Stand by for record bushfires next season
California declared drought free for first time in seven years
181–190 of 242 posts
Re: California declared drought free for first time in seven years
#182Earlier quoted context omitted.
Mandatory aquifer recharging would be a good first step. One of the big problems is that California can't adequately take advantage of these wet winters because the reservoirs can only hold so much and the ground can only absorb water so fast, so a lot of water ends up getting into the rivers and escaping back into the Pacific (or sits in ephemeral lakes/ponds/wetlands until it evaporates). If we helped along the pro…
I think the main reason we don't have desalination plants is because they have to be on or near the ocean, which is the most expensive property in the state. No one wants to ruin their view or have a big industrial machine near their home. Basically, I think NIMBYism keeps us from having Desal.
actually there is one Desal plant in Carlsbad, San Diego county https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_"Bud"_Lewis_Carlsbad_De...
Re: California declared drought free for first time in seven years
#183Unfortunately California still thinks that one of the wettest centuries in thousands of years is "normal rainfall."
Re: California declared drought free for first time in seven years
#184Earlier quoted context omitted.
The best water storage solution would be to repair damaged agricultural soil, which propagates further erosion and runoff. On top of that, conventional farming drains fields of water, diverting rainfall off the fields in ditches. Then, in the drier months they tap reservoirs (to irrigate). It’s a totally bonkers way of doing things.
> repair damaged agricultural soil I'm curious about what this entails or means. Retaining walls? (re)Injecting soil life like worms and microbes and related nutrients? Tossing around compost for likewise?
Repair damaged soil by ensuring there is no bare soil, make sure its covered with natural (carbon-based / organic material) mulch or better yet, packed with a diverse set of plants at ALL times. Bare soil becomes compacted, and will resist water infiltration.
Some of the plants will have very good root depth, but all plants together will foster macro and microbiology, especially fungi, which will hold the soil together and at the same time spongify the soil, so that much more water will be absorbed than bare soil.
See the slake and water infiltration test, for a demonstration of bad vs good soil.: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cx_hmse9Se8
If your soil falls apart in the presence of water AND doesn't allow fast infiltration, you've got landslide and flood conditions. If your soil holds together and absorbs OR drains water, you've got prime agricultural conditions instead.
Re: California declared drought free for first time in seven years
#185Earlier quoted context omitted.
> repair damaged agricultural soil I'm curious about what this entails or means. Retaining walls? (re)Injecting soil life like worms and microbes and related nutrients? Tossing around compost for likewise?
Yes, compost, no-till, etc. You can't put the worms & microbes there, but if you build it they will come. Soil with a higher organic matter content & microbe population absorbs & retains moisture better than "dead" soil with low organic matter & no microbes, and plants can develop deeper roots which lets you water long, deep, & infrequently which reduces evaporation & runoff.
I read somewhere recently that fixing the deficit of carbon in agricultural land world-wide would actually require more carbon than has been added to the atmosphere through fossil fuel use. Getting all those farmers to do it, however, would be difficult.
Re: California declared drought free for first time in seven years
#186Earlier quoted context omitted.
Mandatory aquifer recharging would be a good first step. One of the big problems is that California can't adequately take advantage of these wet winters because the reservoirs can only hold so much and the ground can only absorb water so fast, so a lot of water ends up getting into the rivers and escaping back into the Pacific (or sits in ephemeral lakes/ponds/wetlands until it evaporates). If we helped along the pro…
I think the main reason we don't have desalination plants is because they have to be on or near the ocean, which is the most expensive property in the state. No one wants to ruin their view or have a big industrial machine near their home. Basically, I think NIMBYism keeps us from having Desal.
There's plenty of empty government land on the California Coast.
The main reason there aren't more desal plants is because ejecting the leftover brine into the ocean is an environmental concern.
Re: California declared drought free for first time in seven years
#187Earlier quoted context omitted.
> I think the billing needs to be a flat rate for everyone that is high enough to cover all water delivery costs, based on size of property, and then you get a credit if your usage is below median for similar families/farms/industries and you get an equal surcharge if you're above that. Based on your anecdote, it sounds like it also ought to factor in (i.e. raise/lower the threshold based on) the number of residents…
The system would have to account for both property size and number of people. Maybe only count non-built land plus people, so folks who have townhouses with no yards pay less than a SFH with a huge lawn.
What's the logic of giving a discount for a big lawn?
Re: California declared drought free for first time in seven years
#188Earlier quoted context omitted.
Sorry, but this is just flat out wrong. Yes, drought and fire have always been a fact of life for California. But if you map the frequency and severity of fires alone, it’s on a remarkably upward trajectory over the past two decades. It’s climate change.
If go back a bit further you'll find that (for example) one of the big, deadly wildfires from a couple of years ago was almost identical to a wildfire that happened in that same area back in the 1960s (IIRC). And during that earlier fire a few structures burned too (there weren't that many around at the time), so thinking ahead they banned any further construction in the most dangerous part of that area. Only to conv…
The Native Americans used to set fire to the landscape every year - at least in Oregon, and I’m pretty sure California to a degree as well. I think California was literally on fire the first time missionaries sailed up the coast.
I agree - controlled burns are effective at keeping brush at manageable levels, and fire is a natural part of the forest ecosystem. And part of California’s climate. Developing too close to the wilderness edge is putting more human lives at risk. (I own farm and forest land, and am involved in conservation and restoration; I’m familiar with the challenges.)
But Climate Change is rapidly becoming the dominate factor for one simple reason: hot, dry, things burn. And Climate Change is making things hotter and drier.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2018/11/clima...
Re: California declared drought free for first time in seven years
#189Talked to an uber driver, he said this was 'climate change'.
Drought = desert
rain = climate change?
What is California
Re: California declared drought free for first time in seven years
#190It’s all about that delicious Hetch Hetchy