Land Retirement Option and Retired Land Management

Implementing the land retirement option as presented by the San Joaquin Valley Drainage Implementation Program (SJVDP) and the Central Valley Project Improvement Act (CVPIA) is not without some expense in converting lands to other uses and managing water, soil, land, and wildlife resources to minimize adverse effects and maximize beneficial effects. Herein we describe the potential consequences of the implementation of land retirement upon the hydrologic system, upon the quality of land from a biologic perspective and a pedologic perspective, and upon the economic system. The results described are based on computer modeling studies. Studies of this type have inherent limitations based on modeling assumptions, availability of data for modeling verification, and the accuracy of model predictions of natural phenomena. For the modeling studies described in this report, little baseline data was available for model verification. Therefore, modeling results must be carefully reviewed and interpreted based on modeling assumptions. In the absence of retired land monitoring data, the results of the modeling studies provided the best framework for Committee deliberations on the environmental and economic consequences of implementation of land retirement programs.