California Has One Year of Water Left

the real dill · Post by **the real dill** » Sun Mar 15, 2015 12:57 pm

Plagued by prolonged drought, California now has only enough water to get it through the next year, according to NASA.

http://www.newsweek.com/nasa-california ... 8rg.mailto

California embarks on Massive Desalination project

But just across the road, another scene, unlike any other in the state's history, is playing out: More than 300 construction workers are digging trenches and assembling a vast network of pipes, tanks and high-tech equipment as three massive yellow cranes labor nearby.

The crews are building what boosters say represents California's best hope for a drought-proof water supply: the largest ocean desalination plant in the Western Hemisphere. The $1 billion project will provide 50 million gallons of drinking water a day for San Diego County when it opens in 2016.

http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_2 ... es-up-near

Merkin · Post by **Merkin** » Sun Mar 15, 2015 12:58 pm

And still people in my neighborhood water their lawns.

the real dill · Post by **the real dill** » Sun Mar 15, 2015 1:04 pm

ccording to Carnegie Wave, CETO has a number of potential commercial advantages over other wave power generating systems (as attn asks: “there’s more than one?”): CETO’s modular design allows for customizable scalability, and its being entirely submerged renders the equipment less susceptible to damage from storms and air erosion. What’s more, explains Australian Energy Minister Ian Macfarlane, the ebb and flow of the ocean is a much more reliable source of power than comparable green-energy systems, such as wind and solar.

http://magazine.good.is/articles/austra ... -generator

Salty · Post by **Salty** » Sun Mar 15, 2015 1:53 pm

the real dill wrote:ccording to Carnegie Wave, CETO has a number of potential commercial advantages over other wave power generating systems (as attn asks: “there’s more than one?”): CETO’s modular design allows for customizable scalability, and its being entirely submerged renders the equipment less susceptible to damage from storms and air erosion. What’s more, explains Australian Energy Minister Ian Macfarlane, the ebb and flow of the ocean is a much more reliable source of power than comparable green-energy systems, such as wind and solar.

http://magazine.good.is/articles/austra ... -generator

That looks like a really cool solution to some of the energy and water problems out there

Salty · Post by **Salty** » Wed Apr 01, 2015 12:44 pm

(CNN)California Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday imposed mandatory water restrictions for the first time on residents, businesses and farms, ordering cities and towns to reduce usage by 25%.

"This historic drought demands unprecedented action," Brown said in a statement.

The 25% cut in usage amounts to roughly 1.5 million acre-feet of water over the next nine months, state officials said.

The actions comes amid the lowest snowpack ever recorded in the state.

Brown's executive order is intended to save water, increase enforcement to prevent waste, streamline the drought response and invest in new drought-fighting technologies, Brown said.

A staggering 11 trillion gallons are needed for California to recover from the emergency.

Brown last month unveiled an emergency $1 billion spending plan to tackle the state's historic drought.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/01/us/califo ... index.html

Merkin · Post by **Merkin** » Wed Apr 01, 2015 12:47 pm

They should move the money from the stupid bullet train to build a pipeline and steal the water from the Colorado meant for the CAP.

No reason AZ should fill up all its swimming pools while the farmers can't even water their strawberry plants.

ASUHATER! · Post by **ASUHATER!** » Wed Apr 01, 2015 12:57 pm

Hey that's our water. We need it just as much as California. California should take the money from the train and build desalination plants for that gigantic ocean you have.

Salty · Post by **Salty** » Wed Apr 01, 2015 1:18 pm

ASUHATER! wrote:Hey that's our water. We need it just as much as California. California should take the money from the train and build desalination plants for that gigantic ocean you have.

Arizona and California should join forces and create a super pipe that is able to steal water from the Midwest whenever there's a damn flood.

CatsbyAZ · Post by **CatsbyAZ** » Thu Apr 02, 2015 5:07 am

California's drought is starting to finally gain national momentum; IOW, we're beginning to hear a lot about it here on the East Coast. I think it should've been national news a long time ago. But part of the reason the news, I think, hasn't resonated over here is that it is constantly raining. This year and last year as well. Almost every day we get something from the endless cloud cover.

Three weeks ago I was in Huntington WV/Ashland KY and combining a solid week of rain with the melting snows from PA and OH, and the Ohio River was spilling over it's banks.

pokinmik · Post by **pokinmik** » Thu Apr 02, 2015 5:29 am

One day it really will be like the movie Interstellar, where people look back at how wasteful we were with our resources and how hurtful we were to the planet. I love golf but having so many golf courses all over the desert is stupid. Having freshly watered grass lawns all over the Southwest is stupid. People are so selfish and ignorant, acting like the status quo is going to remain forever. And I don't see it changing anytime soon.

the real dill · Post by **the real dill** » Thu Apr 02, 2015 7:39 am

@benhamner: A 3% decrease in California almond production would save as much water as completely shutting off water usage in SF”

Governor Brown is going to announce mandatory restrictions today. California residents will need to reduce their water consumption by 25%. This is the first time there has been a state-wide mandatory order to reduce water usage.

California is in the midst of a severe drought and recorded the lowest snowpack in history this year.

MANDATORY WATER RESTRICTIONS:

SACRAMENTO - Following the lowest snowpack ever recorded and with no end to the drought in sight, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced actions that will save water, increase enforcement to prevent wasteful water use, streamline the state's drought response and invest in new technologies that will make California more drought resilient.

"Today we are standing on dry grass where there should be five feet of snow. This historic drought demands unprecedented action," said Governor Brown. "Therefore, I'm issuing an executive order mandating substantial water reductions across our state. As Californians, we must pull together and save water in every way possible."

For more than two years, the state's experts have been managing water resources to ensure that the state survives this drought and is better prepared for the next one. Last year, the Governor proclaimed a drought state of emergency. The state has taken steps to make sure that water is available for human health and safety, growing food, fighting fires and protecting fish and wildlife. Millions have been spent helping thousands of California families most impacted by the drought pay their bills, put food on their tables and have water to drink.

The following is a summary of the executive order issued by the Governor today.

Save Water
For the first time in state history, the Governor has directed the State Water Resources Control Board to implement mandatory water reductions in cities and towns across California to reduce water usage by 25 percent. This savings amounts to approximately 1.5 million acre-feet of water over the next nine months, or nearly as much as is currently in Lake Oroville.

To save more water now, the order will also:
• Replace 50 million square feet of lawns throughout the state with drought tolerant landscaping in partnership with local governments;
• Direct the creation of a temporary, statewide consumer rebate program to replace old appliances with more water and energy efficient models;
• Require campuses, golf courses, cemeteries and other large landscapes to make significant cuts in water use; and
• Prohibit new homes and developments from irrigating with potable water unless water-efficient drip irrigation systems are used, and ban watering of ornamental grass on public street medians.

Increase Enforcement
The Governor's order calls on local water agencies to adjust their rate structures to implement conservation pricing, recognized as an effective way to realize water reductions and discourage water waste. Agricultural water users - which have borne much of the brunt of the drought to date, with hundreds of thousands of fallowed acres, significantly reduced water allocations and thousands of farmworkers laid off - will be required to report more water use information to state regulators, increasing the state's ability to enforce against illegal diversions and waste and unreasonable use of water under today's order. Additionally,
the Governor's action strengthens standards for Agricultural Water Management Plans submitted by large agriculture water districts and requires small agriculture water districts to develop similar plans. These plans will help ensure that agricultural communities are prepared in case the drought extends into 2016.

Additional actions required by the order include:
• Taking action against water agencies in depleted groundwater basins that have not shared data on their groundwater supplies with the state
• Updating standards for toilets and faucets and outdoor landscaping in residential communities and taking action against communities that ignore these standards; and
• Making permanent monthly reporting of water usage, conservation and enforcement actions by local water suppliers.

Streamline Government Response
The order:
• Prioritizes state review and decision-making of water infrastructure projects and requires state agencies to report to the Governor's Office on any application pending for more than 90 days.
• Streamlines permitting and review of emergency drought salinity barriers - necessary to keep freshwater supplies in upstream reservoirs for human use and habitat protection for endangered and threatened species;
• Simplifies the review and approval process for voluntary water transfers and emergency drinking water projects; and
• Directs state departments to provide temporary relocation assistance to families who need to move from homes where domestic wells have run dry to housing with running water.

Invest in New Technologies
The order helps make California more drought resilient by:
• Incentivizing promising new technology that will make California more water efficient through a new program administered by the California Energy Commission.

Every Californian should take steps to conserve water. Find out how at SaveOurWater.com.

the real dill · Post by **the real dill** » Thu Apr 02, 2015 7:40 am

Merkin · Post by **Merkin** » Thu Apr 02, 2015 9:25 am

Salty wrote:
ASUHATER! wrote:Hey that's our water. We need it just as much as California. California should take the money from the train and build desalination plants for that gigantic ocean you have.
Arizona and California should join forces and create a super pipe that is able to steal water from the Midwest whenever there's a damn flood.

azgreg · Post by **azgreg** » Thu Apr 02, 2015 10:40 am

Merk, what's the source of that?

Merkin · Post by **Merkin** » Thu Apr 02, 2015 10:44 am

azgreg wrote:Merk, what's the source of that?

Pretty sure it was an April Fool's joke.

I remember reading one time that Mo Udall's Central Arizona Project would be the last federal water project.

azgreg · Post by **azgreg** » Thu Apr 02, 2015 10:46 am

Merkin wrote:
azgreg wrote:Merk, what's the source of that?

Pretty sure it was an April Fool's joke.

Wrong day.

Salty · Post by **Salty** » Thu Apr 02, 2015 1:43 pm

I feel like a pipe for water from flooded areas would be great.

How many times has the Mississippi flooded and destroyed homes, crops, and created damage?

Merkin · Post by **Merkin** » Thu Apr 02, 2015 3:14 pm

ASUHATER! wrote:Hey that's our water. We need it just as much as California. California should take the money from the train and build desalination plants for that gigantic ocean you have.

This CA drought actually does hurt AZ too. Due to CA's congressman allowing the CAP to go through, in dry years CA is entitled to its full share of the Colorado river. Both AZ and NV have to cut back.

ASUHATER! · Post by **ASUHATER!** » Thu Apr 02, 2015 3:27 pm

There are far more of you so it makes a bigger dent for ca to cut back, especially since you have more lawns and things. I personally don't get why anyone north of Orange county has any access to Colorado river water. North of there geographically it should belong to just az, nv, co and ut.

I took a southwest water resources class at the U and we went on a trip to the Tucson water plant over by the sonoran desert museum where the CAP canals end. The guys there basically said if the Colorado runs really low or California takes more than their share then Tucson is fucked because the majority of our water comes from the Colorado and CAP.

Post by **UAdevil** » Thu Apr 02, 2015 3:38 pm

http://bigthink.com/strange-maps/557-th ... ornia-1851

Interesting map of what the (water-filled) landscape of California would have looked like in the mid 1800s. Note 2 major lakes that have gone the way of the Aral Sea, lake Tulare in the central valley and Owens Lake (the largest source of air particulate pollution in the country, drained by the LA canal in the early 20th century).

Merkin · Post by **Merkin** » Thu Apr 02, 2015 3:50 pm

MrBug708 · Post by **MrBug708** » Thu Apr 02, 2015 4:46 pm

California needs to stop approving so many new housing developments.

CatsbyAZ · Post by **CatsbyAZ** » Fri Apr 03, 2015 6:55 am

Was streaming a local LA morning radio show yesterday. A non-political, lifestyle type of morning show, and the call-in topic was the drought. It went no where, which insomuch confirmed my suspicion that the drought isn't being taken seriously enough. Sure some politicians are worrying, but whenever I'm in California for work the general attitude is business as usual, is, well, do I really have to worry about anything?

Merkin · Post by **Merkin** » Fri Apr 03, 2015 9:24 am

Nearly 40 years ago:

azgreg · Post by **azgreg** » Mon Apr 06, 2015 1:04 pm

Wyoming to fight drought with cloud seeding

http://www.standard.net/Environment/201 ... ud-seeding

The article is short so here is the whole thing.

CHEYENNE — Wyoming will start an active cloud-seeding program in four mountain ranges after its near decade-long research project indicated that the practice can help increase snowpack, which is the state's main source of water.

A water project bill approved in this year's legislative session included $1.4 million to initiate an operational cloud-seeding program in the Big Horn, Laramie, Medicine Bow and Sierra Madre mountains. Separately, it appropriated another $650,000 for cloud seeding in the Wind River Mountains for next winter if other states in the Colorado River Basin chip in money.

Sen. Curt Meier, R-LaGrange, was instrumental in getting money for the weather-modification programs.

"We're trying to play catch-up as a state in Wyoming," Meier said, noting that other states already have cloud-seeding programs. "We've done a lot to get the science and to understand what works and what doesn't work in weather modification."

Cloud seeding involves injecting silver iodide into clouds either from aircraft or from generators on the ground. Under the right conditions, the chemical can help water droplets grow and fall to the ground.

Wyoming last year completed a $13 million research project that began in 2005 to determine whether cloud seeding would increase the amount of snowpack in the Medicine Bow and Sierra Madre ranges in southern Wyoming and the Wind River Range in central Wyoming. The research indicated that cloud seeding can increase mountain snowfall by up to 15 percent a year and has negligible environmental effects.

Most of Wyoming's water supply comes from mountain snowfall that melts and fills reservoirs for crop irrigation and municipal water systems.

Despite the research results, some lawmakers opposed starting a cloud-seeding program, saying the state was moving too quickly.

"They have positive results, but they're not great," Rep. Mike Greear, R-Worland, said. "And now we're just going to go ahead and jump in and take over some different basins."

Greear said he would have preferred more analysis on the economic benefits of cloud seeding. In addition, he's concerned about starting a new program that will draw down a state fund for water projects.

Harry LaBonde Jr., director of the Water Development Office, said it may take several years to establish a cloud-seeding program may because of the many undetermined factors, such as whether environmental studies are required and whether federal permits are needed. How much the program will end up costing once it is established also is not immediately clear, LaBonde said.

"Based on the scientific study, we may want to increase the number of generators, so that affects the cost," he said. "So it really is up in the air. That's what we'll be working on the next year or two."

Meier said he'd like to see neighboring states contribute to Wyoming's program because they also benefit from increased runoff into the rivers that flow through their states. "We'll look for some partners, and I think we'll find it because after all it gets dry out here in the West," he said.

Interesting to see how this turns out and at what scale is possible.

Merkin · Post by **Merkin** » Mon Apr 06, 2015 1:30 pm

Santa Barbara has been cloud seeding since 1981 and continues to do so.

azgreg · Post by **azgreg** » Mon Apr 06, 2015 1:37 pm

Merkin wrote:Santa Barbara has been cloud seeding since 1981 and continues to do so.

http://cosb.countyofsb.org/pwd/pwwater.aspx?id=3740

What kind of results have you seen?

Merkin · Post by **Merkin** » Mon Apr 06, 2015 1:42 pm

azgreg wrote:
Merkin wrote:Santa Barbara has been cloud seeding since 1981 and continues to do so.
http://cosb.countyofsb.org/pwd/pwwater.aspx?id=3740

What kind of results have you seen?

No rain the last 2 years, but need some rain clouds to even seed which haven't been coming. Suppose to get some rain tomorrow, so I imagine SB will be seeding in full force.

Longhorned · Post by **Longhorned** » Mon Apr 06, 2015 2:12 pm

Merkin wrote:Santa Barbara has been cloud seeding since 1981 and continues to do so.

There's a great indy music project from Santa Barbara called Cloud Seeding. They're in New York now.

https://soundcloud.com/cloudseeding

CatsbyAZ · Post by **CatsbyAZ** » Tue Apr 07, 2015 7:13 am

Merkin wrote:Nearly 40 years ago:

An unbelievable photo. I'll say it again since "unbelievable" is a word drained by overuse now - that is an unbelievable photo.

It's especially notable given that the aquifer reliance has exponentially increased since 1977. Would like to see how much further the land has fallen since then. Then again, maybe I don't really want to see it.

Is anyone worried whether the damage that California's agricultural bed is facing is irreversible? Maybe water-heavy crops like Almonds will be a thing of the past?

Another development has been the turn of attitude on corporate farming throughout California's central valley, with many not pleased with Gov Brown's favorable treatment toward the state's Big Ag. In passive defense of Brown, I'm not sure what his options were given that so much of the Central Valley economy depends on the quenching the thirst of their crops.

the real dill · Post by **the real dill** » Wed Apr 08, 2015 1:25 pm

CatsbyAZ wrote:
Merkin wrote:Nearly 40 years ago:

An unbelievable photo. I'll say it again since "unbelievable" is a word drained by overuse now - that is an unbelievable photo.

It's especially notable given that the aquifer reliance has exponentially increased since 1977. Would like to see how much further the land has fallen since then. Then again, maybe I don't really want to see it.

Is anyone worried whether the damage that California's agricultural bed is facing is irreversible? Maybe water-heavy crops like Almonds will be a thing of the past?

Another development has been the turn of attitude on corporate farming throughout California's central valley, with many not pleased with Gov Brown's favorable treatment toward the state's Big Ag. In passive defense of Brown, I'm not sure what his options were given that so much of the Central Valley economy depends on the quenching the thirst of their crops.

California's water problem has existed for decades.

Thanks to their shortsighted thinking and bad policy which has pandered to the eco nazies, they have done NOTHING to fix their problem while at the same time enacting policy which serves to make the problem worse.

Just some of their bad policy:

Embracing ethonal

Refusal to create reservoirs to capture water flowing through Cali

Putting some tiny fish before humans. . .

Refusal to adopt desalination plants

Refusal to adopt individual home water recycling programs

the real dill · Post by **the real dill** » Wed Apr 08, 2015 1:30 pm

Salty wrote:I feel like a pipe for water from flooded areas would be great.

How many times has the Mississippi flooded and destroyed homes, crops, and created damage?

The Columbia is much closer, however Oregonians are likely much more concerned with Salmon impact than helping California.

Merkin · Post by **Merkin** » Wed Apr 08, 2015 1:41 pm

the real dill wrote: California's water problem has existed for decades.

Thanks to their shortsighted thinking and bad policy which has pandered to the eco nazies, they have done NOTHING to fix their problem while at the same time enacting policy which serves to make the problem worse.

Just some of their bad policy:

Embracing ethonal

Refusal to create reservoirs to capture water flowing through Cali

Putting some tiny fish before humans. . .

Refusal to adopt desalination plants

Refusal to adopt individual home water recycling programs

I think the worst policy is not restricting farmers pumping from wells, which is not regulated unlike every other state.

At least where I live, all rivers are routed to reservoirs.

San Diego county also has a 1B desal plant almost ready for operation.

Ethanol is used as a gasoline additive to control automotive smog. The old additive was found in ground water and banned. Never see any E85 gas stations unlike the midwest.

the real dill · Post by **the real dill** » Wed Apr 08, 2015 1:47 pm

Merkin wrote:
the real dill wrote: California's water problem has existed for decades.

Thanks to their shortsighted thinking and bad policy which has pandered to the eco nazies, they have done NOTHING to fix their problem while at the same time enacting policy which serves to make the problem worse.

Just some of their bad policy:

Embracing ethonal

Refusal to create reservoirs to capture water flowing through Cali

Putting some tiny fish before humans. . .

Refusal to adopt desalination plants

Refusal to adopt individual home water recycling programs
I think the worst policy is not restricting farmers pumping from wells, which is not regulated unlike every other state.

At least where I live, all rivers are routed to reservoirs.

San Diego county also has a 1B desal plant almost ready for operation.

Ethanol is used as a gasoline additive to control automotive smog. The old additive was found in ground water and banned. Never see any E85 gas stations unlike the midwest.

Even Al Gore has now admitted that ethanol is a sham. The facts are there to be seen. It harms, not helps the environment. It is a colossal waste.

Farms in the desert just reeks of a bad idea. We are having issues in Texas with the idiots who insist on having rice farms in central Texas where there is no rain. We're using all our water to flood fields in the middle central Texas. It's ridiculous.

Big step on the new desalination projects CA is finally on board with.

From Gore:

Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore reportedly has had a change of heart on ethanol, telling a conference on green energy in Europe that he only supported tax breaks for the alternative fuel to pander to farmers in his home state of Tennessee and the first-in-the-nation caucuses state of Iowa.

Speaking at a green energy business conference in Athens sponsored by Marfin Popular Bank, Gore said the lobbyists have wrongly kept alive the program he once touted.

"It is not a good policy to have these massive subsidies for first-generation ethanol," Reuters quoted Gore saying of the U.S. policy that is about to come up for congressional review. "First-generation ethanol I think was a mistake. The energy conversion ratios are at best very small.

"One of the reasons I made that mistake is that I paid particular attention to the farmers in my home state of Tennessee, and I had a certain fondness for the farmers in the state of Iowa because I was about to run for president," the wire service reported Gore saying.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/11 ... s-support/

the real dill · Post by **the real dill** » Mon May 11, 2015 12:51 pm

The forecast of a strong El Nino brings good news to California. NOAA's CFSv2 model is forecasting above well above normal precipitation for October through December, 2015. Because models are forecasting El Nino conditions to continue through January 2016 there is a good chance that heavy winter rains will break the California drought. The downside will be massive landslides and flooding in areas that have been affected by recent wild fires.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/04/3 ... Developing#

Sage&Silver · Post by **Sage&Silver** » Mon May 11, 2015 11:42 pm

Salty wrote:I feel like a pipe for water from flooded areas would be great.

How many times has the Mississippi flooded and destroyed homes, crops, and created damage?

Great for the west coast, unlikely to impact floods along the river. An average year's peak flood could meet LA's annual water demand in ten hours; just two and a half hour during big flood years. For years like 1993 or 2011 you'd need to move 2,000,000 cubic feet per second just to bring the river down to normal flood status.

Sage&Silver · Post by **Sage&Silver** » Tue May 12, 2015 12:17 am

ASUHATER! wrote:I took a southwest water resources class at the U and we went on a trip to the Tucson water plant over by the sonoran desert museum where the CAP canals end. The guys there basically said if the Colorado runs really low or California takes more than their share then Tucson is fucked because the majority of our water comes from the Colorado and CAP.

Probably why CAP is being used to recharge the aquifer (and it has been rising despite the drought). It is figured there is another 50+ years of water under there. Not that it is any excuse not to worry, just that the city has a little time to figure things out if the tap gets shut off.

Along the lines of what dill points out, agriculture water use in Arizona is simply mind blowing. Alfalfa and iceberg lettuce in the desert?

Luckily the way it is all written (as far as I understand from the news) is agriculture takes the hit before the cities see reductions.

RichardCranium · Post by **RichardCranium** » Tue May 12, 2015 12:47 am

ASUHATER! wrote:There are far more of you so it makes a bigger dent for ca to cut back, especially since you have more lawns and things. I personally don't get why anyone north of Orange county has any access to Colorado river water. North of there geographically it should belong to just az, nv, co and ut.

I took a southwest water resources class at the U and we went on a trip to the Tucson water plant over by the sonoran desert museum where the CAP canals end. The guys there basically said if the Colorado runs really low or California takes more than their share then Tucson is fucked because the majority of our water comes from the Colorado and CAP.

Well, actually, Tucson gets its (domestic) water supply from underground. CAP water is pumped into the aquifer to restore it.

When CAP was first 'turned on' to Tucson, the put it right into the pipes which began leaking because the CAP water was more acidic than the aquifer and it dissolved 100 years or whatever of calcium buildup that was protecting the pipes. So they started pumping it underground instead to resupply the aquifer and then continued to pump from the aquifer.

Puerco · Post by **Puerco** » Tue May 12, 2015 3:08 am

the real dill wrote:Even Al Gore has now admitted that ethanol is a sham. The facts are there to be seen. It harms, not helps the environment. It is a colossal waste.

Ethanol from corn is not favorable when you take the entire energy balance into account, which makes it not a good idea from the standpoint of CO2 emissions. Cellulosic ethanol is supposed to be better, but at least 5 years ago the main barrier was capital cost of the processing plants.

Ethanol from either source was, at least until large scale fracking came along, a good strategic alternative to reduce our demand for middle eastern oil. Given the new industries in oil and gas in the US, I suppose that strategic consideration is no longer applicable.

Merkin · Post by **Merkin** » Tue May 12, 2015 7:53 am

Whatever happened to plans to convert corn planting for ethanol to switchgrass?

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/fuel-effi ... oline1.htm

Switchgrass is a native perennial species to the Americas. It grows quickly and easily on plains. It's a tough, hardy species -- in some cases, it's considered invasive. A three-year study in North Dakota published in 2005 showed that, when left alone, some varieties of the grass can produce an average yield of more than seven tons of biomass -- the harvested plant material -- per acre, depending on precipitation and soil type [source: U.S. Department of Agriculture].

The grass is also resistant to drought and requires little, if any, fertilizer. This means that it requires less fossil fuel expended on production. Tractors used to spread fertilizer and fuel the pumps that irrigate fields require fossil fuel. Less irrigation and less fertilizer, then, means reduced energy input, which in turn means less cost and fewer greenhouse gas emissions. What's more, switchgrass proponents say that fuel produced from the plant would make the United States more secure and independent, since it could be grown in America rather than imported from other nations.

The fuel produced from switchgrass feedstock -- the raw material used to produce a distilled fuel -- is cellulosic ethanol. This alcoholic fuel is created by a chemical process of breaking down the cellulose -- the structure that makes up the cell walls in the plant. Once the cellulose is broken down into its basic components, yeast is added, and it's fermented into alcohol. After it's refined, the ethanol produced can be used as fuel.

Post by **UAdevil** » Sat May 23, 2015 7:31 am

What assholes.

http://kron4.com/2015/05/22/vandals-des ... -into-bay/

Vandals destroy dam, release 49 million gallons of water into Bay

CatsbyAZ · Post by **CatsbyAZ** » Sun May 24, 2015 2:18 pm

UAdevil wrote:What assholes.

http://kron4.com/2015/05/22/vandals-des ... -into-bay/

Vandals destroy dam, release 49 million gallons of water into Bay

Probably Berkeley grad students carrying out a class assignment.

catgrad97 · Post by **catgrad97** » Tue May 26, 2015 9:22 am

It may not have a long-term water impact on the Alameda County Water District, but it will come back to haunt Bay Area taxpayers.

California's economy will spiral out of control because of resource mismanagement like this--if it hasn't already.

Post by **UAdevil** » Tue May 26, 2015 10:12 am

Unfortunately, if the past 100 years of water management history in California serve as an indicator, we'll get a few wet years, the reservoirs will fill, and everyone will forget there was ever an issue. Then drought will hit again. This time with more people who crave the resource and it'll be even harder. California has never had to truly wake up and see their water limitations and mismanagement. When, ultimately, the bill comes they could be truly screwed. Perhaps this is that time?

Merkin · Post by **Merkin** » Thu May 28, 2015 12:15 pm

How Texas stole California's rain:

http://climateviewer.com/2015/05/28/how ... nias-rain/

A little Percy-ish, but still an interesting although long read.

Merkin · Post by **Merkin** » Sun May 31, 2015 10:21 am

Snowpack 0.0% of normal.

azgreg · Post by **azgreg** » Mon Aug 03, 2015 9:07 am

State reduced water use 27% in June; hit conservation target

http://www.fresnobee.com/news/state/cal ... Newsletter

California residents reduced their water use by 27% in June, beating state-mandated targets during the crucial first month of summer, according to figures released today by the State Water Resources Control Board.

The results followed a strong May in which California residents reduced consumption by 29%. By contrast, conservation hit just 14% in April and 4% in March.

Californians must cumulatively reduce water use by at least 25% between June and February as compared to the same months in 2013, under rules adopted by the water board in response to the drought. June was the first month when conservation will count toward that target.

Cities and agencies must cut usage by varying amounts based on how much water they typically use.

Conservation during the summer months is critical because so much water is typically used as temperatures rise and Californians rely on sprinkler systems to maintain their lawns. The June figures show that the newly-brown lawns seen across the state are making a difference in water consumption.

“Californians understand the severity of the drought and they are taking action, as shown by the numbers released today,” said Felicia Marcus, chair of the State Water Resources Control Board, in a prepared statement. “This report shows that residents knew they had to keep conserving even during the summer heat and they kept the sprinklers off more than they would in a normal year.”

Well done California.

Merkin · Post by **Merkin** » Mon Aug 03, 2015 9:13 am

Lot of brown lawns in my neighborhood. Not mine though, I took out the grass 3 years ago and put in rocks and succulents.

azgreg · Post by **azgreg** » Mon Aug 03, 2015 9:40 am

When is the Carlsbad desal plant due to come online?

JMarkJohns · Post by **JMarkJohns** » Mon Aug 03, 2015 11:02 am

Merkin wrote:Lot of brown lawns in my neighborhood. Not mine though, I took out the grass 3 years ago and put in rocks and succulents.

You can "dye" the dead grass green with an Eco-friendly paint.

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