Just How Bad Is California's Drought?

[mrjarrell]

Pretty damned bad, and getting worse by the day. The bad thing is that the drought conditions stretch throughout the west and go all the way through much, if not most, of Texas. This drought does not bode well for the people of California or the rest of us, either. We get lots of produce and other foods from California and the farms get cut off pretty much from the get go. There's already been talk in the California government that they might have to actually move people from certain places due to the lack of water. This is sadly, not the kind of thing you can prep for. You can't store enough water for you and yours to outlast a long term drought. Everyone's going to feel the repercussions from this one. Given the right weather conditions we could see the same here.

Just How Bad Is California's Drought? Here's A Scary, 10-Second Answer.

 

[RockofStrength]

Pretty damned bad, and getting worse by the day. The bad thing is that the drought conditions stretch throughout the west and go all the way through much, if not most, of Texas. This drought does not bode well for the people of California or the rest of us, either. We get lots of produce and other foods from California and the farms get cut off pretty much from the get go. There's already been talk in the California government that they might have to actually move people from certain places due to the lack of water. This is sadly, not the kind of thing you can prep for. You can't store enough water for you and yours to outlast a long term drought. Everyone's going to feel the repercussions from this one. Given the right weather conditions we could see the same here.

Just How Bad Is California's Drought? Here's A Scary, 10-Second Answer.

Except that that kind of weather, though horrific, is hardly out of the norm for the West on a historical level. That place fluctuates between reasonable rain in a rather arid environment to total desert and our agricultural industry just so happened to hit upon the wetter side of the cycle when they started farming and planting. If the farmers are willing to wait another century or two things might return to "normal".

 

[indiucky]

WOW!!!!! A desert region is in a drought????? A state that had a relatively small population of indigineous people due to it's lack of water now may have to start moving people because it is one of the most populous states in the union and doesn't have enough water...NO WAY!!!!


I guess next you are going to say that New Orleans will eventually flood because it's built below sea level...


If you want to REALLY get your panties in a wad look at the resevoir south of San Francisco that stores much of LA's water supply...It is 300 yards from the ocean and only 5 feet above sea level....One rogue wave would turn it all into salt water and LA would be in full blown SHTF within 12 hours....

 

[smokingman]

With all the news about lack of water and drought conditions I wonder why they would divert water from the Colorado river?

25,000 acre feet/year or 2,475,877,125,000 gallons with 10% to 30% of the total flow being pumped underground?
Then Complain it is going dry and no longer reaching the ocean.
Not to worry.It is for the children.

Flails arms the river is running dry(hides the giant pumps behind the curtain).


Pump It Up! CAP Superstition Mountains Recharge Project - Stanley Consultants

 

[88GT]

Except that that kind of weather, though horrific, is hardly out of the norm for the West on a historical level. That place fluctuates between reasonable rain in a rather arid environment to total desert and our agricultural industry just so happened to hit upon the wetter side of the cycle when they started farming and planting. If the farmers are willing to wait another century or two things might return to "normal".

Yeah, it's hard to find sympathy for people who hinge their survival on manipulating the environment to that degree and then cry like babies when they realize they can't.

 

[Cameramonkey]

And I heard an astute soundbyte from one of the farmers on NPR as I was flipping past. "why should we conserve and give up the water we need for our alfalfa that might get shipped to China to help feed hungry kids? How do we know that the water we give up will be used appropriately downstream? What is more important? Our crops Or some rich person's swimming pool or green lawn?" (paraphrased)

 

[88GT]

And I heard an astute soundbyte from one of the farmers on NPR as I was flipping past. "why should we conserve and give up the water we need for our alfalfa that might get shipped to China to help feed hungry kids? How do we know that the water we give up will be used appropriately downstream? What is more important? Our crops Or some rich person's swimming pool or green lawn?" (paraphrased)

I'm going to go with the swimming pool or green lawn, since the farmer voluntarily accepted the water distribution paradigm. Maybe it's not more important. But it's not less important.

 

[Cameramonkey]

Reread it GT. (I may not have been clear) He wasnt accepting it, he was questioning it. "why should I give up my good use if its just going to get wasted later?" I understood him to mean he wasnt totally against sharing, but wanted to make sure what he was giving up was going to a good cause like drinking water. Much like you or I would only give up some of our cash to a homeless person if we could guarantee it would be spent on food, diapers, medicine, etc and not a bottle of MD 20/20.

The actual quote:

Is a better to use our water to grow alfalfa sent to China to feed the kids? Or is it better take our water to L.A. to fill the swimming pools and to build golf courses for the movie stars to enjoy their summer afternoon with their hot toddy by the pool?

the article I was mentioning...

In Time Of Drought, Arizona's Alfalfa Exports Are Criticized : NPR

 

[hooky]

As long as the Delta Smelt are being saved, I think we should accept the fact that farmers are going to have to do without.

In drought-stricken California, court rules smelt fish get water | Reuters

Another good read

http://news.yahoo.com/california-drought-dust-bowl-040440797.html

 

[Sasquatchhunter]

I'm in Moreno Valley on business right now. It has rained 4 times in 3 weeks, one week it rained so much it tore the awning in my hotel, and caused a few landslides....

 

[Uglyducky]

I'm in Moreno Valley on business right now. It has rained 4 times in 3 weeks, one week it rained so much it tore the awning in my hotel, and caused a few landslides....

Total anomoly. It's bad!!

 

[88GT]

He accepted the water distribution paradigm.

I don't know what he's complaining about. Assuming his water usage is governed by typical appropriations rights common in those areas, he doesn't have to give up any of it. Consumption of first-in-time users is only reduced by increases in efficiency. If the costs of that efficiency upgrade is born by someone else, he doesn't lose a darn thing by letting un-needed water go to a next-in-time user.

The root problem is that people are trying to run successful ag businesses in a ****ing desert. Prior appropriation is a horribly inefficient way to distribute water in any circumstance, but it's what they've got. And it might be the best for the area. Lord knows riparian rights would leave 90-some percent of the population high and dry, pardon the pun. I personally don't see any problem with the recommendation made by Robbins. It would require some legal changes to water rights laws, namely the use-it-or-lose-it condition. But it's essentially a very real market solution: those with the water sell it to those who need the water, only the payment is made in the form of efficiency upgrades that make it feasible for those with the water to sell it/pass it on.

 

[BigBoxaJunk]

I want to be interested in that, but right now I've got to go take a reeeeeeeeally long hot shower.

 

[Leadeye]

Water flows toward money and power, if the shortage gets really bad in cali they'll just steal it from someone else and the feds will help them.

 

[hooky]

Just wait a little longer and the murmurs about water in the great lakes belonging to everyone will progress to a dull roar. It will be made into a human rights issue and the demands to build a pipeline to the southwest will start getting serious. "It's a water inequality issue that must be addressed" - some future big gov policy whiz kid.

 

[LockStocksAndBarrel]

Just wait a little longer and the murmurs about water in the great lakes belonging to everyone will progress to a dull roar. It will be made into a human rights issue and the demands to build a pipeline to the southwest will start getting serious. "It's a water inequality issue that must be addressed" - some future big gov policy whiz kid.

Right on!

I've been saying that for years. It's only a matter of time before they'll start sucking them dry.

Oh the humanity! We have to do it for the chilrens!

 

[88GT]

Just wait a little longer and the murmurs about water in the great lakes belonging to everyone will progress to a dull roar. It will be made into a human rights issue and the demands to build a pipeline to the southwest will start getting serious. "It's a water inequality issue that must be addressed" - some future big gov policy whiz kid.

They made the first step when they claimed rain water belonged to the state.

 

[hooky]

That's the murmur.

 

[spearheadersarge]

Why can't they do what they do in the Middle East? Build de-salivation plant and make all the water they want from the ocean?

 

[HeadlessRoland]

Reread it GT. (I may not have been clear) He wasnt accepting it, he was questioning it. "why should I give up my good use if its just going to get wasted later?" I understood him to mean he wasnt totally against sharing, but wanted to make sure what he was giving up was going to a good cause like drinking water. Much like you or I would only give up some of our cash to a homeless person if we could guarantee it would be spent on food, diapers, medicine, etc and not a bottle of MD 20/20.

The actual quote:


the article I was mentioning...

In Time Of Drought, Arizona's Alfalfa Exports Are Criticized : NPR

I'm glad Indiana has riparian water rights. In the West where they have non-riparian water rights, it gets to be a very complicated maze of priority-use permitting and that sort of thing. I would never even consider living in a State (or region) that does not have riparian water rights. Water is just that important. Wars have been fought over it, and in my opinion, may still be waged yet. Now that everyone is realizing the suboptimal collectivist outcome of non-riparian water allocation, now they're complaining. But California - and a lot of the West, including my second-favorite choice, Wyoming - has had non-riparian water allocation for ages, with complicated prioritized usage systems for decades now. This is the end result of collectivism and State interference in something as basic and natural as water supply; inefficiency for everyone. In the attempt to preserve and conserve and distribute water on a basis decided by the State, the State has, in its hubris, made things that much worse. I'm sitting back waiting to hear about the stories of stores and people being robbed for their 24-packs of Dasani and Aquafina and Nestle bottled water. Mark it; it will come to pass if the State remains in control of the supply of such a valuable and location-limited resource. I'll wait for those stories to slowly trickle out of the news 'media,' no pun intended.

Until then, it's popcorn-popping time.