmosphere. (Water can be
changed to a gas. as in steam
electric generation, and then
recondensed to preserve it in liquid
form.)
Such things as evaporation and
evapotranspiration are consump
tive uses because when water is
changed into a gas form and
released into the atmosphere, it
generally does not stay within the
baiiifnorcan if be recontributed to
the river flow.
While this may challenge some
of the more simplistic understand
ings. of water cycles, consumed
water is basically that which is
removed from the flows of the
water.
The cooling towers at Three
Mile Island south of Harrisburg
send large volumes of water from
the river into the atmosphere. The
nuclear electricity-generating
plant operators pay SRBC a pre
scribed amount of money to com
pensate for the loss of water in the
river.
That money is used by the
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3rd:
Fertilizer moves throughout the plant, carrying
nutrients up and out to the leaves and down to
the roots.
SRBC to pay the U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers for the storage of
water in up-river reservoirs to be
released during drought.
Over the past years, as the
SRBC sought to consolidate its
piecemeal regulations into a com
prehensive and logical system, it
held public hearings and received
testimony from many farmers and
landowners.
Though the issue of compensat
ory payments for consumptive
water use has not been the main
issue of those hearings, many land
owners and farmers questioned
why they should have to pay any
amount to the SRBC for consump
tive use in light of the fact that
many of the operations of farms
and some landowners have
installed water and soil conserva
tion practices on their land, and
through keeping their land free of
buildings and the soil porous,
allow rainfall to seep into the
ground and recharge groundwater
aquifers.
At the same time, residential,
retail and commercial develop
ments, especially those installed
more than 10 years ago. have been
done so with minimal regard for
the effects on groundwater.
Currently, local interpretation
(the prescribed authority accord
ing to the late 1970 s DER regula
tions) of effective storm water
runoff controls and flood plain
management has allowed less than
desirable situations, as buildings
require well-drained soils, and loc
al expertise has been slow to
develop.
Even as the more recent urbani
zation sprawl has occured through
out the basin, the older towns and
cities and systems of storm water
sewers continue to shoot storm
water quickly toward the Chesa
peake Bay.
Lawsuits and court interpreta
tions of regulations, complaints
from landowners seeking to con
tinue the practice of draining land
to create suitably dry building lots
at the cost of recharging the irrfthe-
Hiate groundwater, and a general
free-for-all for tapping into
groundwater supplies have all
allowed local problems to be
exacerbated.
While the SRBC has authority
to protect groundwater aquifers
from being over-tapped, and gen-
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eral authority to regulate flows, it
has been proceeding in a cautious
manner.
Some politicians have express
ed a desire to dismantle the hybrid
governmental authority, because it
is regional and actually is consid
ered to be able to supercede state
authority over some water flow
issues.
As a compromise measure VS
individual farms being required to
pay out for the amount of water
consumed (used to irrigate, water
animals, etc.), the SRBC has prop
osed that the entire basin’s agricul
tural consumptive use be assessed
and paid for through general tax
funds.
Seeking to help agriculture to
continue in the basin not only ben
efits the general population’s eco-
NEW ORLEANS Steam
flaking of grains to gain more feed
ing benefits for milk cows has
shown promise, according to a
news release from the North
American Region Animal Health
Group of Pfizer Inc., and accord
ing to M.F. Hutjens, University of
Illinois, in response to a letter to
the editor in the May 2S issue of
Hoard’s Dairyman.
Both the Pfizer news release and
the response by Hutjens refer to
research done at the University of
Arizona.
According to the news release.
Dr. J.T. Huber, a professor in the
Department of Animal Sciences at
University of Arizona, “Estimated
increases in income over feed costs
resulting from flaking grains
depends on milk and feed prices,
and observed responses, but they
have ranged from 20 cents to 40
cents per day per cow in the Cali
fornia market to SO cents to $1 per
day per cow in the Texas maiket.”
In response to a question from a
Hoard’s reader about the price
advantage to steam-flaked com
over regular com, Hutjens referred
to research done at the University
of Arizona on steamed milo, qual
ifying his response that he did not
have research data available on the
effects of steam-flaking on com.
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nomic opportunities, but it also
ensures better water resource
protections.
The SRBC Agricultural Water
Use Advjsory Committee
approved the proposal in
September.
The committee is comprised
mainly of farmer-landowners.
Support was also issued by the
Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, which
stated to the SRBC, “We recom
mend the support of government
funded reservoir storage of make
up water to satisfy the SRBC con
sumptive use regulations for
agriculture.”
Currently, the SRBC has been
encouraging farmers to register
their water use, both for their own
water-use protection, and for the
Steam Flaking Grains
Can Have Benefits
Hutjens did express that there is
a feeding and milk production ben
efit to steam-flaked milo and
assumed that the response to
steam-flaking corn would be
somewhat less, but probably
improved over dry rolling.
The Pfizer news release was
based on a presentation made by
Dr. Huber test week at the 44th
annual Pfizer research conference
held in New Orleans.
“According to Dr. J.T. Huber...
dairy producers now can design
feed ration programs to improve
milk protein yields by understand
ing the advantages of flaking, ver
sus other methods of processing
sorghum and com,” the news
release stated.
In the response by Hutjens, he
calculated a milk production bene
fit of $73 per ton; S 6 cents per cow
for protein (based on $1.83 per
pound protein); 5 cents per cow for
fat (based on 60 cents per pound
fat); and 28 cents per cow for other
milk solids (based on a 80 cents per
pound value).
According to Hutjens. the
Arizona-research showed a
response benefit of steam-flaked
milo over dry rolled milo of seven
pounds in milk yield, a .31-pound
increase in protein, and a
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SRBC to have a better grasp on
water use within the basin.
There is no registration cost for
agriculture and formulas are
applied to calculate the amount
consumed, versus the amount
used.
Once the state’s agricultural
registered water use is completed,
and the amount of agricultural con
sumptive use calculated, the
SRBC can progress toward secur
ing funding to support agricultural
consumptive uses.
For more information, or to
register use, contact the SRBC at
its Harrisburg headquarters build
ing by writing to it at 1721 North
Front Street, Harrisburg. PA
17102-2391, or by dialing (717)
238-0423.
09-pound increase
production.
He calculated the per-ton bene
fit using a best-case scenario.
“This analysis is a ‘best-case’
scenario reflecting rations needing
fermentable carbohydrate, con
taining modest levels of grain and
a grain thatis not as available in the
rumen.
“You could see similar results
with high-moisture com, more
finely ground grain, or substituting
barley or wheat”
He added that “Finally, all
steam-flaked grain is not equal. It
varies, depending on its processing
and density."
According to the Pfizer news
release. Huber said there has been
widespread acceptance of feeding
steam-flaked grain to lactating
cows in Southwestern slates.
The Pfizer research conference
is the kickoff event for the annual
American Feed Industry Associa
tion convention.
Other scientific reports that
were to be presented this year
include discussions on branched
chain amino acids in sow nutrition
research, folic acid effects in broil
er chicks, and the effects of small
intestine digestion in regulating
nutrients in ruminants.