California

What happens when the monopoly goes away with legalization?

In Washington the cost to the consumer was cut in half post legalization...

To any hydrologists here,
Is there a reason we don't replenish existing underground aquifers using the water from intense storms?
Is it possible?

Upper Mokelumne River Watershed Authority &
the Northeastern San Joaquin County Groundwater Banking Authority
PRESS RELEASE
April 1, 2015 • For Immediate Release
Contacts: Rob Alcott for the Upper Mokelumne River Watershed Authority (707-785-1008) Brandon Nakagawa for the San Joaquin County Groundwater Basin Authority (209-953-7460)

Mokelumne Watershed Interregional Sustainability Evaluation (MokeWISE) Program
The Mokelumne Collaborative Group will host a Community Outreach Workshop on April 9
It’s your watershed, your future -- your voice matters!
In the midst of one of California’s most severe droughts on record, a diverse group of stakeholders continues to work on developing a broadly-supported water resources plan that will help us prepare for an uncertain water future. The Mokelumne Collaborative Group (MCG), made up by agencies and organizations interested in Mokelumne River watershed issues from the Sierras to the Delta, is steadily working to develop the MokeWISE water resources plan. Public input into the plan is being solicited at multiple points along the path. This is one of those junctures.
In developing the MokeWISE program the MCG is evaluating a variety of potential water supply sources including stormwater, recycled water, Mokelumne River surface water, groundwater, desalination, and conservation. To achieve an integrated and collaborative water management strategy the MCG will identify those projects and actions with the broadest support among participating stakeholders and develop a multi-regional plan to implement a preferred program. The plan will include projects and programs designed to enhance the sustainability of the Mokelumne’s water resources for present and future generations. While MokeWISE will not mitigate the current drought, it may well position regional stakeholders to better manage the consequences of future droughts.

In my neck of the woods, I'm part of a coalition that champions approaches that can be carried out by individual stakeholders on their own properties. A thousand gallons in a rainstorm captured is not a lot, but when you do it on 3 million properties, now you're talking billions of gallons. And it doesn't involve massive infrastructure, massive debt structure, massive permitting processes, or even massive tools. It pretty much takes a shovel.

"The powerful storms that soaked Northern California over the past week did more than trigger power outages, mudslides and flash floods. They sent roughly 350 billion gallons of water pouring into California’s biggest reservoirs — boosting their storage to levels not seen in years, forcing dam operators to release water to reduce flood risks and all but ending the five-year drought across much of Northern California, even though it remains in the south, experts said Monday."

The city of Tijuana, located just about 129 miles south of the border from Los Angles, has always been known as a popular weekend getaway for American college students to cut loose. But with over 900 homicides due to drug-related violence in 2016, it has been a most violent year for the more than 1.7 million residents.

when DWP calls for all of us to save water, I went and installed two low flow toilets-- the old ones were doing a great job... fixed some dripping faucets etc. Doing this caused me some unnecessary out of pocket expenses BUT it did lower the amount of water my family used.

So what did the DWP do? They raised my rates to make up for the money they lost.... to me it seams like a losing deal.

Another thing along the same lines.... WE all are driving much more fuel efficient cars and trucks. We are using less fuel overall. What does the CALIFORNIA STATE GOVERNMENT do... why they increase the car tax, increase the fuel tax and increase every other tax associated with transportation, to make up for the loss of $$$$.

I mean WTF????

I posted about this up thread...here's some more info RE your questions...

Increasing subsurface storage is the way to go but this requires interagency cooperation, water rights issues/cooperation/resolution, cost $$$, and requires infrastructure upgrades but can be done using engineered recharge basins, injection wells, infiltration galleries, long horizontal injection wells, etc...