Would you want to buy crops grown from oil wastewater?
From today's
who in the hell really thinks this is a good idea file:
Oil giant Chevron recycles 21 million gallons of that water each day and sells it to farmers who use it on about 45,000 acres of crops, about 10% of Kern County's farmland.
State and local officials praise the 2-decade-old program as a national model for coping with the region's water shortages. As California's four-year drought lingers and authorities scramble to conserve every drop, agricultural officials have said that more companies are seeking permits to begin similar programs. The heightened interest in recycling oil field wastewater has raised concern over the adequacy of safety measures in place to prevent contamination from toxic oil production chemicals.
Safety measures? What kind of safety measures are in place now? In short, very little:
No one knows whether nuts, citrus or other crops grown with the recycled oil field water have been contaminated. Farmers may test crops for pests or disease, but they don't check for water-borne chemicals. Instead, they rely on oversight by state and local water authorities. But experts say that testing of both the water and the produce should be expanded.
Sounds a bit like "don't ask, don't tell." But, there has been at least one group testing the water:
One environmental group has tested the irrigation water for oil field chemicals. Over the last two years, Scott Smith, chief scientist for the advocacy group Water Defense, collected samples of the treated irrigation water that the Cawelo Water District buys from Chevron. Laboratory analysis of those samples found compounds that are toxic to humans, including acetone and methylene chloride — powerful industrial solvents — along with oil.
Regulatory agencies, oil producers like Chevron, environmentalists and farmers are all debating whether the process is safe, all while the state looks to expand the program and issue more permits. Isn't this something that should be verified before it could endanger our crops—and our lives?
Read more about the oil wastewater being used on crops in this excellent article at the Los Angeles Times.