Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

California's Next Megadrought Has Already Begun
BI - Slate ^ | 3-22-2015 | Eric Holthaus

Posted on 03/23/2015 10:34:56 AM PDT by blam

Eric Holthaus
March 22, 2015

As California limps through another nearly rain-free rainy season, the state is taking increasingly bold action to save water.

On Tuesday, the California state government imposed new mandatory restrictions on lawn watering and incentives to limit water use in hotels and restaurants as part of its latest emergency drought regulations. On Thursday, California Gov. Jerry Brown announced a $1 billion plan to support water projects statewide and speed aid to hard-hit communities already dealing with shortages.

Last month federal water managers announced a "zero allocation" of agricultural water to a key state canal system for the second year in a row, essentially transforming thousands of acres of California farmland into dust.

This week's moves come after the state has fallen behind targets to increase water efficiency in 2015 amid the state's worst drought in 1,200 years.

(snip)

(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...


TOPICS: Government; News/Current Events; US: California
KEYWORDS: california; drought; farming; water
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-84 next last
To: Mrs. Don-o

No, no, no.

You don’t understand.

“Green”, “high speed”, choo-choo trains are imperative for the state’s image above all else. Plus, it “creates jobs”!

Desalination plants are inherently evil boogie monsters and have a negative impact on the environment. They’ll suck up all kinds of cute and cuddly sea creatures in order to provide life giving water...so they’re “evil”.

/s


21 posted on 03/23/2015 10:51:13 AM PDT by SZonian (Throwing our allegiances to political parties in the long run gave away our liberty.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: Pelham
And the megadrought displays how well our political class looks out for Americans, by immigrating zillions from all over the globe and thereby making sure that our limited water will be all that more limited.

More California water goes to alfalfa farming, the bulk of it exported to Asia, than total residential use statewide.

22 posted on 03/23/2015 10:52:28 AM PDT by Bubba Ho-Tep
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: Pelham

What amazes me is no one confronts the freak with this.

The Enviros who support him now all conspire to say nothing about what he AND THEY said 40 years ago.

Unfortunately for them some of us DO remember, and we’re still here.

But the one group that COULD confront him with his outrageous hypocrisy - the Republican Party - won’t, because at least in this state, they ain’t so bright either.


23 posted on 03/23/2015 10:52:34 AM PDT by Regulator
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: blam

My nightmare scenario is a reverse 1930s dust bowl where Californians flee to Oklahoma. We may need to put a wall around Kalifornia.


24 posted on 03/23/2015 10:54:04 AM PDT by SVTCobra03 (You can never have enough friends, horsepower or ammunition.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: blam

New signs to be posted in all hotel bathrooms:

“If it’s yellow, let it mellow; if its brown, flush it down.”

Of course showers will have five minute timers on the ‘HOT’ and ten minute timers on the ‘COLD’.

What a brave new world.


25 posted on 03/23/2015 10:54:26 AM PDT by A Formerly Proud Canadian (I once was blind, but now I see...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Mrs. Don-o
If this keeps up, we could see a massive "reverse migration" of people out of California as the farmland in the Central Valley dry up and turn into the modern version of the Dust Bowl.
26 posted on 03/23/2015 10:54:27 AM PDT by RayChuang88 (FairTax: America's economic cure)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: blam

.
This is pure BS!

We had a much worse drought in ‘76- ‘77 when even the wells were drying up.

.


27 posted on 03/23/2015 10:59:38 AM PDT by editor-surveyor (Freepers: Not as smart as I'd hoped they'd be)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: cuban leaf

Don’t be concerned that you are not contributing to help CA’s illegal immigrants. I’m sure Moonbeam’s followers will find a way to tax your water. After all, you have lots of illegals to pay for in CA.


28 posted on 03/23/2015 11:00:23 AM PDT by A Formerly Proud Canadian (I once was blind, but now I see...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: HiTech RedNeck

.
Yup, like they had records that far back...

.


29 posted on 03/23/2015 11:00:43 AM PDT by editor-surveyor (Freepers: Not as smart as I'd hoped they'd be)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Cry if I Wanna

.
Jerry is doing nothing to increase storage capacity.

He is trying to knock dams out to “save the salmon.”

.


30 posted on 03/23/2015 11:03:09 AM PDT by editor-surveyor (Freepers: Not as smart as I'd hoped they'd be)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: sickoflibs

.
1200 years back, the Fondling Fathers created Californica.

.


31 posted on 03/23/2015 11:05:34 AM PDT by editor-surveyor (Freepers: Not as smart as I'd hoped they'd be)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: editor-surveyor

He is not even spending the money the Feds give the state for improving water quality... http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/04/20/california-failed-to-spend-455m-on-water-projects-epa-says/


32 posted on 03/23/2015 11:06:26 AM PDT by antceecee (Bless us Lord, forgive us our sins and bring us to everlasting life.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 30 | View Replies]

To: Democrat_media

Good point.

Since there will be no water for the agricultural centers of California - there will be no growing season - which means there will be no requirement for illegal workers.

Hmmmmmm ..??


33 posted on 03/23/2015 11:06:30 AM PDT by CyberAnt ("The hour has arrived to gather the Harvest")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: editor-surveyor

California’s drought is only worse because of Democrats. Weather goes in cycles, in California the Democrats are a permanent destructive force.


34 posted on 03/23/2015 11:06:54 AM PDT by gwgn02
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 30 | View Replies]

To: lexington minuteman 1775

In the early days of the CVPIA struggles on water and the environment, every solution was to take more water from the North. The Klamath River system (Trinity river tributary) was sending 80% of its water to the Central Valley.

It was discovered that the flows were needed in the Trinity and Klamath to perform functions such as gravel transport to renew salmon spawning beds and spring floods of edge habitat to provide transport for young smolts away from the strong mid-river currents. There are even studies as to how flows effect the proliferation of two parasites (C-Shasta and parvacapsula minibicornis) that have been killing mass numbers of juvenile fish.

A lawsuit by local tribes had the diversions south reduced to 50% of the rivers flow.

Sorry, but draining the north state is not the solution. In fact, NOAA fisheries is proposing to introduce endangered salmon above the Shasta Dam, which will require even more regulation on use and flow to provide for their local needs.

CA and the US may have to face that you can’t have both fish and farms/cities.


35 posted on 03/23/2015 11:07:59 AM PDT by marsh2
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Democrat_media

They’re the reason FOR the ‘draught’..

Consume ... but don’t appear on the census and don’t produce?

Ya think!?


36 posted on 03/23/2015 11:08:23 AM PDT by SMARTY ("When you blame others, you give up your power to change." Robert Anthony)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: antceecee

.
That’s because he can’t spend it on his giant train set.

.


37 posted on 03/23/2015 11:09:10 AM PDT by editor-surveyor (Freepers: Not as smart as I'd hoped they'd be)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 32 | View Replies]

To: blam

Let’s keep the ARTICHOKES and ASPARAGUS coming!!!


38 posted on 03/23/2015 11:10:53 AM PDT by BunnySlippers (OMING!!!@)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: marsh2

.
The fish that they’re quibbling about, the Smelt, aren’t even native; they were introduced for bait!

.


39 posted on 03/23/2015 11:11:10 AM PDT by editor-surveyor (Freepers: Not as smart as I'd hoped they'd be)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 35 | View Replies]

To: editor-surveyor
We had a much worse drought in ‘76- ‘77 when even the wells were drying up.

I remember that. All the lawns were dried up brown, far more than now. Followed by a deluge of rain some six years later or so, when there was flooding. We have cycles of drought and floods. What we're going through now is not the worst, just seems so because of bad political use of water and a massive influx of people. The floods will return (but the drought may get worse before then).

40 posted on 03/23/2015 11:12:10 AM PDT by roadcat
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-84 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson