Posted on 05/29/2015 12:59:51 PM PDT by reaganaut1
...
Today, there is plenty of water in Israel. A lighter version of an old “Israel is drying up” campaign has been dusted off to advertise baby diapers. “The fear has gone,” said Mr. Zvieli, whose customers have gone back to planting flowers.
As California and other western areas of the United States grapple with an extreme drought, a revolution has taken place here. A major national effort to desalinate Mediterranean seawater and to recycle wastewater has provided the country with enough water for all its needs, even during severe droughts. More than 50 percent of the water for Israeli households, agriculture and industry is now artificially produced.
During the drought years, farmers at Ramat Rachel, a kibbutz on the southern outskirts of Jerusalem, took water-economizing measures like uprooting old apple orchards a few years before their time. With the new plenty, water allocations for Israeli farmers that had been slashed have been raised again, though the price has also gone up.
“Now there is no problem of water,” said Shaul Ben-Dov, an agronomist at Ramat Rachel. “The price is higher, but we can live a normal life in a country that is half desert.”
With its part-Mediterranean, part-desert climate, Israel had suffered from chronic shortages and exploitation of its natural water resources for decades.
The natural fresh water at Israel’s disposal in an average year does not cover its total use of roughly 525 billion gallons. The demand for potable water is projected to rise to 515 billion gallons by 2030, from 317 billion gallons this year.
The turnaround came with a seven-year drought, one of the most severe to hit modern Israel, that began in 2005 and peaked in the winter of 2008 to 2009.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Meanwhile, a few miles away, Arabs haven’t even figured out indoor plumbing and toilet paper.
However, they are supposed to be cultural equals to Judao-Christian soceities.
Does Israel have a permanent water shortage, or is it like California’s where it shows up only during droughts?
California has a situation where they can invest in expensive and high energy requiring, and ocean polluting desalination, and then the rain returns and they don’t need it for decades.
Santa Barbara jumped in, in 1991/92, and built their desalination plant, just before the rain came, and they instantly mothballed it until right now, currently they are bringing it back on line.
Indoor plumbing and toilet paper is cultural imperialism for the Arabs.
“No, INFIDEL!! We Muslims are SUPERIOR to all of you unbelievers in Prophet Mohammed peace be upon him!!”
“Submit to Shariah or die!! ALLAHU AKBAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
(Shouted from millions of parched throats”
Meanwhile, a few miles away, Arabs haven’t even figured out indoor plumbing and toilet paper.
Surely you jest. The world according to 0bozo and his minions.......the muzzies invented everything. PBS even said so.
Until the seas turn to blood, they will be set. Though, depending on beliefs/interpretation, they may be set at that time as well.
Do you think they'll notice the cyclical nature of needing the desalination plant every so often...and perhaps apply that theory to the climate being cyclical as well?
the Saudis led the way
Water is always in short supply in Israel.
Drought was extremely severe just last year. Ironically, as the desal comes on line, Israel has already had a normal year’s rainfall over most of the country.
Interesting question for them.
Was it more reasonable for Israel to commit fully to desalination than California?
Are their situations different?
That Santa Barbara example seems relevant for California, and how they have to weigh the permanent cost, versus an issue every once in a while.
Personally, I would like to see California spend on big and permanent, passive solutions first, capturing and holding water, water based geography projects, rather than jump from generations of neglect and avoidance of infrastructure and reservoir building, and avoiding advancing farming techniques, and not reining in environmental water dumping politics, all to go straight to desalination plants.
To me, this still smacks of California avoiding solutions, to jump on another expensive band wagon.
From 2005 to 2009 is not a seven-year drought.
If California attempted to desalinate ocean water,
the EPA would stop them.
“Santa Barbara jumped in, in 1991/92, and built their desalination plant, just before the rain came, and they instantly mothballed it until right now, currently they are bringing it back on line.”
And they should have it back on line just in time to not need it again.
Israel is the size of New Jersey with the population of Virginia surrounded by hostility. A lot of things make sense there that don’t in other places.
The point is that the technology is available scaled up to whatever necessary, and the cost is known. Cal is tempted to believe they can get it cheaper from their neighbors, an option Israel doesn’t have.
I wanted to mention that Israeli national security might also play a role in them being willing to commit to desalination, but skipped it.
Yep, and the largest desalination plant in the Western Hemisphere is being built in San Diego.
True and of course the union scum in kalifornia wont allow any improvements if they dont get their cut.
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