Borrego Springs, CA elephantine economy (# 0639 )

There's actually two points to this photo, the elephant (see adjacent photo) and the very large, and very dense grove of palms in the background.

The palm grove, and a citrus orchard (you can see the outlines of it on the right side of the elephant) are part of a relatively large farming operation (3500 acres) on the northeast side of Borrego Springs that’s visible in a satellite view of the area. While there’s a history of farming in the area since before the 1950’s, and a somewhat shorter period of trying to develop Borrego Springs into a resort area with golf courses and pools, both would be characterized by many as the work of fools. The Borrego Springs area is not connected to any of the major state or federal water projects and is thus dependent on an aquifer fed by the slight rain (average of 5.8” a year) and snow melt from surrounding mountains. The agriculture and the resorts (more by the agriculture) have been drawing down the aquifer at a speed that has resulted in the killing off of native desert fauna and results in a life expectancy for the aquifer of 30-50 years. In 2014 the state mandated that local governments facing such water disasters must take actions to bring usage into control, but like too many other similar situations in the West, no one can agree as to who is going suffer. Without action, this sculpture will soon be standing in bare lots of sand with dead orchards in the background, but there probably won’t be any tourist because the economy will die completely. FYI, a satellite view of the area is interesting, showing many unfinished resort developments. The Desert Sun article, below, gives an excellent description of the situation.

www.desertsun.com/story/news/environment/2019/01/11/california-farmer-borrego-springs-groundwater-pumping-cuts/2169848002