The California Drought

http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/data/jpg/current/current_ca_trd.jpg

the drought has recently gone from 'well better save water til this passes' to 'well this is starting to get really alarming...'

we have a tree out front, a very hardy one, that is completely dead now. used to have hundreds of bees and they're all gone now. actually many of them are dead too, based on what i've seen on the sidewalk...

Started a dedicated thread because of this news from the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center

Today Lake Tahoe dropped to the level of its natural rim (Gage height of 3.0 ft) and water flow to the Truckee River ceased.

Does this negate all those treaties made with Native Americans that were to be observed and honored "for as long as the rivers flow"?

Next year will be the 'fun' year. This report, though, intrigued me:

http://www.latimes.com/science/la-me-megadrought-20141006-story.html

Doesn't mean 'oh, happy happy joy joy,' but made me go, "Hmm, guess we'll see," which is about as best that can be hoped for. In the meantime, I just keep an eye on everything I can.

there is an apartment building i walk by every day on my way to work, with a huge perfectly manicured lush lawn, which no one ever uses, no kids play on, nothing. and i keep seeing this goddamn woman watering it regularly IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY. like, it's bad you're watering your stupid useless lawn, but at least don't do it at the hottest part of the day, when it will all just evaporate off.

good pull quote from that LA Times article "The days of making mini-Versailles around Los Angeles, I think, are over."

Was about to snitch out a neighbor who's sprinkler system was mostly watering pavement, but they fixed it.

Good piece

http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-westlands-20141021-story.html

baffles me that anyone is permitted to water their private lawns in any circumstances

flying home to Oakland last week it was made clear how utterly brown the terrain is and how very, very low all the reservoirs & lakes are.

we'll all be havin' fun
in the warm California drought

day after relentless day of "gorgeous" weather is messing with my mind

We had piddling rain yesterday in the Bay Area.

then back to blue skies & sunshine within minutes seemingly

baffles me that anyone is permitted to water their private lawns in any circumstances

― marcos, Tuesday, October 21, 2014 8:28 PM (29 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

x1000

well if california was filled with dead and dying lawns, especially among the wealthy, then people would start to see what's really happening and it would hit the california economy. seriously, to a lot of people here i suspect this drought is a rumor and not a fact.

like i think lawn upkeep is passively encouraged to some extent because if people saw brown grass everywhere...well, idk if 'panic' would set in but people would see it rather than read stories about it.

pretty sure its rained less than 10 times in the last 3 years afaik

maybe they need to increase the penalties for lawn watering? Write tickets. Should be at least as much as a parking ticket imo.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/30/us/where-grass-is-greener-a-push-to-share-droughts-burden.html

Looks like today will put bay area at the seasonal average for rainfall for the first time in 3 yrs

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/15/business/economy/the-price-of-water-is-too-low.html

(never mind that the price of driving being too low is probably a prior issue)

Maybe some Southwesterners need to move back North/East?

Hooray! Uh.

http://www.laweekly.com/informer/2014/12/08/this-is-the-worst-drought-ever-recorded-in-california

As California experiences the fourth year of one of the most severe droughts in its history, a senior NASA scientist has warned that the state has about one year of water left. In an LA Times editorial published last week, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory senior water cycle scientist Jay Famiglietti called for a more “forward-looking process” to deal with the state’s dwindling water supply. Famiglietti, who is also a professor at University of California at Irvine, said the state had about one year of water in reservoir storage and the backup supply, groundwater, was low. “California has no contingency plan for a persistent drought like this one (let alone a 20-plus-year mega-drought), except, apparently, staying in emergency mode and praying for rain,” Famiglietti wrote. “In short, we have no paddle to navigate this crisis.” NASA data shows that water storage has been in steady decline in California since at least 2002, before the drought began.

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/mar/16/california-water-drought-nasa-warning

this just passed last year: http://ballotpedia.org/California_Proposition_1,_Water_Bond_%282014%29

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/california-water-wasters-elude-fines-drought-persists-29637615

see that and raise you: http://www.pe.com/articles/water-759535-state-percent.html

don't get me wrong the drought is really bad, but there are ways to deal with it

Residential water use isn't that much of total water use (about 8 percent), so meeting that 20% conservation goal doesn't impress me. About 80% of water use is agricultural or thermoelectric, and a household that reduces their energy use by about 10% will save as much water as their entire household consumption.

Prop 1 doesn't seem like a good law.

it's not a law

quantifying the reduction in agricultural use is much more difficult than residential use given that farms don't like to report on how much water they actually use in any given year, reporting is very spotty and poorly documented. (I'm not disputing the 80% figure, that is correct, just offering some explanation as to why the news story linked focuses on residential reductions). Central valley's farming practices are not going to be able to be maintained in the face of continuing drought of this magnitude, no doubt about it.

also agree about energy efficiency measures as well, which are incentivized/managed in a completely different way than water conservation efforts and the state is doing very well with energy efficiency programs in general.

I guess I don't understand California propositions. Are you saying it's not a law because it authorizes how a bond will be spent?

yes, ballot-approved bond measures are distinct from bills developed and passed solely by the legislature into law

everything about California is so convoluted...

It's not a good bond.

it's better than nothing

In some ways it's worse than nothing.

do tell

quantifying the reduction in agricultural use is much more difficult than residential use given that farms don't like to report on how much water they actually use in any given year, reporting is very spotty and poorly documented.

― Οὖτις, Tuesday, March 17, 2015 9:55 PM (34 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

i'm not sure i understand. farming isn't voodoo magic. there are scientific generalisations that can be taken from basic farming knowledge and experiences. try this: http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2014/05/_10_percent_of_california_s_water_goes_to_almond_farming.html

it seems to me that california is trying to grow what it cannot. it should grow what it can according to the seasons and weather. the rest, it can export--like every other region in north america.

also, from what i understand, some cities, including sacramanto, haven't fully implemented metered water and won't til 2025: http://portal.cityofsacramento.org/%20Utilities/Conservation/Water-Meters

i read somewhere that most american cities can fix their water problems in 5 years, but california will take about 50 years or something. so, yeah, i mean, that isn't forever, but it should be sooner than that

i just don't understand how california gets away with growing things like rice. i mean, it's kind of laughable how people there say "we have everything here!" and it makes me want to ask, "but at what cost? and is it sustainable?" i guess you just want billionaires there

don't know where to begin with that

don't

yeah I can't even... look up how California's irrigation districts work, that'll give you some indication of how water use is regulated and tracked in the agricultural sector (ie very poorly)

and this: the rest, it can export--like every other region in north america.

did you miss the part in your slate link noting that one-third of the country's vegetables and two-thirds of the country's nuts and fruits are grown in California ie, we are NOT like every other region in north America

and this: "but at what cost? and is it sustainable?" i guess you just want billionaires there

just fuck you that is some nonsense, this state is insanely productive and, for better or worse, at the heart of (if not the birthplace of) "sustainable" culture

Los Angeles' ancient water infrastructure doesnt help out with this either.. it seems like every 4 months a main explodes and literally millions of gallons of water go down the drain.

http://cironline.org/reports/amid-drought-laws-track-californias-biggest-water-users-ignored-6390

All but the smallest agricultural water districts were required to track and report to the state how much water they deliver to customers as the result of a 2007 law. Only 20 percent – 48 of 242 districts – have filed those reports, according to California Department of Water Resources data. They were due 10 months ago.

Under a 2009 law, the 55 largest agricultural water districts also are required to more precisely measure how much water each farmer is using. They’re then required to charge farmers – at least in part – on that basis.

The state doesn’t know how many suppliers are meeting this requirement or are even taking steps toward doing so, because almost half of them have failed to turn in the relevant reports, records show.

Charging for water based on use had been common in some agricultural areas where water is scarce, like the San Joaquin Valley. But now, it’s mandatory for large districts throughout California. These water management plans, which spell out how the districts will make the changes, were due at the end of 2012. Districts face few consequences for failing to comply.

By contrast, most residential water customers in California, whose use is metered, have long seen how much water they use reflected in the bills they receive.

Οὖτις, clearly i meant import, not export. every thing about the california water drought/situation just seems like it is really, extremely poorly managed, like many aspects of the state, which i have only noticed by going there every so often. it's still no excuse. when i am there, i support local/organic farmers and companies as much as i can who are responsible. i guess another way to look at it is i support local companies whose ideologies i don't disagree with the most.

also, you should question why water use is being under-reported. if the slate article is anything to go by, it's probably because they are going through some clandestine drilling for water, which is extremely irresponsible.

so glad you drove by our state and figured everything out good for you

it's probably because they are going through some clandestine drilling for water, which is extremely irresponsible.

lol no

it's because farmers don't want to be told what they can and can't grow. they want to grow the crops that will make them the most money, period.

i'm not sure i understand. farming isn't voodoo magic. there are scientific generalisations that can be taken from basic farming knowledge and experiences. try this: http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2014/05/_10_percent_of_california_s_water_goes_to_almond_farming.html

hexy the 19th c. russian landowner

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CO4-789WoAArgEG.jpg

it was a bummer being in yosemite this weekend (the first time I've ever said *that*)

supposed to be the first rain of the El Niño season tomorrow, right?

sprinkles are upon us and the air smells wet and foreign

yeah it's sprinkling here

dunno how far inland (or far north) any of these minor storms are going tho

friend of mine who studies El Niño is predicting Katrina level devastation ... tho he has a wicked sense of humor and might be joking

reminds me I need to get my gutters cleaned

to answer your question shakey my understanding is El Niño pushes the storm tracks south, so the usual rains you all get up north end up hitting the central and south coast instead

Katrina level devastation

I don't really see how that is possible?

I mean, what major urban centers are at risk for major flooding? The LA river? the Bay? seems far-fetched.

Sacramento valley

which is actually more populous than New Orleans

But he was speaking in terms of insurance costs, not necessarily the same type of disaster, just the same scale of displacement and property damage. The main thing he was forecasting was mudslides

Like I said, I'm not ruling out that he was kidding. Also could be wishful thinking, because his thesis is on insurance and El Niño and climate change. So maybe he is just hoping for a big disaster, so as to get more citations

Oh there's def gonna be flooding and mudslides

just make it after the Mets-Dodgers series

Scientists consider Sacramento — which sits at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers and near the delta — the most flood-prone city in the nation. Experts warn that there are two events that could destroy the levees and set off a megaflood. One is an earthquake; the second is a violent Pacific superstorm, like the one called the Pineapple Express, which sweeps water off the ocean around Hawaii and dumps it on the mainland with firehose intensity while battering the coast with high wind and waves.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/03/magazine/sacramento-levees-pose-risk-to-california-and-the-country.html?_r=0

that's the thing that scares the shit out of me most. after all these fires, this neverending drought, when the rain reaaaally comes it's going to sheet down those mountains like water on a windshield .

sacramento valley is going to be hella, mega fucked.

i am so not clicking that link right now

yeah, how bad was the el nino in la the time they're comparing it to? is this just fearmongering?

they're saying my area will be flooded. not sure if i should invest in a humvee

California Lake Mysteriously Runs Dry Overnight, Killing Thousands Of Fish
http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2015/09/24/california-lake-mysterious-runs-dry-overnight-killing-thousands-of-fish/

FOLSOM LAKE (CBS13) — A Northern California reservoir ran dry overnight, killing thousands of fish and leaving residents looking for answers.

While a $3.5 million drought safety net at Folsom Lake finishes, a lake in another part of the state is left high and dry.

Thousands of fish lay dead in what used to be Mountain Meadows reservoir also known as Walker Lake, a popular fishing hole just west of Susanville.

“Everywhere that you see that’s wet, there was water,” said resident Eddie Bauer.

Residents say people were fishing on the lake last Saturday, but it drained like a bathtub overnight. Bauer has lived near this lake his entire life. This is the first time he’s ever seen it run dry. He and other residents want answers.

someone backed up a truck and stole it, sign of things to come

it's that goddamn tom selleck again up to his usual shenanigans

we are so fucked

Water Crisis ‘Couldn’t Be Worse’ on Oregon-California Border

Irrigators set up encampment next to Klamath Project headgates

https://www.oregonlive.com/environment/2021/05/severe-drought-crisis-deepens-along-oregon-california-border.html

https://ktvz.com/news/oregon-northwest/2021/04/14/epic-drought-means-water-crisis-for-klamath-basin-on-oregon-california-border/

Paper records and steel vaults: Can California water rights enter the digital age?

An analyst with the California State Water Resources Control Board, he is a custodian of millions of pieces of paper. Some are over a hundred years old and are crammed into towering filing cabinets and vaults. The room is so heavy that its floor needed to be reinforced.

“When I started opening some of these files my first thought was: ‘I need to be very careful with these old, old documents.’” Jay said. “They’re printed on an equivalent to tissue paper.’”

But in the world’s fifth-largest economy — a state where global warming is contributing to ever longer and more frequent droughts — regulators say reliance on such an antiquated system is troubling. They say the lack of a comprehensive digital system and full information about who owns the right to use water and how much they actually use makes basic water management in the state mystifying at best, and inaccurate at worst.

anyone read cadillac desert?

Several times. Reisner gave a talk at my UC Irvine water ecology class just before Cadillac Desert was published. Mandatory reading for anyone living in California.

thanks. i read about two print books a year at the moment so i guess i should make peace with the fact that i am never going to read my print copy and borrow the audiobook.

Psyched on all the snow and rain but I don't know how much it'll help the Central Valley groundwater issues

with the fact that i am never going to read my print copy and borrow the audiobook.

I recall that the documentary was worth watching too (the whole thing is on YouTube), but it's 25 years old now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PR2BSGQt2DU

watching now!

i have had the book on my list to read for a while now but this will be a good stopgap in the meantime

also the digitizing water rights project sounds like something we’ll still be reading about 10 years from now. the whole reason it’s so arcane & unusable is to maintain status quo. but i love them for trying. makes me want to apply for a job there. to do what exactly i dunno, but sorting through rooms full of paper records & unraveling decade/century old ownership rightas somehow appeals to me?

I did read Cadillac Desert cover to cover a bit over 15 years ago. I have The Dreamt Land sitting here but haven't gotten to it yet.

I found this very persuasive this year:

https://californiawaterblog.com/2021/07/11/california-isnt-running-out-of-water-its-running-out-of-cheap-water/

Maybe digitizing the rights that date back to the colonial days is less important than casting a new policy entirely. If only we could get together the political will...

only a little is specifically california, but these are some striking photos

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2022-08-26/why-are-rivers-drying-up-climate-change-turns-waterways-into-dust

So what happens when all the snow in the Sierras melts?

*peter fonda surfing gif*!

https://64.media.tumblr.com/a51e1a1aac2fdd6aeaf01eaf190e2f9c/tumblr_nxg7vgxg0a1s1uj0qo4_400.gif

considering all the dams and reservoirs CA built over the past century and how dried up those reservoirs have been, I think they've got some tools to manage a massive snow melt. if not, they'll let everyone know what's coming before it arrives.

It usually melts fairly gradually - mountain streams can get pretty lively, but I don't think flooding is usually a product of the snowpack. Maybe the Merced River or somewhere like that.

Ahhhh makes sense, thanks.

The one thing that can turn snow melt into a catastrophic event is having a couple of inches of warm rain from an errant tropical storm fall on top of a heavy snowpack. The combination of the rain water and the highly accelerated snow melt can deliver the equivalent of a foot or so of rain into watersheds in a single day.

ssshhhhh

I'm also a little puzzled at how the recent storms haven't changed the trendline for reservoir storage:

https://engaging-data.com/california-reservoirs-and-snowpack/

Look ma, I'm a real Californian now, obsessed with water. (A friend of mine in Tucson claimed leaving the water running while brushing your teeth was grounds for a breakup in that city.)

That shows historic levels in the light and dark blue sections, not predictions. And an increase in snowpack won't raise the reservoir levels now.

This one is pretty good:

https://cdec.water.ca.gov/resapp/RescondMain

xp yeah but in addition to snowing it's been raining elsewhere in the state, surprised none of that has hit the reservoirs (or I guess it has, orange reservoir line trending up, just would have expected that line to get steeper for the last week)

I think the reservoirs hold many years of average rainfall, so a couple of good months won't add a lot proportionally to them.

it also has to do with urban development. man-made spaces have changed the landscape so that the land isn't able to absorb precipitation nearly as effectively. so most of the water just ends up running off and becoming polluted so that it can't be used.

I saw some bland, fenced in ponds near Fresno - maybe about 6 acres each. I wasn't sure what they were for - perhaps some kind of small reservoirs - but I learned they're actually groundwater charging ponds. They just collect rain and runoff and then hopefully a good percentage sinks into the ground to replenish the aquifer

They do that around LA too, every little bit helps, I guess.

they go into the aquifer long enough for the almond trees to suck it all out again