Discussion Topic |
|
This thread has been locked |
TGT
Social climber
So Cal
|
|
|
Oct 31, 2015 - 07:30pm PT
|
If you live in the OC you already are.
http://www.ocwd.com/
Tertiary treatment for groundwater recharge is the most economical way to go. MWD and LaCO San are going forward with a project in Carson that will be even larger than OCSD's
There's another in planning for the SFV but I think that one is toilet to tap, mostly due to the complicated aquifer not really being amenable to storage by re-injection.
|
|
Ken M
Mountain climber
Los Angeles, Ca
|
|
|
Oct 31, 2015 - 08:44pm PT
|
Actually, all the water imported from the Colorado River has been recycled many, many times.
And it makes sense---water does not get "used up", like gasoline that is gone when it is used.
The water is still there, although dirty. Clean it up, and it is perfectly usable again. and again. and again.
And we've had the technology to clean dirty water to purer than anything you can buy for about 50 years. It is NOT new technology.
|
|
TGT
Social climber
So Cal
|
|
Essentially it's the same process for recycled waste or seawater.
Just that since the salt content of treated wastewater is an order of magnitude or more lower so the recovery process is much less costly. On top of that the transport energy costs are much lower. You have to pump that desalinated water uphill from the ocean, (sometimes like the Carlsbad plant a long way uphill)to the point of use.
Treatment plants tend to be collocated with the point of demand so pumping costs are a lot lower also.
|
|
Chaz
Trad climber
greater Boss Angeles area
|
|
I have a Toilet-To-Guacamole program running here.
Avocados like nitrogen, so if your California Avocado tastes a little like espresso or IPA, you'll know whose grove it came from.
|
|
Ken M
Mountain climber
Los Angeles, Ca
|
|
I was at a conference last week, where the head of water for LADWP spoke, and he spoke directly to the issues that TGT mentioned, regarding cost of treatment of seawater v. dirty water.
It costs a bit over $2,000 per acre-foot for desal,
It costs around $500 per acre-foot for cleaning dirty water.
You end up with essentially the same product.
LA dumps into the ocean about 350,000,000 gal of very treated (secondary) water every day.
That is 128 BILLION gallons of water per year. Thrown away.
Because it is already partially treated, the cost of treating it to drinking standards would be much less than the $500/af.
The current water usage of LA is 450 Billion gallons a year. That's a significant percentage of tne need.
|
|
August West
Trad climber
Where the wind blows strange
|
|
I have no problem with cities treating dirty water and I agree they should. But cities don't really make that much difference. Agriculture consumes, what, around %80 of the water. It really comes down to growing almonds and avocados and how much water, if any, get left for fish and the environment. Cut you average shower in half and what, you might be able to grow one more almond.
|
|
Ken M
Mountain climber
Los Angeles, Ca
|
|
August,
It is a lot more complicated than that. Much of it has to do with the legal rights to water, which in Ca is complex. So complex that legal scholars who work in the area do not think it will be sorted out in their lifetimes.
Actions taken by cities can have a HUGE impact----on those cities! The cuts that LA has achieved during this drought has cut the amount of water used by 150,000,000,000 gallons. That much water does not need to be found to keep things going.
But there are bigger issues: the water that is brought over the Tehachapi Mountains to Socal is not used to water crops, but the lift of that water uses 10% of the power used in California. Not importing that water would eliminate that power use, almost all of which comes from coal.
|
|
Dr.Sprock
Boulder climber
I'm James Brown, Bi-atch!
|
|
the water is right and the weather is perfect,
lookey there, i got a bite,
fish more concentrated in drought stricken lakes, look at the brite side,
Time to generate this page: 0.09 secs.
Climbing is dangerous. Climb at your own risk.
|
|
bergbryce
climber
East Bay, CA
|
|
30% of Singapore's water is treated wastewater. http://www.pub.gov.sg/water/Pages/singaporewaterstory.aspx
Given how that stuff is treated, I'd rather drink that than anything flowing through the Sacramento or San Joaquin Rivers.
Looks like a good soaking coming to much of Northern CA. Long range looks dry again. Guess it's better to be dryier now than in primo precip months like Jan, Feb, Mar.
|
|
Ken M
Mountain climber
Los Angeles, Ca
|
|
Israel is another country often cited for their adoption of desal.....but what many don't know, they did that after they had done all the water recycling that was possible. They recycle 85% of their water (some has to be left to wash the salts out.)
|
|
Contractor
Boulder climber
CA
|
|
The Needles last week.
I was blown away at the change over the last few years. A long-time local climber agreed that this is unprecedented.
|
|
Contractor
Boulder climber
CA
|
|
DMT, I was very depressed after our conversation.
The local climber is currently brainstorming an underground bomb shelter for the inferno that is sure to come.
|
|
The Chief
climber
Down the hill & across the Valley from......
|
|
"IF" El Nino is as strong as them "Scientist" say it is, well, many of you on the Westside will be seeing this ...
And many will be crying for it to end and the "Drought" to return.
|
|
rick sumner
Trad climber
reno, nevada/ wasilla alaska
|
|
Light snow this am in the Pah Rah Range just NE of Reno. A good beginning to real winter?
EDIT: wrong picture above. Working on uploading g right picture. New phone. Top picture today . Bottom picture last april.
|
|
Contractor
Boulder climber
CA
|
|
You're probably right Chief, mud slides and so on- but the damage from the drought will not be undone.
Massive tracks of Southwestern forest, from Northern Baja to the Sequoia, are one fire away from being permanent scrub oak.
After three trips to Bishop over the summer, aside from low water levels, the forests look pretty good. Maybe someone can explain that...
|
|
The Chief
climber
Down the hill & across the Valley from......
|
|
After three trips to Bishop over the summer, aside from low water levels, the forests look pretty good. Maybe someone can explain that...
Easy... over 160 trips up high to various "Secret Holes" since May 1st, I did a lot of pissing in them lower forests.
On a serious note, ALL of them lakes above 10K that I visited as well as streams etc that feed em, well, even the local Cal F&G Bio stated that the water levels in all them Eastside bodies of water were at remarkable "Normal" levels.
Hell, even Sabrina filled up to over 4/5ths it's capacity after being at well below a 1/3rd of it's normal levels just over a four month period. And South Lake, it too came up around 3/4's of it's normal fill level during the same time frame.
DWP just finished dumping Crowley to it's normal fall levels after it maintained a level well above it's normal seasonal levels.
You're probably right Chief, mud slides and so on- but the damage from the drought will not be undone.
Massive tracks of Southwestern forest, from Northern Baja to the Sequoia, are one fire away from being permanent scrub oak.
Ah, that's the way this planet Earth, rolls. It's environment is constantly changing. Some here call it ... Evolution.
|
|
k-man
Gym climber
SCruz
|
|
The Chief, tell us more about the hiatus.
You can sound so knowledgeable when you spout those crazy facts!
|
|
The Chief
climber
Down the hill & across the Valley from......
|
|
How bout I tell ya more about how the Antarctic Perm Ice is actually growing according to NASA's latest study released this past Friday.
The latest data from NASA shows Antarctica is actually gaining ice mass thanks to snow and instead of driving sea level rise, may actually be slowing it down. http://www.aol.com/article/2015/11/02/nasa-says-antarctic-ice-may-be-growing-after-all/21257391/
And how your Gubernor is going to spend ten times more of OUR money on hiring a Chinese Co to build his Bullet Train to no where than he is going to build water reclamation stations that KenM and others are posting about.
Fact is, IF El Nino does what the Met Scientist say it may do, over 65% of all the precious and much needed water will flow out to sea. Never being utilized.
How wonderful..
|
|
Contractor
Boulder climber
CA
|
|
This shot was taken two years ago. The devastation is amazing (see previous post with recent photo).
Chief, I probably drove right past you-I have almost the exact same picture with the same autumn colors.
Also Chief, let's debate the cause of this on another thread, some other time. I believe there will be related science on this one way or another, in the near future. I know you're not a fan of arguments based on conjecture.
The devastation is beyond conjecture...
|
|
The Chief
climber
Down the hill & across the Valley from......
|
|
Devastation???
A human term. NOT an Earthly term. It is as it is and as it has been for longer than any human has been walking this planet.
This planet is dynamic in it's OWN TIME FRAME and will do what it does with or without us. And will continue to do so long after we measly humans are gone... thank god.
|
|
|
SuperTopo on the Web
|
Let us know!