Endangered Earth > Endangered Earth - and How to Survive
California will run out of water in a year and should begin rationing its use im
astr0144:
California will run out of water in a year and should begin rationing its use immediately, NASA scientist says.
NASA's Jay Famiglietti urges acceleration of programs to save water Snowpacks in California mountains near record lows during drought
He says public have not been involved in discussions about the problem
California will run out of water in 12 months, according to a NASA scientist.The state only has one year of supply left in its reservoirs due to persistent drought and is also running out of backup groundwater, Jay Famiglietti, senior water scientist at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, wrote.
The drought means that total water storage in California, which has been in decline since 2002, has been sapped by the need to use the resource for farming, he said in the Los Angeles Times.
Since 2011 the state has been losing 12million acre-feet of water per year and the total amount of water in snow, rivers, groundwater and reservoirs was 34million acre-feet below normal in 2014.
Famiglietti suggested immediate water-rationing measures, which are being considered in southern California, across the state.
The use of groundwater for farming in the Central Valley has caused land to sink by one foot a year.
Sprinklers and other landscaping accounts for 70 per cent of urban water use, according to the Sacramento Bee.
Governor Jerry Brown declared a drought emergency at the beginning of last year, though Californians only reduced their water usage by 9 per cent instead of a hoped-for 20 per cent.
Beyond residents' consumpton, use of groundwater for farming in the Central Valley has caused land to sink by one foot a year.
He also urged the acceleration of task forces and programs meant to ensure that California will have enough water in the future, which are currently slated to 'achieve sustainability' in 2042.
The current drought in the western United States, which is entering its fourth year, is the worst in modern American history.
Snowpacks in California mountains like the Sierra Nevadas, which the state relies to melt into water, have been near record lows this year.
Famiglietti said that efforts need to be accelerated before it's too late, because he'd 'like to live in a state that has a paddle so that it might also still have a creek'.
Jay Famiglietti, writing in the Los Angeles Times, said he'd 'like to live in a state that has a paddle so that it might also still have a creek'
Jay Famiglietti, writing in the Los Angeles Times, said he'd 'like to live in a state that has a paddle so that it might also still have a creek'
Scientists from NASA, Cornell University and Columbia University released research in February that said there could be worse droughts to come.
A 'Megadrought' that could last several decades and would be worse than any other such phenomenon in 1000 years is expected sometimes between 2050 and 2099, according to their research published in Science.
The current dryness affects not only the West Coast, but also the rest of the country.
California grows the majority of many fruits and vegetables for the US.
Their produce makes up 69 per cent of carrots, 71 per cent of spinach, 99 per cent of artichokes and more than 90 per cent of broccoli, according to Slate.
Famiglietti said that 'the public remains detached from discussions and decisions' about conserving water and urged them to take ownership of the crisis.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2994985/California-run-water-reserves-year-begin-rationing-precious-resource-immediately-NASA-scientist-says.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490
zorgon:
California has miles of ocean front They should have built desalination plants years ago as a backup.
Israel, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait all have no or little fresh water. They get all their water by desalination. This is an ancient method LOL The added plus is that when you desalinate sea water you get tons of salt you don't have to mine and you get pure water because only the water evaporates
Send home all the illegals :P "3+ million illegals and an average use of 500 gallons of water per person per day that is a bunch of water that could be saved simply by deporting the illegals.
They won't do that either--they "need" them to pick the lettuce they won't be able to grow."
Santa Barbara working to reactivate mothballed desalination plant
Filtration tanks at Santa Barbara's Charles E. Meyer Desalination Facility. The city plans to spend up to $40 million to modernize and reactivate the plant, which was closed in 1992. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
lifornia's four-year drought created the statewide mantra: "Conserve, conserve, conserve." But this coastal city can soon add another word to its water-related lexicon: desalinate.
Santa Barbara owns a mothballed plant — built more than 20 years ago during another severe drought — that can turn seawater into drinking water. But it was never used beyond a tryout phase before steady rain began falling again. Now, officials are working to press the Charles E. Meyer Desalination Facility back into service as the city's reservoirs continue to diminish.
Spider webs
Spider webs cling to a pressure gauge at Santa Barbara's Charles E. Meyer Desalination Facility. Although it may seem natural to think the Pacific Ocean could be the answer to California's water crisis, experts say a stampede toward desalination is unlikely. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
The city plans to spend up to $40 million to modernize and reactivate the plant, which was closed in 1992 when the last drought ended. It is among a number of desalting projects being considered along the California coast, including in Huntington Beach and the Monterey Peninsula.
In Cambria, a hybrid desalination plant that began operating in November treats brackish water to make it drinkable. And the nation's largest desalination plant is being built in Carlsbad for $954 million.
http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-santa-barbara-desal-20150303-story.html
zorgon:
Water Resources Saudi Arabia
--- Quote ---Saudi Arabia is a desert country with no permanent rivers or lakes and very little rainfall. Water is scarce and extremely valuable, and with the country’s rapid growth, the demand for water is increasing.
The Kingdom, therefore, has turned to innovative ways to provide enough water to support its development. All water matters are handled by the Ministry of Water and Electricity.
Aquifers are a major source of water in Saudi Arabia. They are vast underground reservoirs of water. In the 1970s, the government undertook a major effort to locate and map such aquifers and estimate their capacity. As a result, it was able to drill tens of thousands of deep tube wells in the most promising areas for both urban and agricultural use.
Another major source of water is the sea. This is done through desalination, a process that produces potable water from brackish seawater. Saudi Arabia is the world’s largest producer of desalinated water.
--- End quote ---
--- Quote ---The Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) operates 27 desalination stations that produce more than three million cubic meters a day of potable water. These plants provide more than 70 percent of the water used in cities, as well as a sizeable portion of the needs of industry. They are also a major source of electric power generation.
Dams are used to capture surface water after frequent flash floods. More than 200 dams collect an estimated 16 billion cubic feet of runoff annually in their reservoirs. Some of the largest of these dams are located in the Wadi Jizan, Wadi Fatima, Wadi Bisha and Najran. This water is used primarily for agriculture and is distributed through thousands of miles of irrigation canals and ditches to vast tracts of fertile land that were previously fallow.
An expanding source of water is the use of recycled water. The Kingdom aims to recycle as much as 40 percent of the water used for domestic purposes in urban areas. To this end, recycling plants have been built in Riyadh, Jeddah and other major urban industrial centers. Recycled water is used for irrigation of farm fields and urban parks.
--- End quote ---
http://www.saudiembassy.net/about/country-information/agriculture_water/Water_Resources.aspx
zorgon:
There is also this
[youtube]AUaPleXoK8E[/youtube]
Dyna:
--- Quote ---These plants provide more than 70 percent of the water used in cities, as well as a sizeable portion of the needs of industry. They are also a major source of electric power generation.
--- End quote ---
This plant will be online in 2016
I guess the way we deal with the process is different.
--- Code: ---Electricity is a major cost
Others view that equation differently. Four years ago, the city of Long Beach abandoned its desalination plans because of the energy cost.
Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article3017597.html#storylink=cpy
--- End code ---
Then there is
--- Quote ---Unless that intake is carefully designed, it can harm marine life.
--- End quote ---
--- Quote ---The second major environmental concern is discharge water.
--- End quote ---
Seems they do not take the salt but put it back into the ocean.
Personally I am worried, I live in the redwoods and they need wet, they need mist and rain. We have had almost no rain when normally we have rain most days all year, used to you would get a quick shower and then sun like in Hawaii. It has always been very green year round, I wonder if this is going to change soon.
I am very worried about the wells as we are on a private well and this year, I could smell tree roots and got sand what will this year bring as it has been so dry and no snow pack!
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