California drought
More venting than information. :(
We are in the midst of the worst drought in recent history and ag in particular is really suffering. Lakes and reservoirs are pathetically empty and the snowpack in the Sierra is almost nothing. The governor has declared a drought emergency. Now, the president has announced plans to come out next week to view the damage himself. So, of course, it is right now pouring rain outside. Woke me up. :confused: :( |
In Northern California we've had light rain over the past several days. I'm glad it's something, and I'm glad it's coming down gently so it doesn't cause runoff or flooding. We've got to get more water back into our lakes and reservoirs so Southern California has enough to steal this coming summer. :D
|
Originally Posted by darthbimmer
(Post 22310813)
We've got to get more water back into our lakes and reservoirs so Southern California has enough to steal this coming summer. :D
It's funny; for as much as I don't miss winter even one little bit, I find it interesting, if understandable, that I'm starting to get jealous when I hear about places "suffering" from winter storms. :p |
delete
|
Most California water is not used in urban areas, whether in the north or south. About 80% of California water is used in agriculture.
I'm doing my part to save water by buying only agricultural goods grown in other areas. |
Originally Posted by Reindeerflame
(Post 22385349)
Most California water is not used in urban areas, whether in the north or south. About 80% of California water is used in agriculture.
I'm doing my part to save water by buying only agricultural goods grown in other areas. |
Originally Posted by Reindeerflame
(Post 22385349)
I'm doing my part to save water by buying only agricultural goods grown in other areas.
|
Originally Posted by YVR Cockroach
(Post 22386171)
I never understood the rationale behind growing rice and cotton in the central valley.....
Short answer to why cotton has been grown here is money - a lot of it. Cotton has historically been a major cash crop in the Central Valley but acreage has been reduced significantly in the last few decades. For almost a century they had all the river run-off that historically formed the largest inland lake in the state before it was drained and partitioned off. As water resources have been diverted and shrunk, so has cotton acreage. Cotton used to be king here but is no longer. Much of the remaining cotton still grown here is in the Tulare Lake bed where the major farming conglomerates have a lot of private storage and drainage recapture. Even there, a lot of acreage has been fallowed or switched to other crops that require less water. Most smaller cotton farmers not located in the Lake have switched long ago. |
Originally Posted by darthbimmer
(Post 22310813)
...so Southern California has enough to steal this coming summer.
And anyone from the San Francisco peninsula jawing about Southern California "stealing" water should look in a mirror and ask why they are so special as to deserve to rape Yosemite National Park for *their* water supply from Hetch Hetchy... :rolleyes: |
Originally Posted by Reindeerflame
(Post 22385349)
I'm doing my part to save water by buying only agricultural goods grown in other areas.
|
In other news, the Weather Channel is reporting a significant likelihood of a rain event here in southern California beginning Thursday evening. The question is: how likely is the event to be significant? ;)
Given the way things have been going, I'm inclined to think that any rain event will be significant ... which also explains why I'm paying any attention to a rain forecast this far out! :D |
For those with the time or inclination, I would highly recommend reading The King of California.
|
Yay! It's
|
El Nino is Coming
http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/loc...ews-us-weather
When you have lived in California as long as I have, or at least read the long term statistics, you realize than California's weather, especially rainfall amounts, are highly variable. Unlike many other places, where a simple bell-shaped curve results when you plot rainfall amounts per year, in California, the peak is much lower and the extremes are much higher. That is, the standard deviation in rainfall amounts is very high - there are many more dry years and many more very wet years than other places in the country. Yet every time we get into a 1-2 year dry spell, which is statistically expected based on based results, we begin to hear that the sky is falling. Next year people will be complaining about being sick and tired of all the rain. |
Originally Posted by JerryFF
(Post 22474795)
Yet every time we get into a 1-2 year dry spell, which is statistically expected based on based results, we begin to hear that the sky is falling. Next year people will be complaining about being sick and tired of all the rain.
|
All times are GMT -6. The time now is 9:18 pm. |
This site is owned, operated, and maintained by MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Designated trademarks are the property of their respective owners.