Posted on 06/10/2021 7:27:19 PM PDT by blam
There is also a huge amount of agriculture in the west. 70-75% of Arizona’s water goes to FARMING!
“Even in the midst of a historical 19-year drought in the Southwest, Arizona uses less water now than it did 62 years ago.
That may sound too good to be true, but it isn’t: As the state’s population has exploded, its water consumption has remained steady and even fallen....
In 2017, almost 74 percent of the state’s water went to agriculture and irrigation, 20 percent to municipalities, and less than 1 percent went to industry — a slight change from when even more went to agriculture in the 1950’s.”
Farming provides very few of the jobs in Arizona, but it uses the large majority of the water. Cut back growing cotton and alfalfa in the desert and Arizona would have a water surplus.
Don’t know the numbers for Nevada.
Don’t reject it. I live in Arizona and the area where I’ve lived for 20 years is truly hurting. The CACTI are dying from lack of water.
In Arizona, the problem is aggravated by agriculture. Over 70% of the water goes to growing cotton and alfalfa and nuts. Near Willcox, foreign and out-of-state investors have drilled 2,000 foot deep wells to supply dairy cattle with feed on a dry lake bed.
That is dumb.
But yes, the last couple of years have been brutal for rainfall too. We had no monsoon season last summer and that is when most of our 10-12 inches of annual rain arrives.
I had to look up where that is. Sounds like it's typical california - SNAFU
You'd be surprised at how much is lost in evaporation each day, especially in that dry climate.
Thanks!
My privilege. :)
Yeah, I live in a low-humidity summer climate as well, but the surface area of the fountains isn’t all that great, and the amount is still insignificant in the big picture. You are “paying” probably ten gallons or so daily to improve people’s lives and I think that is ok.
Yes. I was thinking the lower 48 states, but you are correct.
Then something needs to be done about it.
Embarrass these jerks into submission.
We don’t need the press to do it.
Yep, a few days ago they had to haul 130 houseboats out due to the falling water levels...
It’s the one that the spillway nearly washed away back in February 2017. They evacuated a bunch of folks below the dam but it held-barely. Hhere is a Youtube vid by an engineer that explains how and why it happened (yes, too many corners were cut):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxNM4DGBRMU
That kind of fountain loses a lot of water due to evaporation. Plus, repeat that all over the city and that is a lot of water that could be kept in Lake Mead.
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