NG: Why is America running out of water?

[Xameil]

53 minutes ago, China said:

.

 

Click on the link for the full article

 

These people are insane for continuing to build when they don't have the water to support the population.

Said it once and I'll say it again...we need Sam Kinison back...

[China]

Parts of California now drought-free after back-to-back storms drench state, report shows

 

The historic string of storms that drenched the state this year had many wondering whether California's drought could soon be over.

 

According to a report released Thursday, the U.S. Drought Monitor says some parts of the state are now drought-free. That includes portions of California's central coast and valley.

 

Some parts of Southern California remained in the "moderate" category of drought, while other parts of the region are now categorized as "abnormally dry" - one step away from eliminating drought conditions.

 

The report reflects the rain that was received through Tuesday of this week. That's when areas like Woodland Hills got roughly 10 inches in a 72-hour span.

 

At the end of last year, the U.S. Drought Monitor included "extreme" drought portions of the state, as seen in red on the map below:

 

 

That level of drought has now been eliminated. In January, about 35% of California fell into that category.

 

Despite the large reduction in drought intensity, experts caution that parts of the state still remain in the "severe" or "moderate" categories of drought.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

In dry West, farmers balk at idling land to save water

 

Tom Brundy, an alfalfa grower in California’s Imperial Valley, thinks farmers reliant on the shrinking Colorado River can do more to save water and use it more efficiently. That’s why he’s installed water sensors and monitors to prevent waste on nearly two-thirds of his 3,000 acres.

 

But one practice that’s off-limits for Brundy is fallowing — leaving fields unplanted to spare the water that would otherwise irrigate crops. It would save plenty of water, Brundy said, but threatens both farmers and rural communities economically.

 

“It’s not very productive because you just don’t farm,” Brundy said.

 

Many Western farmers feel the same, even as a growing sense is emerging that some fallowing will have to be part of the solution to the increasingly desperate drought in the West, where the Colorado River serves 40 million people.

 

“Given the volume of water that is used by agriculture in the Colorado River system, you can’t stabilize the system without reductions in agriculture,” said Tom Buschatzke, director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources. “That’s just math.”

 

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is looking at paying farmers to idle some fields, many in the vast Imperial Valley in California and Yuma County in Arizona that grow much of the nation’s winter vegetables and rely on the river. Funding would come from $4 billion set aside for Western drought aid in the Inflation Reduction Act.

 

Click on the link fro the full article

 

Edited March 5, 2023 by China

[China]

Water crisis in West has prompted desperate ideas: Drain the Great Lakes, desalinate ocean water

 

As western water woes continue, some experts and authorities say a national-level problem like this requires an innovative solution. 

 

The U.S. has plenty of drinking water — it's simply in the wrong place. That's a seemingly fixable problem that has inspired a number of creative ideas.  Unfortunately, everything except conserving water has proven to be a longshot proposal riddled with logistical, legal or cost problems.

 

The problem: The Colorado River is drying up from drought and overuse. It's the literal lifeblood of the West.

A rainy year doesn't solve the water crisis: Rain and snow, particularly in California, has offered temporary relief to water worries. But experts say the water demand in the west is set to keep exceeding supply — unless major conservation efforts successfully roll out.

Demand remains high: Native American tribes increasingly demanding their legal rights to water, fast-growing Phoenix and Las Vegas are consuming more water to support development and California and Arizona farmers are under increasing pressure to keep food costs low and production high.

 

Meanwhile, massive amounts of fresh water are readily available to the East. Ocean water can be processed into drinking water. And even glaciers could be helpful sources of fresh water.

 

Here's a few ideas, some old and some new, about how the West could get more drinking water — and why experts generally regard these as desperate longshots.

 

Draining the Great Lakes
The idea: Divert water from the Great Lakes into the Colorado River. (A similar proposal has suggested diverting the Mississippi River into Lake Powell.)

 

Nuclear-powered desalination plants
The idea: Build a network of facilities to remove sal****er from the Pacific Ocean.

 

Harvesting icebergs
The idea: Round up fresh-water icebergs and float them to thirsty coastal cities. 

 

Chopping down forests

The idea: Thin large portions of the national forests to free up more water, either by logging or controlled burns.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[Xameil]

14 hours ago, China said:

Water crisis in West has prompted desperate ideas: Drain the Great Lakes, desalinate ocean water

 

 

 

Draining the Great Lakes
The idea: Divert water from the Great Lakes into the Colorado River. (A similar proposal has suggested diverting the Mississippi River into Lake Powell.)

 

Nuclear-powered desalination plants
The idea: Build a network of facilities to remove sal****er from the Pacific Ocean.

 

Harvesting icebergs
The idea: Round up fresh-water icebergs and float them to thirsty coastal cities. 

 

Chopping down forests

The idea: Thin large portions of the national forests to free up more water, either by logging or controlled burns.

 

Click on the link for the full article

I got an idea...how about just using less water in arid areas.....for example. I dont think grass is a necessity in hollywood hills...

[TradeTheBeal!]

Grassy lawns, cemeteries and golf courses…address those issues and things will work out.

[@DCGoldPants]

15 hours ago, China said:

Water crisis in West has prompted desperate ideas: Drain the Great Lakes, desalinate ocean water

 

As western water woes continue, some experts and authorities say a national-level problem like this requires an innovative solution. 

 

The U.S. has plenty of drinking water — it's simply in the wrong place. That's a seemingly fixable problem that has inspired a number of creative ideas.  Unfortunately, everything except conserving water has proven to be a longshot proposal riddled with logistical, legal or cost problems.

 

The problem: The Colorado River is drying up from drought and overuse. It's the literal lifeblood of the West.

A rainy year doesn't solve the water crisis: Rain and snow, particularly in California, has offered temporary relief to water worries. But experts say the water demand in the west is set to keep exceeding supply — unless major conservation efforts successfully roll out.

Demand remains high: Native American tribes increasingly demanding their legal rights to water, fast-growing Phoenix and Las Vegas are consuming more water to support development and California and Arizona farmers are under increasing pressure to keep food costs low and production high.

 

Meanwhile, massive amounts of fresh water are readily available to the East. Ocean water can be processed into drinking water. And even glaciers could be helpful sources of fresh water.

 

Here's a few ideas, some old and some new, about how the West could get more drinking water — and why experts generally regard these as desperate longshots.

 

Draining the Great Lakes
The idea: Divert water from the Great Lakes into the Colorado River. (A similar proposal has suggested diverting the Mississippi River into Lake Powell.)

 

Nuclear-powered desalination plants
The idea: Build a network of facilities to remove sal****er from the Pacific Ocean.

 

Harvesting icebergs
The idea: Round up fresh-water icebergs and float them to thirsty coastal cities. 

 

Chopping down forests

The idea: Thin large portions of the national forests to free up more water, either by logging or controlled burns.

 

Click on the link for the full article

 

How about.... for the 100th time. National Aquaduct system. You don't need to DRAIN lakes. You need to build reservoirs where they get a lot of rain and snow to fill up. Then shoot that water cross-crossing the US while going through various treatment hubs to stay clean. 

 

and guess what.... if some water spills somewhere. Yeah, it's not the best. But it's water. Not gas or oil or whatever.

[Jabbyrwock]

6 minutes ago, @DCGoldPants said:

 

How about.... for the 100th time. National Aquaduct system. You don't need to DRAIN lakes. You need to build reservoirs where they get a lot of rain and snow to fill up. Then shoot that water cross-crossing the US while going through various treatment hubs to stay clean. 

 

and guess what.... if some water spills somewhere. Yeah, it's not the best. But it's water. Not gas or oil or whatever.

 

Re-posting this here for you since it occurred about four pages back.  2009 study, so adjust financial projections appropriately.

 

https://www.usbr.gov/lc/region/programs/crbstudy/finalreport/Technical Report F - Development of Options and Stategies/TR-F_Appendix4_FINAL.pdf

[@DCGoldPants]

1 hour ago, Jabbyrwock said:

 

Re-posting this here for you since it occurred about four pages back.  2009 study, so adjust financial projections appropriately.

 

https://www.usbr.gov/lc/region/programs/crbstudy/finalreport/Technical Report F - Development of Options and Stategies/TR-F_Appendix4_FINAL.pdf

I asked CHATgpt to summarize for me.

 

The Colorado River Basin Water Supply and Demand Study was a comprehensive analysis conducted by the Bureau of Reclamation to evaluate the water supply and demand situation in the Colorado River Basin. The study was published in 2012 and provided valuable insights into the challenges faced by the region due to population growth, climate change, and other factors.

 

The study found that the water supply in the Colorado River Basin was not sufficient to meet the growing demands of the region. The study projected that by 2060, the gap between water supply and demand could be as high as 3.2 million acre-feet, which is equivalent to the entire annual water consumption of California.

 

The study also identified several potential solutions to address the water supply and demand imbalance, including improving water use efficiency, expanding water storage capacity, and implementing new water management policies. However, the study emphasized that addressing the water supply and demand imbalance would require significant collaboration and investment from all stakeholders in the region.

 

The Colorado River Basin Water Supply and Demand Study identified several potential solutions to address the water supply and demand imbalance in the region, including:

Increasing water use efficiency: The study found that significant water savings could be achieved by implementing more efficient water management practices, such as reducing water loss through leakage and evaporation, promoting water conservation measures, and using more efficient irrigation technologies.

 

Expanding water storage capacity: The study suggested that additional water storage capacity could help to mitigate the impacts of drought and reduce the risk of water shortages. Potential options for expanding water storage capacity include building new reservoirs, increasing the capacity of existing reservoirs, and promoting the use of groundwater aquifers.

Implementing new water management policies: The study recommended the development and implementation of new water management policies to help balance water supply and demand in the region. Examples of potential policies include water banking, water transfers, and the creation of new water markets.

 

Promoting water reuse and recycling: The study suggested that promoting the reuse and recycling of wastewater and other non-potable water sources could help to meet the growing demand for water in the region.

 

Addressing climate change: The study emphasized the need to address the impacts of climate change on the Colorado River Basin, including changes in precipitation patterns, increased evaporation rates, and rising temperatures. The study recommended that stakeholders in the region work together to develop strategies for adapting to and mitigating the impacts of climate change on water supply and demand.

[GhostofSparta]

10 hours ago, @DCGoldPants said:

and guess what.... if some water spills somewhere. Yeah, it's not the best. But it's water. Not gas or oil or whatever.

Not gonna lie, it's times like this I kinda miss twa, knowing he would swoop in on a comment like this to try and explain how it's actually way better for the wildlife and plant life to spill 1000 gallons of oil than 1000 gallon of water.

[China]

Feds finalizing $250 million in water-saving measures to help drought-stricken Lake Mead

 

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is finalizing $250 million in water-saving deals that are expected to preserve up to 10 feet of Lake Mead's declining surface levels this year, agency Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton announced Friday.

 

The money will pay Lower Colorado River Basin water users, especially farmers, to forego some of their deliveries this year to help keep the reservoir from sinking further toward the point where it no longer flows past Hoover Dam.

 

The initial funding is essentially an emergency measure that pays people not to use water temporarily. Reclamation ultimately will apply other funds approved by Congress over the last two years to projects that increase on-farm efficiency, Touton said, such as canal liners and drip irrigation systems.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

Colorado replies in Nebraska canal war: There won’t be much water left to take

 

olorado’s state water engineer has a message for the Nebraska officials doubling down on their commitment to a $567 million canal across the border: 

You can build it, but the water may not come. 

 

Colorado state engineer Kevin Rein acknowledges a historic compact gives Nebraska the right to build the canal at the South Platte River west of Julesburg. But in a five-page response to Nebraska’s first official evaluation of the plan, tacking closely to the direction set by Colorado’s attorney general, Rein says the actual water Nebraska is counting on may never show up. 

 

The Nebraska report by an engineering firm makes multiple assumptions that Colorado disputes, in particular whether the water will be “physically available, or whether it’s legally available at the time when it’s physically available,” Rein said in an interview. 

 

The Nebraska study “does not adequately consider future development” by Colorado of water in the upper section of the South Platte, a stretch running back from Washington County all the way up through Greeley, Boulder County and Denver, Rein’s letter says. The compact doesn’t give Nebraska any say over how much upper section water Colorado can use from the South Platte or how much water must be available at a key river gauge at Balzac, a ghost town near Brush. 

 

Other failings of the study, Rein adds, include relying on lower section flows of irrigation water returning to the river that Nebraska doesn’t have a right to; not accounting for diversion rights at Julesburg Reservoir; and ignoring that the canal would be iced over and unable to deliver water across the border during some of the time Nebraska has a right to take it, from October to April. 

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

Utah breaks record for state's largest snowpack ever

 

The intense winter - and now spring - may have felt especially snowy and now Utah has the numbers to back it up with the breaking a state record.

 

On Friday, Utah broke the record for snowpack with 26.1 inches of snow water equivalent, now the largest since the winter of 1952.

 

The last time the state hit that milestone of 26 inches was in 1983.

 

The record comes as many northern Utah mountain areas hit 700-inches of snow this season.

 

 

Officials emphasized that while it's enjoyable to watch records being broken, staying "conservation-conscious" will help to build water storage or inevitable dry years that will happen again in the future.

 

The latest drought update reported that severe drought covers 39 percent of the state compared to last year at the same time when 96 percent of the state was in severe drought.

 

In particular, the Great Salt Lake has greatly benefited with the epic snowfall totals and has already risen two feet since hitting its historic low set in November 2022.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3Hzmbpu3Bc

 

Click on the links for more

[The Sisko]

These officials totally aren’t getting it. This means there was nothing to worry about all along and we can return to business as usual. #ChineseHoax

[China]

25 minutes ago, The Sisko said:

These officials totally aren’t getting it. This means there was nothing to worry about all along and we can return to business as usual. #ChineseHoax

 

Perhaps you saw something I didn't.  In the YouTube report I posted they said they would need several more years like this just to get back to normal.  That's no guarantee.  Even after this boon year there's still 39% of Utah in drought.

 

The ones that don't get it aren't the ones reporting on the snowfall, but the ones that continue to build and put more water needs in an area that already can't support what's there.  I still expect the Great Salt Lake to dry up in a few years.

[The Sisko]

I guess I should’ve added that /s after all.

[China]

White House Proposes Evenly Cutting Water Allotments from Colorado River

 

After months of fruitless negotiations between the states that depend on the shrinking Colorado River, the Biden administration on Tuesday proposed to put aside legal precedent and save what’s left of the river by evenly cutting water allotments, reducing the water delivered to California, Arizona and Nevada by as much as one-quarter.

 

The size of those reductions and the prospect of the federal government unilaterally imposing them on states have never occurred in American history.

 

Overuse and a 23-year-long drought made worse by climate change have threatened to provoke a water and power catastrophe across the West. The Colorado River supplies drinking water to 40 million Americans as well as two states in Mexico, and irrigates 5.5 million agricultural acres. The electricity generated by dams on the river’s two main reservoirs, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, powers millions of homes and businesses.

 

But the river’s flows have recently fallen by one-third compared with historical averages. Levels in Lake Mead and Lake Powell are so low that water may soon fail to turn the turbines that generate electricity — and could even fall to the point that water is unable to reach the intake valves that control its flow out of the reservoirs. If that happened, the river would essentially stop moving.

 

The Biden administration is desperately trying to prevent that situation, known as deadpool. But it faces a political and ethical dilemma: How to divvy up the cuts required.

 

The Interior Department, which manages the river, released a draft analysis Tuesday that considered three options.

 

The first alternative was taking no action — a path that would risk deadpool. The other two options are making reductions based on the most senior water rights, or evenly distributing them across Arizona, California and Nevada, by reducing water deliveries by as much as 13 percent beyond what each state has already agreed to.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

Swimming pools and lavish gardens of the rich are driving water shortages, study says

 

Swimming pools, flower gardens, indoor fountains — and the urbanites who can afford them — are big factors behind the increasingly dire water crises plaguing cities, an international research team says.

 

Published in the journal Nature Sustainability, a new study found socioeconomic disparity to be just as influential as climate change and population growth when it comes to explaining why the water supply in so many cities is shrinking.

 

"There are certain individuals with the power to decide how to manage water who also use more water," said lead researcher Elisa Savelli of Uppsala University in Sweden. "Even with something as simple as water, it's unjust. Some social groups have access to too much, and some social groups have too little."

 

Wealthy residents use 12 times more water then those with lower incomes, study found

More than 80 metropolitan areas around the world have faced severe shortages in the last two decades, a figure that's only projected to rise, impacting more than one billion people in the next few decades.

 

"Even though we used Cape Town as a case study, the analysis can be applied to every other city in the world that's facing water shortages, or that might face them in the future," Savelli told NPR.

 

"I won't say that the results will be exactly the same, but I believe that any city — in the U.S., Canada, or Australia — would have inequality. It might manifest in different ways, but it's still there and it's just as critical as population growth or climate change," she said.

 

Another notable limitation of the study is its scope: Domestic water consumption accounts for just a fraction of overall public water use.

 

In the U.S., two major industries — thermoelectric power production and manufacturing — account for two-thirds of public water supply usage. Agriculture accounts for roughly 40% of America's total freshwater withdrawals.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[Riggo-toni]

 

 

 

[China]

Government recommends bypassing dam at Lake Powell

 

The water levels at Lake Powell have dropped so low that the turbines at the Glen Canyon Dam hydroelectric plant could stop functioning.

 

And even after an above-average snow season, the water levels are only expected to rise by about 6%, according to estimates by the Upper Colorado River Commission. 

 

Now the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has proposed digging tunnels around the dam, restoring the flow of the river and dropping the power turbines to ground level.

 

"It's kind of like a last-ditch, Hail Mary attempt to save the power plant," said Gary Wockner, executive director of the nonprofit organization Save the Colorado. “It makes no sense to manage the entire Colorado River system to generate electricity because you can generate electricity in all sorts of other ways.”

 

In the same Reclamation proposal, Alternative 6 recommends investing in renewable energy to augment hydro resources.

 

Wockner said that the bypass plan would mean the flow of the Colorado River through Glen Canyon would be somewhat restored to normal and the reservoir would dwindle to just a small pool of water, essentially disabling the purpose of water storage.

 

He said there could be some benefit to the health of the Colorado River system, but if they were going to let the reservoir fade, they should take it one step farther.

 

“So we actually think they should decommission the dam and tear it down, rather than trying to drill massive holes in it, using this sort of Hail Mary approach to keep the turbines spinning to create hydropower," he said.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

Arizona revokes water permits for Saudi Arabia-owned alfalfa farm

 

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes announced that drill permits for a Saudi Arabia-owned alfalfa farm in La Paz County have been revoked.

 

Two deep-water wells were approved for Fondomonte Arizona LLC eight months ago, which Mayes called “unconscionable” given the state’s need to preserve water.

 

“For too long, our state leaders have been asleep at the wheel while this crisis has only grown,” Mayes said in a tweet. “Well, with new state leadership and the ever-increasing urgency of the issue, now is the time for the state government to get serious about regulating groundwater across Arizona.”

 

Mayes said last week in a letter to the Arizona Department of Water Resources that there were inconsistencies in the permit applications and urged the department to scrutinize any new applications from Fondomonte.

 

She called for improved coordination between the Arizona State Land Department and ADWR.

 

Several large corporate farms in western and southeastern Arizona have come under criticism for using large amounts of water as the southwestern United States is experiencing a severe drought.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[Fan since a Fetus]

^just a little more info that isn’t in that article. It states that their pumps would pump out 3,000 gallons per minute. For reference, the surrounding residential communities use 11,000 gallons total per month. The Saudis were going to annihilate that water source.

[CobraCommander]

 

23 minutes ago, Fan since a Fetus said:

^just a little more info that isn’t in that article. It states that their pumps would pump out 3,000 gallons per minute. For reference, the surrounding residential communities use 11,000 gallons total per month. The Saudis were going to annihilate that water source.

 

I think it's already happening; Alfalfa is a big crop in Arizona, I remember seeing a lot of it when I travelled through the state 20 years ago.

 

It’s the thirstiest crop in the US south-west. Will the drought put alfalfa farmers out of business? | Water | The Guardian

 

Why is the Colorado river drying up? Feeding cows is a large part - Vox

 

BEEF is a huge strain on the food chain. Water is being pumped from the ground water in desserts, just to grow hay, to feed cattle. 

[China]

Arizona's farms are running out of water, forcing farmers to confront climate change

 

Cassy England is a fifth-generation farmer in Pinal County, Arizona. For decades, her family has been a part of the vibrant agricultural community in the southern part of the state, growing cotton, alfalfa and grains.

 

But this year, she's facing an unexpected challenge: She has to manage her crops with half of the usual water supply.

 

Agriculture in this area relies on the Colorado River, and a historic drought is causing severe shortages. Just as she was beginning to plan her planting season, England was notified that her farms would not get any water from the river and would have to make do with available groundwater instead.

 

"We had to cut back about 50% of our planting, which cuts back on income," England explained. "It'll cut us down at least 30%, probably, of our normal revenue at least. And so that's really going to be an impact."

 

Farmers across southern Arizona are among those in the West facing the brunt of climate change. The drought, worsening fire seasons, temperature swings and monsoons all impact their businesses, food production, utility costs and livelihoods.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[Xameil]

24 minutes ago, China said:

Arizona's farms are running out of water, forcing farmers to confront climate change

 

Cassy England is a fifth-generation farmer in Pinal County, Arizona. For decades, her family has been a part of the vibrant agricultural community in the southern part of the state, growing cotton, alfalfa and grains.

 

But this year, she's facing an unexpected challenge: She has to manage her crops with half of the usual water supply.

 

Agriculture in this area relies on the Colorado River, and a historic drought is causing severe shortages. Just as she was beginning to plan her planting season, England was notified that her farms would not get any water from the river and would have to make do with available groundwater instead.

 

"We had to cut back about 50% of our planting, which cuts back on income," England explained. "It'll cut us down at least 30%, probably, of our normal revenue at least. And so that's really going to be an impact."

 

Farmers across southern Arizona are among those in the West facing the brunt of climate change. The drought, worsening fire seasons, temperature swings and monsoons all impact their businesses, food production, utility costs and livelihoods.

 

Click on the link for the full article

So, let me get this right....Arizona is mainly in the Arid/sub-Arid climate, with a minimal humid area. So this farmer chooses to grow one of the most water inteslnsive crops there is....cotton. got it.