Impacts of surface water diversions for marijuana cultivation on aquatic habitat in four northwestern California watersheds

PloS One
Scott BauerGordon Leppig

Abstract

Marijuana (Cannabis sativa L.) cultivation has proliferated in northwestern California since at least the mid-1990s. The environmental impacts associated with marijuana cultivation appear substantial, yet have been difficult to quantify, in part because cultivation is clandestine and often occurs on private property. To evaluate the impacts of water diversions at a watershed scale, we interpreted high-resolution aerial imagery to estimate the number of marijuana plants being cultivated in four watersheds in northwestern California, USA. Low-altitude aircraft flights and search warrants executed with law enforcement at cultivation sites in the region helped to validate assumptions used in aerial imagery interpretation. We estimated the water demand of marijuana irrigation and the potential effects water diversions could have on stream flow in the study watersheds. Our results indicate that water demand for marijuana cultivation has the potential to divert substantial portions of streamflow in the study watersheds, with an estimated flow reduction of up to 23% of the annual seven-day low flow in the least impacted of the study watersheds. Estimates from the other study watersheds indicate that water demand for marijuana cultivati...Continue Reading

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Citations

Feb 18, 2017·Environmental Science & Technology·K Ashworth, W Vizuete
May 19, 2017·Evolutionary Applications·Travis M ApgarEric P Palkovacs
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Nov 9, 2021·Environmental Management·Mark Klassen, Brandon P Anthony

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