Social Droughts and Water Wars: The Never-Ending Californian Saga.

[Madmick]

Noble, but I don't see how they reverse this now. They have over 10 million people and probably half of the state's wealth aligned against them.

History becomes history.

 

[loyalyolayal]

Did they sent the water to space?

@Clippy

 

[Rod1]

Since SoCal politicians have done such a good job at stealing negotiating other people's water for our cities, we actually pay next to nothing for it. Our monthly water bill usually costs a fraction of the electricity bill, despite all the hour-long showers even during droughts. That's why coastal cities don't give a shit about reclaiming all the wasted rain water that quickly ends up in the ocean, no new reservoirs have been built in the last 50 years, and desalination is but a pet project to fulfill the environmentalist PR headlines.

There were some legitimate concerns when the reservoirs in NorCal (a major water sources for the Southland) dropped to critical levels over the last five years of drought, but then the January storms refilled them with 350 billion gallons and now folks in SoCal are back to our water-wasting routine.

I always joke about how instead of jacking up water prices when our (stolen) water sources runs dry, one of these days Southern California gonna run a giant pipeline all the way up to Canada and take their snowmelt, instead of learning to be being self-sufficient.

A few decades from now, that might not be a joke.

$2100 per acre-feet? sounds like a rip-off.

 

[Arkain2K]

$2100 per acre-feet? sounds like a rip-off.

Turning ocean into drinking water: How it works, what it costs and is it safe?
By Lauren Williams | Orange County Register | January 23, 2017

The Carlsbad desal plant pumps out 50 million gallons of water per day.
It opened about a year ago and is on track to produce about 8 percent of San Diego’s water.​

According to John Kennedy, the executive director of engineering and water resources at the Orange County Water District, groundwater costs $402 per acre-foot (an acre-foot is about 326,000 gallons, about enough for two average American families per year). Imported water costs $1,059 per acre-foot in Southern California. Desalinated ocean water costs $1,900 to $2,100 per acre-foot.

If proposed desalination projects go forward, the average household bill is expected to increase by $3 to $6 each month.

http://www.ocregister.com/2017/01/2...er-how-it-works-what-it-costs-and-is-it-safe/

That cheap $402/acre-ft groundwater is definitely drying up, and the $1,059/acre-ft imported water from other people's rivers and lakes must be diversified soon, because ain't nobody want the $2,100/acre-ft desalinated water when there are much cheaper alternatives to steal negotiate for!

If Baja California go ahead with their desalination plant and then wholesale it to us for, say, $1,000 per acre-foot, Southern Californians can go right back to pampering our lush green lawns!

 

[Rod1]

Turning ocean into drinking water: How it works, what it costs and is it safe?
By Lauren Williams | Orange County Register
January 23, 2017

The Carlsbad desal plant pumps out 50 million gallons of water per day.
It opened about a year ago and is on track to produce about 8 percent of San Diego’s water.​

That cheap $402 groundwater is definitely drying up, and the $1,059 imported water from other people must be diversified soon, because ain't nobody want to pay for the $2100 desalinated water.

If Baja California go ahead with their desalination plant and then wholesale it to us for, say, $1,000 per acre-foot, Californians will go right back to pampering our lush green lawns!

Thats almost 2 dollars per cubic meter, that cant be right, i think Israel is down to like 50 cents per cubic meter.

 

[Arkain2K]

Thats almost 2 dollars per cubic meter, that cant be right, i think Israel is down to like 50 cents per cubic meter.

Sounds about right.

Desalination plants are huge power hogs. Israel built more than enough power plants to feed those power hogs. We have to buy that extra juice out-of-state from the hydroelectric dams on the Pacific Northwest, because the tree-huggers wouldn't allow us to build any more fossil/nuclear power plants (or water dams for that matter) in California, even after the population doubled.

We did built some cool solar power plants in the desert, but that's barely making a dent in our overall energy needs (and then the hippies complaints about that too because the migrating birds kept getting attracted by the bright mirrors and ends up being BBQ'ed, but that's another story).

Long story short: Israel generate all their power needs, whereas California imports more electricity than any other states.

Fun fact: The same company that built Israel's desalination plants also built the desalination plant in Carlsbad, yet the Israelis are probably paying a lot less than 50 million dollars a year for electricity like the Carlsbad plant. That energy cost is the primary reason why desalinated water always costs well over $2,100 per acre-foot.

Breaking down the math, the final verdict is that it costs 50% less for California to buy water directly from foreign sources rather than buying electricity to desalinate the ocean to make our own water.

That's why Southern California is constantly looking for new water sources to import from the neighbors, even Mexico.

That's why the once-beautiful Owens Lake in the Valley is now a bone-dry dust bowl.

Like I said, other people's water is cheap to buy, and our lush green lawns need their daily waterin' and our swimming pools needs their fillin'!

(If you're into dry reading, here's the full cost breakdown for alternative sources of water from the Pacific Institute)

Personally, I believe the answer to the water shortage problem in California is not Desalination from the ocean, but Reclamation/Recycling the current supply.

Here's the real-world direct comparison between the Groundwater Replenishment System water-recycling plant in Orange County and the The Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant in San Diego County, both are in Southern California (about 50 miles apart) and are subjected to approximately the same labor/supplies/energy costs:

- The Desalination plant (owned by Poseidon Water, with a 30-year water contract signed with San Diego) costs them $1 Billion to built, and is producing 50 million gallons of drinking water a day. The annual electricity bill for its operation alone is estimated to be about $50 to $60 million each year, plus supplies and labor.
- The water-recycling plant costs $623 Million to build, and is producing 100 million gallons of drinking water a day. The TOTAL operation cost is $38 million a year ($15M for electricity, $6M for chemicals, $7M for R/O membranes and ultraviolet lamps, $10M for staffing).
- The price for 100% pure desalinated water sold to San Diego residents this year comes out to be $2300 per acre-foot.
- The price for 100% pure recycled water sold to Orange County residents this year comes out to be $525 per acre-foot.

Numbers like that makes me wonder why every time the issue of water scarcity comes up, people would instantly think of water desalination as the first solution, when it's almost always the most expensive and least economically-viable option of all.

 

[RockstarChris]

When I was living in California during The Great Drought of 2016 in Sacramento we were still sending all of our water down to LA and everyone in Sacramento were forced to suffer because LA is apparently more important than the capital of the state.

LA cannot sustain itself in any means whether it be food, water, etc so why do we keep proping them up?

 

[Arkain2K]

When I was living in California during The Great Drought of 2016 in Sacramento we were still sending all of our water down to LA and everyone in Sacramento were forced to suffer because LA is apparently more important than the capital of the state.

LA cannot sustain itself in any means whether it be food, water, etc so why do we keep proping them up?

I wish I have a more deep and meaningful answer for you bro, but it's simply this:

Spoiler

 

[Rod1]

Sounds about right.

Desalination plants are huge power hogs. Israel built more than enough power plants to feed those power hogs. We have to buy that extra juice out-of-state from the hydroelectric dams on the Pacific Northwest, because the tree-huggers wouldn't allow us to build any more fossil/nuclear power plants (or water dams for that matter) in California, even after the population doubled.

We did built some cool solar power plants in the desert, but that's barely making a dent in our overall energy needs (and then the hippies complaints about that too because the migrating birds kept getting attracted by the bright mirrors and ends up being BBQ'ed, but that's another story).

Long story short: Israel generate all their power needs, whereas California imports more electricity than any other states.

Fun fact: The same company that built Israel's desalination plants also built the desalination plant in Carlsbad, yet the Israelis are probably paying a lot less than 50 million dollars a year for electricity like the Carlsbad plant. That energy cost is the primary reason why desalinated water costs $2,100 per acre-foot.

Breaking down the math, the final verdict is that it costs 50% less for California to buy water directly from foreign sources rather than buying electricity to desalinate the ocean to make our own water.

That's why Southern California is constantly looking for new water sources to import from the neighbors, even Mexico.

That's why the once-beautiful Owens Lake in the Valley is now a bone-dry dust bowl.

Like I said, other people's water is cheap to buy, and our lush green lawns need their daily waterin' and our swimming pools needs their fillin'!

PS: If you're into dry reading, here's the full cost breakdown for alternative sources of water from the Pacific Institute:
http://pacinst.org/publication/cost-alternative-water-supply-efficiency-options-california/

 

[TeTe]

I really don't like going to liberal cities. They swallow up good people's land. They tell people what the can and can't do on their property, full of crime, they've got more pollution than anyone but they'll tell rural people that they should have less kids and should feel bad if they don't drive a Prius instead of a pickup truck.

I think it's kind of ridiculous that people have to even buy land as it is. It's not something anyone made or created with capital. It was there long before you and will be there long after you are gone. Yet people sell it to each other and government loves to take it away whenever they feel necessary and if they have some fucking right to take ownership of it themselves because they're the government.

 

[Lord Commander Palis]

Los Angeles is a scummy city, always has been. What an incredible story and not surprising in the least.

The current Mayor is a sociopathic, socialist scumbag.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-garcetti-cap-and-trade-20140606-story.html

Us Californians are about to get BONED with a gas tax in November that is a scheme based around the "environment" but in actuality is for funding the high-speed rail which is costing us taxpayers tons of money... but the worst thing of all, instead of building more freeway lanes, these lanes are being used for the highspeed rail. LOL! Unbelievable.

Every single left wing, democrat voter and elected official should be deported to the middle of the Pacific for screwing us like this. 40 years of democrap politicians here in my beautiful state, with enough resources and economy to OWN most of the worlds foreign nations and we're completely fucked.

 

[MadSquabbles500]

I think it's kind of ridiculous that people have to even buy land as it is. It's not something anyone made or created with capital. It was there long before you and will be there long after you are gone. Yet people sell it to each other and government loves to take it away whenever they feel necessary and if they have some fucking right to take ownership of it themselves because they're the government.

How do we determine who can be on what land? Humans like to have their space, and sometimes want privacy, and what anyone else gone. In other words we are territorial. And in actuality, gubment owns all land. You pay them taxes, and rent from them forever from a freehold/fee simple contract.

 

[TeTe]

How do we determine who can be on what land? Humans like to have their space, and sometimes want privacy, and what anyone else gone. And in actuality, gubment owns all land. You pay them taxes, and rent from them forever from a freehold/fee simple contract.

Sure, then lets let the government just give people a certain amount of land from the get go. Paying taxes on it (or the buildings on it) is one thing, but actually buy the dirt is another. People that want to live in urban areas get less space.. people who live in the middle of nowhere get more. Land can be transferrable via family members.

 

[Jack V Savage]

I think it's kind of ridiculous that people have to even buy land as it is. It's not something anyone made or created with capital. It was there long before you and will be there long after you are gone. Yet people sell it to each other and government loves to take it away whenever they feel necessary and if they have some fucking right to take ownership of it themselves because they're the government.

So close...

 

[TeTe]

So close...

Close too....?

 

[HunterSdVa29]

it's crazy man, i've had to go up to Bridgeport for work twice, and you drive right past Mono Lake

absolutely beautiful area still, but i can only imagine what it would look like if the water wasn't snatched away

it's where eastwood chose to film High Plains Drifter
took this photo, best I could while car was still moving, my bad

 

[Jack V Savage]

Close too....?

To getting it. The only remaining step is to realize that gov't is one way that people organize to make collective decisions rather than some alien body that imposes rules on people.

 

[Arkain2K]

it's crazy man, i've had to go up to Bridgeport for work twice, and you drive right past Mono Lake

absolutely beautiful area still, but i can only imagine what it would look like if the water wasn't snatched away

it's where eastwood chose to film High Plains Drifter
took this photo, best I could while car was still moving, my bad

Mono Lake could refill quite a few swimming pools and keep the SoCal lawns lush while we're waiting for Baja California to build their desal plant, that if didn't become the Dead Sea after the California Water Wars.


The city of Los Angeles diverted water from the Owens River into the Los Angeles Aqueduct in 1913. In 1941, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power extended the Los Angeles Aqueduct system farther upriver into the Mono Basin. So much water was diverted that evaporation soon exceeded inflow and the surface level of Mono Lake fell rapidly. By 1982 the lake was reduced to 37,688 acres (15,252 ha) 69 percent of its 1941 surface area. "[By 1990, the lake had dropped 45 vertical feet and had lost half its volume]" relative to the 1941 pre-diversion water level. As a result, alkaline sands and formerly submerged tufa towers became exposed, the water salinity doubled, and Negit Island became a peninsula, exposing the nests of California gulls to predators (such as coyotes), and forcing the gull colony to abandon this site.

The limnology of the lake shows it contains approximately 280 million tons of dissolved salts, with the salinity varying depending upon the amount of water in the lake at any given time. Before 1941, average salinity was approximately 50 grams per liter (g/l) (compared to a value of 31.5 g/l for the world's oceans). In January 1982, when the lake reached its lowest level of 6,372 feet (1,942 m), the salinity had nearly doubled to 99 g/l. In 2002, it was measured at 78 g/l and is expected to stabilize at an average 69 g/l as the lake replenishes over the next 20 years.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mono_Lake

 

[Big Tuppy Hole]

It's utterly disgusting how us pampered Southern Californians along the coast treat water, to be honest.

Reclamation is practically zero, too. Whenever it rains, millions of gallons of water just went straight down the storm drain and flow right into the Pacific Ocean.

People visiting from dry places like Australia must be in utter shock at how we value water as much as Egyptians value their sands.

At the same time, California cities further in land are having their aquifers and lakes sucked dry, as they're the ones growing most of the food being shipped out to the rest of the United States.

In Shock, Perth Western Australia 1 of the driest city's, we don't catch any water from storm water drains, it runs straight into the ocean

 

[Smoking Indoors]

I live in NorCal surrounded by agriculture. It makes me so irritated to see farms that go fallow and unused because of a lack of water. Then when I visit my family in Los Angeles and see endless houses with lush green lawns I just shake my head. We suffer while they waste. They could at least implement drought tolerant yard rules, or subsidize artificial lawns.

Oh, and when California gets rain we do nothing to keep it. We let it flow into the ocean like the retards we are.

Or do what they do in London. Your yard is now a rock garden. Dont have to mow it so they save on fuel and oil.