[2014] water water -not everywhere

[easyrider]

This last week I have been supervising a well project in a subdivision. The existing well is only producing about 70 gpm at 210 ft. Records show this particular well was able to produce 220 gpm. So the water table may have dropped because of more users of this table or the water table just isn't being replenished like it once was.

Today, the new hole which should produce 300 - 500 gpm is only producing a mere 50 gpm at 220 ft. Were still in gravel and tomorrow we will be knocking the hole depth to maybe 260 - 280 ft. Its a 12" hole for a 10" casing.

Is this drought related ? Possibly, but wells do fail and this particular well that is being replaced is about 60 years old and has collapsed twice and been relined once.

Bill

 

[MULTIZ321]

What Happens If Your Town Runs Out of Water? -by Kelly Loudenberg/ National Geographic You Tube Video


Water Conservation is serious business that affects us all.


Richard

 

[wptamo]

Hiya, I live in Mississauga, city adjacent to Toronto to the west. Our genius city council have introduced a tax on rain! The plan to tax property square footage because of the water runoff... Citing climate change, apparently there was floods last summer... I was on vacation

Anyways thought I'd show the flip side of the water issue..... But I guess I'm lucky to be in an area of abundant fresh water. Good clean and florinated !? Why ... But that's another story.

 

[MULTIZ321]

Intense Drought Tightens Grip, Spreads to the High Plains - by Tom Yulsman/ Discover: Science for the Curious/ DiscoverMagazine.com

"In the already parched Plains of the United States, intense drought “seems to be waking up and pushing rapidly north along with warmer temperatures.”

That’s the grim assessment, issued yesterday, from the U.S. Drought Monitor.

The bullseye of this expanding misery is Texas, large portions of which have been in drought for close to four years. As of this week, 21 percent of the state is categorized as being in exceptional drought — the most intense of the Drought Monitor categories. That’s up from 13 percent a year ago. Overall, more than 80 percent of the state is experiencing some degree of drought..."



Richard

 

[MULTIZ321]

California's Terrible Drought Just Got Even Worse - by Lindsay Abrams/ Salon.com

A full third of the state is now experiencing "exceptional drought"
Here’s what it looks like (the darker the red, the worse the conditions):

Richard

 

[MULTIZ321]

Not Just California: Droughts Extend Across Americas - by Miguel Llanos/ Science-Environment/ NBCNews.com

"Say “drought” and Americans are likely to think California, but the Golden State is hardly alone when looking across the Western Hemisphere: A dry spell has killed cattle and wiped out crops in Central America, parts of Colombia have seen rioting over scarce water, and southern Brazil is facing its worst dry spell in 50 years.

In the U.S., the few who have taken notice of this wider water scarcity include a former director of the U.S. Geological Survey. Now editor-in-chief of the journal Science, Marcia McNutt last month penned an editorial highlighting what she called “a drought of crisis proportions” across the Americas.

Worst hit has been Central America, where drought has created food shortages for 2.5 million people, most of them “subsistence farmers and families in highly food-insecure areas,” says Miguel Barreto, regional program manager for the U.N.’s World Food Program..."

Richard

 

[pgnewarkboy]

Hiya, I live in Mississauga, city adjacent to Toronto to the west. Our genius city council have introduced a tax on rain! The plan to tax property square footage because of the water runoff... Citing climate change, apparently there was floods last summer... I was on vacation

Anyways thought I'd show the flip side of the water issue..... But I guess I'm lucky to be in an area of abundant fresh water. Good clean and florinated !? Why ... But that's another story.

I don't know the details of this tax. My post is not directly a statement about your particular statement but a generalized statement. As a general rule it seems that taxing the average person for water problems is not the correct solution at this time. In many areas of our country and the world, there is simply a lack of clean water because of the big corporate polluters. The successful environmental principle of the seventies was " polluters should pay for clean up". In my view polluting our vital waters is a crime against humanity. The polluters have successfully turned the table and now force citizens who are not responsible for their corporate pollution to pay for fixes.

 

[MULTIZ321]

California Just Experienced One of Its Driest Januarys in History - by Alex Dobuzinskis, Reuters/ Finance/ BusinessInsider.com

"California has experienced one of the driest Januarys on record, and the lack of rain during a time of year when the weather is usually wet indicates the state is likely headed for a fourth straight year of drought, officials said..."

Richard

 

[MULTIZ321]

California Goes Nuts - by Tom Philpott/ Food and Ag Correspondent/ motherjones.com

...Almond products—snack mixes, butters, milk—are flying off supermarket shelves. The value of the California almond market hit $4.8 billion in 2012—that's triple the level of a decade earlier. Only dairy is worth more to the state than almonds and grapes. In fact, almonds, along with California-grown pistachios and walnuts, are becoming so lucrative that big investment funds, eager to get in on the boom, are snapping up land and dropping in trees.

There's just one problem: Almond orchards require about a third more water per acre than grape vineyards. In fact, they're one of California's thirstiest crops. It takes a gallon of water to produce a single almond—more than three times the amount required for a grape and two and a half times as much for a strawberry. There's more water embedded in just four almonds than there is in a full head of lettuce. But unlike row crops, which farmers can choose not to plant during dry spells, almond trees must be watered no matter what.

In the midst of the worst drought in California's history, you might expect almonds' extreme thirst to be a deal breaker. But it's not. In fact, the drought has had hardly any impact at all on the almond boom. The state's farmers bought at least 8.33 million young almond trees between July 2013 and July 2014, a 25 percent increase from the previous year. About a quarter of the saplings went to replace old orchards, but most of the rest were new plantings, some 48,000 acres' worth, an area equal to three Manhattans..."

Richard

 

[MULTIZ321]

California Farmers Resign Themselves to Drought: 'Nobody's Fault But God's' - by Rory Carroll/ California/ TheGuardian.com

"Despite efforts to dig deeper into the earth to get at diminishing groundwater, the spectre of desertification may cost Central Valley farmers too much to carry on..."

Baked earth at Clarence Freitas’ farm, outside Fresno. Photograph: Rory Carroll/the Guardian


Richard

 

[MULTIZ321]

South America's Largest City Is Almost Out of Water - by Catherine Osborn/ Science, Tech & Environment/ Public Radio International/ pri.org

"Imagine this: São Paulo, South America’s largest city and economic hub, running out of water by June. That's what Brazil's federal government predicted just weeks ago.

The region is in its worst drought in 80 years. The reservoir that supplies half the city is just over 10 percent full. The government has begun rationing water, though haphazardly..."


Richard

 

[pgnewarkboy]

California out of water in one year

California will run out of water in a year and should begin rationing its use immediately, NASA scientist says





http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...resource-immediately-NASA-scientist-says.html

 

[easyrider]

Its going to be hard on agriculture. America could loose up to a third of the fresh produce if California can't farm.

Isn't there plans for water desalination plants to get fast tracked ?

Bill

 

[Passepartout]

At a gallon of water to produce one almond, this would be a good time to lay in a supply. They freeze well.

 

[x3 skier]

All the dry ground should make it easier to build the California high speed train to nowhere.

Cheers

 

[SMHarman]

A crazy stat I saw was that winter precipitation was the same but the warmer weather meant it fell as rain and washed away not as Snow that sticks around and melts steadily through spring and summer.

 

[MULTIZ321]

São Paulo Residents Demand Their City Take a New Attitude About Water

São Paulo Residents Demand Their City Take a New Attitude About Water - by Catherine Osborn/ Science, Tech & Environment/ Public Radio International/ pri.org

"Edison Urbano’s toilet isn't just a toilet: It’s a teaching tool.

Urbano lives in a middle class neighborhood in São Paulo. A few years ago he wanted to save money on his water bill, so he hacked his shower to reuse the water to flush his toilet. He also set up a cistern to capture rainwater.

Now São Paulo is in a full-blown water crisis. Urbano has helped start an organization called Cisterna Já — Time for a Tank — and opened up his home to visitors to share ideas about saving water.

Urbano explains how he takes a shower upstairs, which fills the toilet downstairs, and uses rainwater to water plants and wash clothes. Altogether, he says, he’s cut his water use in half..."

Protesters march through São Paulo demanding equitable distribution of water throughout the state. Unofficial rationing has brought frequent water outages to neighborhoods throughout the Brazilian megalopolis of 20 million.
Credit:Catherine Osborn


Richard

 

[MULTIZ321]

Drought Forces Brazilians To Curb Their Addiction to Multiple Daily Showers

Drought Forces Brazilians to Curb Their Addiction to Multiple Daily Showers - by Bradley Campbell/ Science, Tech & Environment/ Public Radio International/ pri.org

"Brazil is in the grip of a huge drought, and the country faces a special challenge as it tries to curb water use: showers.

Brazilians love their showers. Many shower three times a day, and the AP reports that Brazilians are "the world's most frequent bathers, taking on average 12 showers a week, putting rub-a-dub-dub up there with soccer and Carnival as essentials of the culture."

In response to the drought, many are taking what we here in the US might call "combat showers." That's when you get wet, turn off the water while you scrub, and then turn the water back on to rinse. Brazilians would rather do that than take fewer showers.

So what is it about Brazilian culture that makes people want to be so darn clean?..."

A man takes a shower as policemen patrol during an operation in Rio de Janeiro's Mare slums complex on March 30, 2014.
Credit:Ricardo Moraes/Reuters


Richard

 

[MuranoJo]

At a gallon of water to produce one almond, this would be a good time to lay in a supply. They freeze well.

Just when I was getting used to shunning flour in favor of almond flour for baking. Yes, indeed, a good time to build a supply if you're so inclined.

 

[Ironwood]

A comment off the web this morning....

“California has plenty of water…just not enough to satisfy every possible use of water that people can imagine when the price is close to zero. As David Zetland points out in an excellent interview with Russ Roberts, people in San Diego county use around 150 gallons of water a day. Meanwhile in Sydney Australia, with a roughly comparable climate and standard of living, people use about half that amount. Trust me, no one in Sydney is going thirsty.”

 

[klpca]

A comment off the web this morning....

“California has plenty of water…just not enough to satisfy every possible use of water that people can imagine when the price is close to zero. As David Zetland points out in an excellent interview with Russ Roberts, people in San Diego county use around 150 gallons of water a day. Meanwhile in Sydney Australia, with a roughly comparable climate and standard of living, people use about half that amount. Trust me, no one in Sydney is going thirsty.”

Here a link to another article that you may find useful. http://www.kcet.org/updaily/socal_focus/commentary/where-we-are/in-a-season-of-drought-where-does-the-water-go.html Of particular note is the agricultural sector uses 80% of the water managed by the state. So even if every individual stopped using water we still can't fix the problem. This is an honest to goodness drought. I can only imagine what these drought conditions will do the to supply of fresh produce and the resulting prices.

In our home we have replaced everything that we can - we have low flush toilets, water restricting shower heads, a high efficiency washing machine, and our landscape (drought tolerant plants) is on a drip system. None of those things have come cheap, but we try to do our part. We still have a small amount of turf (I have more carpeting in my house than grass outside), but it's almost 30 years old and gets by just fine on being watered twice a week - if that. The rest of the circuits are programmed to run three times per week for 7 minutes (drip system) at 5:30 am, to prevent evaporation. We never wash our cars at home but pay to wash them at a car wash that recycles the water. We even keep a five gallon bucket in our bath tub to catch the water that is wasted waiting for the shower to heat up in the morning. It isn't that big of a deal to do these things, but it seems to be the proverbial "drop in the bucket".

 

[MuranoJo]

Love the idea of keeping a bucket under the faucet while heating up the water for a shower or bath.

Some people like to wash and reuse zip-lock bags, thinking it's more environmentally sound. But with the water it wastes to rinse them, I wonder if it's really all that beneficial.

 

[CarolF]

Here a link to another article that you may find useful. http://www.kcet.org/updaily/socal_focus/commentary/where-we-are/in-a-season-of-drought-where-does-the-water-go.html Of particular note is the agricultural sector uses 80% of the water managed by the state. So even if every individual stopped using water we still can't fix the problem. This is an honest to goodness drought. I can only imagine what these drought conditions will do the to supply of fresh produce and the resulting prices.

In our home we have replaced everything that we can - we have low flush toilets, water restricting shower heads, a high efficiency washing machine, and our landscape (drought tolerant plants) is on a drip system. None of those things have come cheap, but we try to do our part. We still have a small amount of turf (I have more carpeting in my house than grass outside), but it's almost 30 years old and gets by just fine on being watered twice a week - if that. The rest of the circuits are programmed to run three times per week for 7 minutes (drip system) at 5:30 am, to prevent evaporation. We never wash our cars at home but pay to wash them at a car wash that recycles the water. We even keep a five gallon bucket in our bath tub to catch the water that is wasted waiting for the shower to heat up in the morning. It isn't that big of a deal to do these things, but it seems to be the proverbial "drop in the bucket".

I currently live in South Australia, the driest state in the driest inhabited continent in the world. It seems we live with the same water saving measures as you. During droughts, a rationing system is implemented. Is it also common to collect your own rain water for use in the house? The storage tanks help to reduce our water bill significantly. Not sure what you pay for water but there is a 3 tier pricing system here, the more you use the dearer it gets. There is also an annual supply charge of $282.80.

2014-15 Household Water Pricing - From 1 July 2014

 

[MULTIZ321]

What a Record-Low Snowpack Means for Summer in the Northwest - by Ashley Ahearn/ Living on Earth/ Public Radio International/ pri.org

"Now here in the eastern part of the country, weve been breaking snowfall records. But on the west coast, the snow season has been a bust, much to the disgust of would-be skiers. Indeed, snow levels were at record low level in Washington and Oregon. And thats not only a problem for skiers water utilities rely on snowpack for supplies during the summer. But as Ashley Ahearn of the public media collaborative EarthFix reports, its not time to hit the panic button just yet..."

Richard

 

[MULTIZ321]

California Imposes First-Ever Mandatory Water Restrictions - by Alexandra Sifferlin/ U.S. Weather/ Time.com

"The state is facing a historic drought.

California’s governor issued unprecedented mandatory water restrictions for the entire state on Wednesday, in the face of a persistent drought that is growing dire.

Gov. Jerry Brown directed the State Water Resources Control Board to cut the state’s water usage by 25% by enacting a series of water reduction practices, which could translate to savings of about 1.5 million acre-feet of water over the next nine months. The plan would include replacing 50 million square feet of lawns throughout the state with drought-tolerant landscaping, replacing appliances with energy-efficient models and enforcing restricted water use for places like golf courses and cemeteries. Additional measures will address agricultural water use and investment in water-saving technologies..."

Justin Sullivan—Getty Images Weeds grow in dry cracked earth that used to be the bottom of Lake McClure in La Grange, California on March 24, 2015.


Richard