Posted on 01/18/2016 1:29:16 PM PST by nickcarraway
It's an El Niño winter, and the news is full of rain, sleet, and snow. If only California was as well.
Precipitation so far in this wet winter that is supposed to save us from the worst drought of our lifetimes is only slightly above "normal" — and in some parts of California, including the southern Sierra, precipitation is still below normal.
Think about that. The long-awaited wet weather event has, so far, just barely pushed things to around what's supposed to be "normal."
This may be a hard fact to fathom this weekend, as you drive through more rain in order to reach the snowed-in approaches to Lake Tahoe — lucky you; drive safely — but other scientists agree. The four-year drought that's seen reservoirs and groundwater supplies dry up is not over — not unless several more El Niños follow on this one's heels.
In fact, according to one U.C. Berkeley researcher, the state may never recover from the drought. First, let's take a peek at conditions as of now.
That dark red splotch of the worst-possible drought conditions? That's most of us.
As for the dire prediction that very dry may be the new normal, that's from Berkeley professor B. Lynn Ingram, one of the two authors of a book, The West Without Water, which predicts just such a dire, dry future.
Ingram thinks that rainfall for the 2015-2016 water year — the rainy period that normally runs from October to April — will be at 170 percent of normal. That's wet — very wet. But that won't make up for the four preceding exceptionally dry years, and it also won't help next year, when some scientists believe a dry La Niña will appear.
"We’re in a water deficit of at least two years in most of California," Ingram told Berkeley News's Anne Brice. "This means we would need more than a year of precipitation like this."
"It’s not likely we’ll come out of this drought. With climate change, California and the Southwest are predicted to get drier overall with warmer weather and, subsequently, more evaporation," she added. "Even with a wetter season this year, even next year, the climate is very likely to continue to be drier."
The idea that a dry future is connected to climate is gaining traction.. in some circles. This week, President Barack Obama announced a temporary halt to new leases to coal miners wishing to dig on federal lands.
Climate change was, predictably and unfortunately, utterly absent from last night's Republican presidential debate.
I still support desalinization plants, and the state should try to herd localities to invest in them.
Israel is headed toward a large portion of their fresh water coming from the Mediterranean. If they can do it...
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“...the state should try to herd localities to invest in them...”?
I guess that this would involve subsidies AND MANDATES (just like ethanol and solar energy)-—well, hell, DONALD TRUMP (BLESSED BE HIS NAME) would be all about that. Of course, we should all ignore the fact that subsidies and mandates cause maldistribution of investments, lead to a product (e.g., water) being produced in a manner that is NOT the most efficient and increases costs. But if Donald wants it...it would have to be sacrosanct.
I’m sure Ted Cruz would say it is up to the state but, personally, would be wondering “why the hell don’t they increase the capacity of their reservoirs as a longer term way to mitigate the problem”.
Gosh, that sounds familiar, seeing as I’ve been telling just about everybody that the predictive value of an El Nino event is indeterminate. This isn’t as bad as 2013-14, but we’re still 30% below normal precipitation for this time of year in this area.
Well, I suppose it could be a drought of Biblical proportions. That could mean Somebody is trying to tell them something.
But the Liberals won’t listen to somebody, either.
We've had years with a La Nina event that yielded over 60 inches of rain.
See: "no determinative value."
Up to the states, as in when he trashed Proposition 187 as wrong headed? Ted didn’t believe in States Rights then.
Power, Water, Gas, and other intrests go to the state capital for meetings. The Governor can address them and ask them to please consider desalinization projects. The same thing happens with industry leaders.
How much would that cost?
This mindset of yours is exactly why nothing gets done.
This mindset of yours is exactly why nothing gets done.
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So we hear from the “GET THINGS DONE” quarter. From that quarter we get all the “let’s all work together with our Democrat friends...they want the same things we do after all....let’s all try to get along”. Hey, we need a president who will MAKE DEALS WITH THE ‘RATS...WHERE CAN WE FIND SUCH A CANDIDATE?
Where the hell did you get that out my suggesting the governor relate to cities and business leaders that he thinks we need a desalinization effort, and he’d like to see the state move in that direction.
I told you that wouldn’t cost a dime of state money.
Your reaction is why I seldom try to engage some of you folks.
I give you a ration presentation sans subsides and any state involvement, and you go postal.
I think very dry in California is normal, and has been for a long time. It's just that no-one seems to want to come to grips with that reality.
Where the hell did you get that out my suggesting the governor relate to cities and business leaders that he thinks we need a desalinization effort, and he’d like to see the state move in that direction.
I told you that wouldn’t cost a dime of state money.
Your reaction is why I seldom try to engage some of you folks.
I give you a ration presentation sans subsides and any state involvement, and you go postal.
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Well, your first sentence in the post to which I’m responding now seems very reasonable...it says, in essence, the governor should state his personal belief and say to other government levels “pretty please build desalinization plants for which I won’t give you a penny”.
But you earlier said (From your post # 21 above):
“I still support desalinization plants, and the state should try to herd localities to invest in them”
Sorry, my image of “herding” involves cracking of whips and forcing things to go where they’d prefer not to go -— and not of some cowboy saying “please, oh pretty please”.
Thanks for the attempt...
Later.
nice
Is that anything like a pre-dick-shun???
Never? No not never! Exactly why will we never get out of this drought as we have those in the past, let me guess globull climate change warming whackadoodles need their government study money!
Somewhere our Creator is humming the Rolling Stones song “Under My Thumb”.
Thanks nickcarraway.
I guess we assume from the map that the the entire country is in draught.
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