OT: CA drought

[Louis]

Sounds like things are going from bad to worse.

Californians, how have you been affected, if at all, and are you reducing water usage in any way (either involuntarily or by choice)?

We had about three super-dry months a few summers ago and it did lots of damage to gardens and trees, but nothing as long as out west.

Good luck in the coming months and during fire season.

[akelman]

Have you seen this, Louis? A picture is worth a thousand words.

As for personal impact, the riding has been fantastic. But unless it rains all of this month and next, we're in for a very hard summer: severe water restrictions, lots of fires, etc.

[jtakeda]

Originally Posted by akelman

Have you seen this, Louis? A picture is worth a thousand words.

As for personal impact, the riding has been fantastic. But unless it rains all of this month and next, we're in for a very hard summer: severe water restrictions, lots of fires, etc.

+1.

The riding has been phenomenal but I'm sure we're all going to pay for it soon enough.

[hummus_aquinas]

if it's yellow, I am personally letting it mellow.

[MattTuck]

Yeah, this would have been the year for a winter cycling trip to CA. If you believe in 'reversion to the mean', I would not be booking a cycling vacation there next winter.

[MattTuck]

And that is not to say that this isn't serious. Just an observation related to cycling. The reality is that we'll probably all pay for it, since a huge percentage of US agriculture happens in CA, not to mention the risk of wildfires and damage to the environment and property.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by MattTuck

And that is not to say that this isn't serious. Just an observation related to cycling. The reality is that we'll probably all pay for it, since a huge percentage of US agriculture happens in CA, not to mention the risk of wildfires and damage to the environment and property.

Not a hydro engineer but what's involved in very large scale desalinization?

Pocket nuke powerplants providing the power? Isn't a lot of the water in the Middle East from desalinization? Ain't gonna help this year tho.

[blessthismess]

Rained a little last night and off and on this morning. Dry forcast for the next few days but hey it's a start

[ecsnsmb]

Raining here is Napa as I type. Finally. Been super interesting to see the responses to the draught from the wineries out here. We desperately needed the rain. Things are starting to bloom already... Going to be an odd harvest if this keeps up. Our cattle are also completely grass fed, which up to this point hasn't been an issue but we've needed to purchase grass now, so expect some of the beef prices to rise!

[fogrider]

Originally Posted by oldpotatoe

Not a hydro engineer but what's involved in very large scale desalinization?

Pocket nuke powerplants providing the power? Isn't a lot of the water in the Middle East from desalinization? Ain't gonna help this year tho.

when you consider how long it took to rebuild the bay bridge after the '89 earthquake, and they pretty much knew where it had to go. what do you think it would take to just get the public on board with a new nuke power plant? oh yeah, there is a couple of earthquake faults that run through parts of California.

then the desal plant needs to be by the coast...pretty much the high valued properties and national parkland all up and down the coast. so this is not a technical response but just the politics would make it pretty challenging.

we'll see how the high speed rail goes.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by fogrider

when you consider how long it took to rebuild the bay bridge after the '89 earthquake, and they pretty much knew where it had to go. what do you think it would take to just get the public on board with a new nuke power plant? oh yeah, there is a couple of earthquake faults that run through parts of California.

then the desal plant needs to be by the coast...pretty much the high valued properties and national parkland all up and down the coast. so this is not a technical response but just the politics would make it pretty challenging.

we'll see how the high speed rail goes.

I get all that but it doesn't rain and some communities lose their drinking water source, what happens then? Not arguing, just don't know.

Truck it in? Bunch of bottled water? It sounds like a 100 year drought.

[Louis]

Originally Posted by oldpotatoe

It sounds like a 100 year drought.

The phrase I saw in the NYT was "500 year drought."

Edit - here it is:

"We are on track for having the worst drought in 500 years,” said B. Lynn Ingram, a professor of earth and planetary sciences at the University of California, Berkeley.

[Elefantino]

Yellow/mellow/brown/down, of course.

Buckets in the shower and a barrel on the deck, for watering the plants.

Brick in the toilet that isn't low-flow.

Navy showers.

Rain dances.

[Saxon]

One of the local communities here has gone over to tapping wells for city water and they say they can get about 30% of local water needs from the wells. Folsom lake is alarmingly low and nor cal has already let some southern cal areas know water won't be forthcoming. The storm door does seem to be opening with a larger storm due (hopefully) later in the week. I can see the Sierras from my balcony and there is snow up there now (but not much). When the water runs out, we all pack up and head east!

[paulh]

Recycling. Toilet to tap. Get used to it.