california going dry

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That sounds like an awful long time when we have gravity on our side. I can watch the surface water levels here and they go up and as much as 6 - 7 feet most years unless we have a bunch of rain in the winter.

I think if you ask 3 hydro geologists the question: How long does it take for ground water to get into the aquifer? In any given location. You would get three totally different answers.
 
Remember that Plenty of that water..goes into making the Juicy fruit and vegetables that get shipped out.. I think folks forget that water goes into the aquifer at a slower rate than the veggies and fruit go out.
There has to be a number on the water in the produce sold...which makes everything skewed towards a drought being just that it is really Stored water.
Most groundwater is evaporated...not driven into the ground.

Way to many variables to compute...and way to many folks livin in one area.
 
Most groundwater is evaporated...not driven into the ground.
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I have to disagree with that. When it rains, it's cloudy, not much evaporation going on until it clears up. By then a lot of that water has gone into the ground. If evaporation were a problem, it would seem that the powers that be would quit making builders dig all of these retention ponds which are nothing more than a hole in the ground that allows surface water to seek it's level in so that the sun can get all it wants.
 
I think the Inspector was just pointing out that evaporation is another route in the water cycle. Water that evaporates doesn't leave the planet. And it happens even on cloudy days......
 
Bud: I like your post above, and agree with it mostly. But it's too big a generalization to say that farmers don't waste water. Some of the methods they use are not that efficient. And until it becomes an economic issue, there's no incentive to improve it.

Another problem is the short memory of people. Eventually CA will get the big rains and everybody will forget how to conserve. And then it starts all over again.
 
Here is another thing to consider. Road construction! when we are widening highways or building bridges and really anything that has to do with dirt work we are required to keep the dust down by running water trucks all day long. Right now Caltrans (state construction company) is working everywhere widening our roads and doing who knows what. I can't drive ten minutes without seeing a major highway construction project going on. Here is a map of current government dirt work jobs. Now each one of these projects is using hundreds of thousands of gallons of water for dust control and what not. Why can't we just put a hold on government or really any water use for dust control or a hold on some of these projects?

Caltrans map.jpg
 
slownsteady said:
Bud: I like your post above, and agree with it mostly. But it's too big a generalization to say that farmers don't waste water. Some of the methods they use are not that efficient. And until it becomes an economic issue, there's no incentive to improve it.

Another problem is the short memory of people. Eventually CA will get the big rains and everybody will forget how to conserve. And then it starts all over again.
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I have to agree with some farmers wasting water. I recently drove up north to where I hunt pig and I have to drive through hours of farm land. These were mostly nut farms. Pretty much all are on drip lines now and doing well to conserve and also drip lines keep weeds from growing so there is less labor for maintenance. I drove past one farm on the way out and on the way in that both times they were putting so much water on the dirt for dust control that it was a soupy mud.
 
It never fails to amaze me, we can spend quatra-zillions dollars to retrieve rocks from the moon and mars, send probes all around the solar system, drill tunnels through mountains, etc. why can't they make pipelines going from areas prone to flooding to areas of drought? Years ago, a pipeline was sent to the florida keys from Miami to provide water for the keys. With todays technology and materials It shouldn't be difficult to pipe (pump ) water to various lakes and reservoirs in dry areas from swollen rivers during floods. If we had started a project with that in mind, there wouldn't be the devastation that is occurring now, not to mention the employment to construct the project
The american people have always met challenges in the past, we can do it again if we want to
 
elbo said:
It never fails to amaze me, we can spend quatra-zillions dollars to retrieve rocks from the moon and mars, send probes all around the solar system, drill tunnels through mountains, etc. why can't they make pipelines going from areas prone to flooding to areas of drought? Years ago, a pipeline was sent to the florida keys from Miami to provide water for the keys. With todays technology and materials It shouldn't be difficult to pipe (pump ) water to various lakes and reservoirs in dry areas from swollen rivers during floods. If we had started a project with that in mind, there wouldn't be the devastation that is occurring now, not to mention the employment to construct the project
The american people have always met challenges in the past, we can do it again if we want to
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I've been saying that a long time but I guess it is more important to spend that 80 billion dollars on a high speed train to nowhere.
 
I think the Inspector was just pointing out that evaporation is another route in the water cycle. Water that evaporates doesn't leave the planet. And it happens even on cloudy days......
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It doesn't leave the planet, but it leaves the area and rains somewhere else. I always got a kick out of these government types who say we are going to run out of water. Where is it going to go??? It simply gets moved around, but it's not going anywhere.
 
I'm gonna start a new crisis. It's called the Wisconsin air shortage...
 
just say'n...

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water meter in yard
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water meter with bypass in yard
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I am on a well so technically I could use all I want but I still try my best to not waste anything. My yard is 97% drip for irrigation and all I really have are trees and shrubs and those are 100% drought tolerant and native to my area. I have been conserving for years not because I don't want to waste water but because I don't want to fight to keep any plants alive. My motto is if it stays alive in my yard with my poor watering skills it can stay. I do have a lawn but it is about 8' x 30' with three sprinkler heads. I am on septic so all my interior water gets recycled on site. I would still like to have the shower hooked up to a gray water tank.

I am considering tearing out the front lawn on my rental and putting in more fake lawn like I did in the back. I have no issue conserving I just don't like how the government is going about it.
 
The previous owners at my house , tapped the main and brought water in on thier own. They ended up getting busted because the daughter blew him in At some point.
 
Helping yourself to goods and services is never a good idea and never ends well.
 
I am on a well so technically I could use all I want but I still try my best to not waste anything.
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You must own your mineral rights. Here in Florida only a few people actually own the mineral rights which allows the government to tell you how much of "Their" water you can use. Especially farmers. They all have meters on their wells.

That is probably how the Phosphate industry can devastate the land like they have and still are doing.
 
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