By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Palm farm in Borrego Springs, by Miriam Raftery

November 25, 2018 (Borrego Springs) – Borrego Springs is under a state mandate to submit a plan early next year to reduce the desert community’s water consumption by 75 percent by 2040. The town relies 100% on groundwater – and it’s using far more than is being replenished through rainfall.  Citrus and palm farms use 70 to 80 percent of Borrego’s water, so the only way to meet the staterequirement and save the town’s only water supply is to eliminate some or all of the farms.