California governor orders mandatory water restrictions

[red321]

Jerry Brown's mandatory 25% water reduction rules apply to urban potable water only.  That amounts to, at most, 20% of the total water supply.  Some studies put the amount of urban water usage even lower. 

 

If Californians meet Brown's goal (a lot easier said than done) the best possible scenario is a 5% overall reduction in water usage, which is (practically speaking) a rounding error.  Jerry Brown enacting these rules a few years ago, as you suggested, would have accomplished very little. 

 

 

 

So, what is your suggestion mp170.6

[mp170.6]

Did you miss the part where he has significantly cut water usage buy the ag industry?

 

Also if they did 5% per year for the last three that adds up.

 

The ag industry has done a lot on their own prior to Jerry Brown getting involved.  I didn't mention that here because we were talking about the residential restrictions in this thread.

 

Lower water usage doesn't add up like you think it does because of evaporation and seepage.  There's no way to store that "saved" water in our dams and reservoirs over the long term. 

[nate]

CA as a whole should have been rationing water for the last 3+ years.  Instead they waited til they were almost out to do it.

[mp170.6]

So, what is your suggestion mp170.6

 

I think California will have to make tough decisions about which crops not to grow anymore.  That's if the farmers don't give up first, which seems fairly likely.

[mp170.6]

CA as a whole should have been rationing water for the last 3+ years.  Instead they waited til they were almost out to do it.

 

They already have been rationing water to the farmers who use (by far) the biggest chunk of it.  That's been going on for a very long time.  It's gotten so bad that various parts of the Central Valley have had their trees and vineyards bulldozed after they died from lack of water. 

 

Rationing water to residential users isn't going to help in the grand scheme of things.

[yk9001]

Did you miss the part where he has significantly cut water usage buy the ag industry?

 

 

I did miss that (I actually did, this is a non snark post).

Link?

[nate]

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/13/us/california-announces-restrictions-on-water-use-by-farmers.html

 

There was a multi million dollar fine handed out recently for one of the groups ignoring the cuts.

Edited July 29, 2015 by nate

[Spirit]

Just keep watering the wine grapes.

[yk9001]

Yeah, I am not convinced the ag growers, who use 80% of the water, are doing their 'fair share' of cuts.

 

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/b5fb8b59f3e847d790c8a8fb329b3999/california-many-farmers-miss-deadline-report-water-cuts

[yk9001]

We grow rice in California.  Jesus.

[gotbeer]

I remember a few years back.  My cousin who lives in Fresno was talking about water and water rights up there.  He said for the most part, everyone conserved, since water in that area was based on wells.  So you didn't want to deplete your well.

 

But he said there were a few people that had huge lots of land, that had lush green grass.  People were commenting on how much water they must have been pulling from their wells.  And it was a matter of when that well ran dry.  This was before the drought.  

 

So while I'm sure 75% of those in the agricultural sector are probably very water conscious.  But just like in the LA area.  You have that small % that says F it, if I want to use water, I will use water for whatever purpose.  Those are the one's that are screwing everyone else.  

 

You have areas like Riverside that do not use any outside water that do their part.  Then you have people in the Cochella Valley that use 5-10x more water than most other communities in the LA Area, or PIstascio farms (you have all seen it on the way to Vegas) that is built in the middle of the desert.  

[Jay]

Shit always rolls downhill

 

(that would be us at the bottom of the hill)

[mp170.6]

I think it's remarkable how the media overlooks the glaring differences in California farmers.  The disparity in income and success is bigger than the American population because the most successful farming corporations have ancient water rights.  They have more water than they need -- so much so that water is becoming one of their "crops" they can sell to other farmers or water districts. 

 

It would be like Google and Apple controlling the supply of electricity for all of Silicon Valley.  You can guess how badly that would end for the smaller players.  Same thing is happening with the water. 

[yk9001]

We bottle water in this state.

 

We grow rice.

 

We are in a drought.

 

We are stupid.

[mp170.6]

You'll be happy to know that Alfalfa (hay) accounts for 15% of our water use, and we're exporting a bunch of it to China. 

 

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-feeding-china-hay-20140609-story.html#page=1

[Tank]

are golf courses required to cut back on how much they use? have to think they use a ton of water.

[gotbeer]

are golf courses required to cut back on how much they use? have to think they use a ton of water.

 

1% of the total usage.  

 

I have noticed when driving by Wilshire Country Club that they have replaced a lot of their rough with "waste" areas.  

[mtangelsfan]

a lot of courses use "reclaimed" water.

[Hollyw00d]

I think its less than 1% actually. Either way, golf courses are not the problem

And if I have to choose between alfalfa sprouts and golf.....well I choose golf

[Amazing Larry]

Great book on the history of water in California for those interested. Lots of bigger than life characters that shaped the way we grew as a state.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0520050681/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1438219504&sr=1-1&pi=AC_SY200_QL40&keywords=Water+and+power&dpPl=1&dpID=51la10CFOWL&ref=plSrch

[Spirit]

Just keep watering the wine grapes.

 

 

Look ... I'm dead serious here!   You all better keep watering those wine grapes! 

[arch stanton]

Look ... I'm dead serious here!   You all better keep watering those wine grapes! 

Unless those vineyards are operated by middle class homeowners it doesn't appear that they will be affected.

[TobiasFunke]

a lot of courses use "reclaimed" water.

Why the quotations?

[Amazing Larry]

Why the quotations?

Because I got drunk and pissed on the 9th hole green again.

[mp170.6]

a lot of courses use "reclaimed" water.

 

I think those are the newer ones.  The old ones still rely on potable drinking water.