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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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And we go blithely on our way thinkin' the drought is all done.
I think not.
I believe it's a 50-50 chance we will have another fairly wet winter.
Notice how nobody's saying anything recently?
I cannot find any relevant posts anyplace on the expected cut-off of irrigation water this year here.
There were some fireworks displayed out at Lake McSwain on the Merced R. over the fourth of July holiday, however.
http://www.facebook.com/MercedIrrigationDistrict/
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rwedgee
Ice climber
CA
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Aug 10, 2016 - 12:56pm PT
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http://la.curbed.com/2016/8/10/12422000/resnick-wonderful-water-california-kern-drought
How a Los Angeles couple came to control a water empire
Whether you’re familiar with their massive agricultural holdings in the Central Valley, you may have heard the names of Stewart and Lynda Resnick. Known for their many charitable efforts, they’re the Resnicks who gave their name to LACMA’s Resnick Pavillion and UCLA’s Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital. They also use more water than absolutely anyone else in California—and that includes businesses, farms, and even the city of Los Angeles.
How is this possible? An excellent profile in Mother Jones has the full story, but here’s the gist of it. Back in 1978, the Resnicks entered the agricultural business with the purchase of some orange groves in Kern County (their initial fortune came not from agriculture but from the Teleflora flower delivery service). They later expanded their assets, buying farms on the cheap during the drought years of the late 1980s. Their company—then known as Paramount Farms, but now called the Wonderful Company—soon became the largest producer of pistachios and almonds in the world. Their many brands include Wonderful Pistachios, Halo clementines, Fiji Water, and Pom Wonderful.
Now, all that farming requires a ton of water. Fortunately for them, the Resnicks own a majority share of what’s known as the Kern Water Bank. The state spent $75 million developing this massive underground storage facility before mysteriously handing it off to Kern County officials, who then gave much of it to Westside Mutual Water Company, a private water supplier owned by the Resnicks.
In 2014, a superior court judge decided this shady series of transactions was just that—shady. He ruled that California’s Department of Water Resources hadn’t fully examined the environmental impacts of the water bank, and later ordered the Environmental Impact Review to be resubmitted.
In the meantime, the Resnicks have been going hog wild with all that water. Based on current estimates, their Central Valley crops receive more yearly water than the amount used by every single home in Los Angeles combined. Their citrus crops alone use up more water than the city of San Francisco.
Not only that, but, having also set up a huge network of deep groundwater wells, the Resnicks are water rich enough that they’ve actually been selling the increasingly precious commodity back to the state. So far, they’ve made about $30 million in the process.
Plenty of legal questions are still swirling around the ownership of the Kern Water Bank, and it’s possible that the Resnicks might soon have to cut back like all the rest of us. But amid the uncertainty, they’re still hoping to expand. Turns out, Chinese consumers can’t get enough of those California pistachios.
https://cdn3.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/xNRaZczfLjj5QZf1_gCxoD4c_PY=/0x5:1692x957/920x613/filters:focal(0x5:1692x957)/cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/50337881/GettyImages-496194440.0.jpg
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Coach37
Social climber
Philly
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Aug 10, 2016 - 02:11pm PT
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The Guardian had a related article today, focused on Eagle Lake drying up.
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/aug/10/lake-eagle-spalding-california-climate-change
Pretty funny quote in there too, from some morons lamenting the lake drying up, but refusing to accept the obvious:
"At a picnic table outside, there was skepticism as to whether Eagle Lake was at the vanguard of a more ominous, human-influenced global shift. “I’m not an over-the-top believer that we can adjust the climate of this earth that much,” said Scott McCullough, a retired marine.
“I agree with Scott,” said Lee Crane, a semi-retired dentist from Sacramento, who was eating burgers at the other end of the table with his wife, Dottie. “You could take all the diesel stacks in the United States and let ‘em go and the earth wouldn’t know the difference, in my opinion.”
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neverwas
Mountain climber
ak
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Aug 10, 2016 - 03:28pm PT
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^ These people probably look up at the sky, see the Sun, moon, and stars, and assume there's air all the way up. Half (very roughly) of the mass of the atmosphere is in the first 3 or 4 miles of height -- there's just not much of it there! It's not hard to rationally understand that this thin layer of gasses can be affected by what is being dumped into it, but no one's accusing these folks of being rational.
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bergbryce
climber
East Bay, CA
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Aug 10, 2016 - 03:54pm PT
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I was in the Mission a few weeks ago and was thinking that the City was really in use of a good, hard rain. Sidewalks are nastolio in appearance and odor.
The CA drought is back page news now that el nino "saved us" with it's average/less than average water year. I've not seen much hype regarding this coming season which quite possibly could mean we might actually get a big year. But I'd be happy with average again.
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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Aug 10, 2016 - 05:30pm PT
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hey there all, say... thanks for the bump... i been wondering what's going on, etc...
thanks again...
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Fat Dad
Trad climber
Los Angeles, CA
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Aug 11, 2016 - 10:09am PT
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^ These people probably look up at the sky, see the Sun, moon, and stars, and assume there's air all the way up. Half (very roughly) of the mass of the atmosphere is in the first 3 or 4 miles of height -- there's just not much of it there! It's not hard to rationally understand that this thin layer of gasses can be affected by what is being dumped into it, but no one's accusing these folks of being rational. To use a rather impolite analogy, people like that are like monkeys looking at the stars. However, the reality is probably worse. People have the ability and access to information to educate themselves, but willfully decide not to and, despite that, accept an alternate truth of their own making. One can forgive the monkeys' their ignorance; people, not so much.
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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Aug 11, 2016 - 11:52am PT
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Yes, it is, Dingus.The Merced River is about at optimal swimming temp now and I managed to enjoy a swim in it for the first time in I don't know how long.
I felt like a new person after the brief examination of the bottom and a brisk crossing and re-crossing. Must be all that beet juice and soy and no coffee.
This is just below the Cedar Lodge, seen from the opposite shore. Cedar Lodge is one of the area's most-used areas, but I'll bet only a tiny percent bother to swim here, which is AOK with me.
That's right, beet juice.
And man oh man, I can't wait to see what Ma Nature and her buddy Gravity are cooking up for the Ferguson slide on Hwy 140 when the rains really return.
A while ago, within the last six months, according to John, my neighbor, who rides the YARTS bus every Friday like clockwork, there was a "fail" of the steel mesh curtain spread over the upper slide. It was meant to keep rock from rolling all the way down to the bottom, not to keep the hillside in place. The curtain had been lifted into place by choppers at enormous cost. How much do those chopper jockeys make per hour?
A section gave way and you can plainly see how the rocks treated the steel mesh, rolling it up like a cigar. NO ONE WAS BELOW WHEN IT WENT! The mesh was put in place by choppers and anchored to a cable, I guess, running from stanchion to stanchion above the slide.
God, nature is so awesome in its ability to keep us in our place, though we seem never to learn very much.
And yes, it is nice to have the Big C gone. Not a very rational man. Not one to listen to others. We're better off. RIP Chief. Frickin' dolt!
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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Aug 11, 2016 - 01:20pm PT
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With the drought came the bark beetles. They have wiped out a lot of trees, 100% of some populations. Rain won't help.
Jeff Mathis, my BFF, could spend the rest of his life felling the dead trees on his 2+ acres. There is a state program that provides felling and hauling of dead trees if the parcels of various owners collectively total ten or more acres, he says. He's currently trying to enlist neighbors to come together in the Greeley Hill area where the devastation is nearly complete.
It's interesting that I saw very few dying trees near the river yesterday when we traveled to El Portal. The gray pines (bull pines) are not resistant, but the ones in the Merced Canyon have a higher rate of survival than those up on the arid slopes. This is based on my own observations only.
Ma Nature rolls along like a river, regardless of our intents and purposes.
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Coach37
Social climber
Philly
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Aug 11, 2016 - 04:17pm PT
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Interesting stuff, Timid.
Do the Ip species generally tend to be specific to one tree species, or are they opportunists? Or some species generalist/opportunists and some specialists?
I know almost zero about entomology.
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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Aug 12, 2016 - 10:48am PT
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Good read on why California water is such a clusterf$k;
http://www.mercurynews.com/drought/ci_30235421/california-drought-san-luis-reservoir-at-lowest-level
Farmers versus fish. The quandry. Blue's solution? scrap the multi-billion dollar "bullet-train" that nobody will use, and start building more water storage in the high/mid-high country. Like Lake Shasta, New Melones, and Don Pedro. I think New Molenes is the newest. Only about 25 years old I think. I remember fishing it when it was 3 years old, small bass, but has grown into a great recreation area, and more importantly, a great storage area off one of our main rivers.
Let's make California great again.
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Ken M
Mountain climber
Los Angeles, Ca
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Aug 12, 2016 - 11:05am PT
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Farmers versus fish. The quandry. Blue's solution? scrap the multi-billion dollar "bullet-train" that nobody will use, and start building more water storage in the high/mid-high country. Like Lake Shasta, New Melones, and Don Pedro. I think New Molenes is the newest. Only about 25 years old I think. I remember fishing it when it was 3 years old, small bass, but has grown into a great recreation area, and more importantly, a great storage area off one of our main rivers.
I agree with the bullet train.
I don't agree with building more water storage.
-I don't think it is the State's business to be building infrastructure for the benefit of business.
-I think the best places for storage are already taken (unless one wants to drown cities)
I don't think more storage is needed.
What I think IS needed, is the creating of systems that more efficiently capture rainwater LOCALLY, and recycle water for beneficial reuse (which is largely drought-proof). FAR cheaper, FAR easier on the environment, FAR easier to enact politically (basically no one against these things) so we can ACTUALLY DO THEM in a relatively short time.
http://ideas.time.com/2013/10/11/how-los-angeles-can-become-water-independent/
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Coach37
Social climber
Philly
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Aug 12, 2016 - 11:09am PT
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Here's a wild idea: Stop growing alfalfa and rice in a fkin desert, almonds in a valley with overdrawn aquifer, and stop building thousands of homes with no dedicated and sufficient water supply, start regulating groundwater use. For a state lacking in water, not having groundwater use regulations seem like insanity. So much for california "leading the way", I think most states have addressed groundwater/aquifer issues decades ago.
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Ken M
Mountain climber
Los Angeles, Ca
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Aug 12, 2016 - 11:33am PT
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With respect to water storage, here is another thought: we CURRENTLY have huge reserves of storage throughout the central valley, that has tremendous unused capacity:
the aquifer from which we have been overdrafting for a long time.
In fact, this should absolutely be our first choice, because if not refilled over time, it settles, losing capacity, and causing the land to drop. Totally avoidable, just by filling it up.
The available storage space is astonishingly huge.
Lake Shasta total capacity is 4.5 million Acre Feet.
The current estimated deficit in the Central Valley aquifer is
15 TRILLION Acre Feet.
That is the approx equivalent of THREE THOUSAND lake Shastas!!!
How much capacity do you need??????
You are talking about building ONE, or TWO, or THREE equivalents, which will take 20 years or more to build.
You can start refilling the aquifer TODAY.
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FRUMY
Trad climber
Bishop,CA
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Aug 12, 2016 - 11:37am PT
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With what water?
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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Aug 12, 2016 - 02:30pm PT
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LOL Santa Clara sucks its water source dry because of over-building and then blames fish vs farmer for their own lack of planning.
And now wants to tell the rest of us how to cure their problem.
Move to L.A. They are a lot better at water politics than this.
DMT
Yep. Santa Clara is over capacity as far as housing. I know. Rent is up to $2500/3000 for a single family home. That is a mortgage payment, and THAT is why the housing market is f-ed up.
We're encouraging Indian/Chinese/Russians to come here for jobs and f-ing the current population. Me.
They come with family wealth from these countries and just drop it on the US housing market here. Perfectly legal and legit too. Until we get handle on H1B visas.
We are hiring foreigners to take our jobs, with no consequence. Politicians are diluting our pool of employement. It will hurt the area, or at least change it for a long time.
Downtown Santa Clara is little India now. yay, diversity!!! The companies here actually dictate immigration policy. F-ed up. It close to time for this California boy to go elsewhere. I'm no longer welcome here. At least for living here.
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August West
Trad climber
Where the wind blows strange
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Aug 12, 2016 - 03:14pm PT
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Here's a wild idea: Stop growing alfalfa and rice in a fkin desert, almonds in a valley with overdrawn aquifer, and stop building thousands of homes with no dedicated and sufficient water supply, start regulating groundwater use. For a state lacking in water, not having groundwater use regulations seem like insanity. So much for california "leading the way", I think most states have addressed groundwater/aquifer issues decades ago.
I'm with you on getting rid of alfalfa in the desert. My understanding is that rice, if done properly, can help replace the marshlands that migrating birds rely on. So some selective rice can be a good thing.
Almonds we should reduce. Almond trees need watering even in drought years or the tree (and its capital investment) dies. Better to do annuals like strawberries where you cannot plant (or plant and let die) in drought years. So you don't have to suck groundwater to keep trees alive.
Houses don't actually consume that much water compared to Ag. If you aggressively recycle waste water and limit the amount of grass that gets watered, housing can pretty much be a non-issue in the big picture of water consumption (now loss of farmable land is a different question).
I agree that it is indefensible that CA has so lagged the country on regulating ground water.
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Lorenzo
Trad climber
Portland Oregon
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Aug 12, 2016 - 03:19pm PT
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Its actually the opposite; regulated to death, by ten million cuts, dating back to the early 1850s, one cut at a time.
You mean like when they took Owens River water that was by statute only for the city of LA and put it in the San Fernando valley?
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Aug 12, 2016 - 03:41pm PT
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You mean like when they took Owens River water that was by statute only for the city of LA and put it in the San Fernando valley?
That is why they left the San Fernando Valley as part of Los Angeles City. All those supposed cities like Tarzana and Northrige and Porter Ranch are just postal districts, not cities.
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