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Have you seen Lake Powell or Lake Mead lately? Both are at like 1/3 full. And Cali is saying they are going to draw on their "water bank" and pull the lake down another 2 feet. Which is going to contribute to NV and AZ having water shortages. So because Cali has to steal our Colorado River water we have to suffer. I don't think that's going to go over very well.
I'm just wondering how long it's going to be until Vegas and the rest of the river towns wise up and tell them to go jump in a dry lake, that we're keeping the water and they can suck our dust.
I wonder if the next civil war will be an inter state fight over water. I can just see it now, politicians making threats on CNN, national guard troops massed on the borders, dog fights between the Air Force at Nellis AFB in Vegas and the Navy pilots from MiraMar. Tanks rolling across the desert. Wait, do we even have any tanks? Maybe the drug cartels in Phoenix can loan us some. AW man, Cali is going to kick our butts.
There is plenty of water in the southwest! The problem is the water is difficult to obtain especially for large community consumption and for current traditional usage. But a well prepared person using modern methods can obtain enough water for survival if they prepared in advance for that need. If you just drive your doom-mobile out to the desert and expect to survive long term, your buzzard food. Take the time to explore, evaluate, select, plan and prepare for the need and you will have the water you need. It’s a myth that the current drought means no water; what it means is not enough water to support the population concentrations based on that populations unregulated current consumption ways over the long haul.
Do you actually live in the Southwest? Places like Arizona, New Mexico - people run cattle on the land, they grow hay, there are pecan orchards all down the Rio Grande into West Texas, so on and so on. All that will go away and all those people will have to do something (drill for oil I guess?). A place like Dallas which is exploding in population is tapping into the same aquifer which is not getting replenished as fast as it is being used. Some cities like Austin are trying to be responsible with the water consumption but that place is exploding too. There are a few relatively unused aquifers in New Mexico - like the one under Datil/Quemado but they are subject to lawsuits because someone is trying to commercially utilize the water (San Augustin Water Coalition, New Mexico | newmexicowaterandpolitics (San Augustin Water Coalition, New Mexico | newmexicowaterandpolitics). There are now lawsuits between states, Texas suing New Mexico, New Mexico suing Colorado etc. etc. all over water. Oregon is in the same situation, only it has to do with farmers vs native indian tribes who have priority in the water ownership/use. If you think that going East is good, think again, places like (west) Virginia are fracked into oblivion and they are facing serious water contamination issues. So for a lot of people it will be a choice between no water, very little water or lots of contaminated water. But, I digress.
I do agree with you that you can survive via gathering water from your roof and rationing and a bunch of other measures (you better have a BIG roof by the way, do the math on the size of roof necessary to water a family of four) . Now, there is a difference between SURVIVAL and LIFE AS IT IS TODAY with a vibrant economy, agriculture etc. For an example of surviving on not much you can look up Terlingua, TX. It is in the desert of SW Texas and the few people that live there are surviving (and having a blast). But, there is virtually no economy to speak of. That place truly supports as many people as it can realistically support with its natural resources.
Now, that's the crux of the matter - carrying capacity of the land. Most places in United States (or the world, for that matter) are overpopulated and the carrying capacity of the land has long been surpassed. All these places rely on other places to feed them. Right now a place like Austin or Dallas is still within the carrying capacity for water, HOWEVER, it is NOT within the carrying capacity for water if you think about 25 years from now. They will have to pipe it from somewhere where it is more abundant (East Texas, Louisiana?). That will cost a pretty penny.
In the long run, this is all unsustainable. Saudis may able to desalinate enough to provide drinking water for a portion of their population. However, they have virtually no industry to speak of. USA is very different, we use water in so many ways.
Why do you suppose that the state government is saying that they cannot support adequate usage for agriculture? Could it be that they did not adequately prepare for it one more time? People follow jobs, not water. For decades California had and to a great extent still does have a rich and expanding economy; but they do not have the water.
If you can cite anything to support your position please do; I could find nothing.
So you intend to let your wildlife die of thirst. Moderator cut: Inflammatory
Most of the agricultural water projects are federal. The reservoirs are empty. The Bureau of Reclamation has already notified farmers that there will be no federal irrigation water this year. None. Last year was a drought year too, and this year is even worse.
Have you seen Lake Powell or Lake Mead lately? Both are at like 1/3 full. And Cali is saying they are going to draw on their "water bank" and pull the lake down another 2 feet. Which is going to contribute to NV and AZ having water shortages. So because Cali has to steal our Colorado River water we have to suffer. I don't think that's going to go over very well.
I'm just wondering how long it's going to be until Vegas and the rest of the river towns wise up and tell them to go jump in a dry lake, that we're keeping the water and they can suck our dust.
I wonder if the next civil war will be an inter state fight over water. I can just see it now, politicians making threats on CNN, national guard troops massed on the borders, dog fights between the Air Force at Nellis AFB in Vegas and the Navy pilots from MiraMar. Tanks rolling across the desert. Wait, do we even have any tanks? Maybe the drug cartels in Phoenix can loan us some. AW man, Cali is going to kick our butts.
As we say in the West, "Whiskey is for drinking, water is for fighting."
Don't live there but we do have several shelters erected in the deserts.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LordyLordy
I do agree with you that you can survive via gathering water from your roof and rationing and a bunch of other measures (you better have a BIG roof by the way, do the math on the size of roof necessary to water a family of four) .
I do not believe catchment is a viable option in an arid desert environment. We prefer to provide our clients with untapped natural renewable water sources. Once you move away from the metro areas, the aquifers take on a different dynamic. They tend to be much deeper, untapped, flush and without the contaminations now appearing in many of them near the cities.
You also have the option in unimproved areas of condensation concentrators, deep wells, fissure seeps, and slogs. Condensation concentrators are the last resort because they are large and visible (don’t need to attract undo attention to your location). Deep wells are viable if the users practice store & use capacity versus the typical mindset of now on demand. Slogs are now being recognized as nothing but overflows pressure from uphill aquifers. We excavated one and it was over 20 feet down and produced upwards of 15 gallons a day. Of course the cousin of Slogs is the fissure seeps. These are often exploitable when others have done the work for you decades ago and abandon it. In many cases you have multiple seeps in one run that add to the cumulative water amount.
With our modern technology and understanding of geology, maintaining near average water needs lifestyle when the rest of the country is falling apart isn’t hard at all. It’s all a matter of preparing for the reality and having the resources to live the lifestyle available to you. It doesn’t hurt that the person themselves adjust to the reality of an alternate living style based on desert living.
Drought happens all over the world at different times and in different places. It's nature. It's natural. IMO, what will be our greatest downfall is over population.
I do not believe catchment is a viable option in an arid desert environment.
It is one of the options.
The best setup I have seen is someone in Big Bend who had dug up a large tank and essentially made capable of retaining water like a swimming pool. This tank was dug in the way of an arroyo. In the arid areas when it rains, because things are so dry the majority of the water naturally finds its way through deep "ditches" called arroyos - many times when you get a thunderstorm in the distance the water is gushing through the arroyos. This person has their tank full for months after every rain event as a result
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rabrrita
We prefer to provide our clients with untapped natural renewable water sources. Once you move away from the metro areas, the aquifers take on a different dynamic. They tend to be much deeper, untapped, flush and without the contaminations now appearing in many of them near the cities.
Your clients must be well to do? At $20-$30/foot, a well can easity run you $25-30,000.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rabrrita
With our modern technology and understanding of geology, maintaining near average water needs lifestyle when the rest of the country is falling apart isn’t hard at all. It’s all a matter of preparing for the reality and having the resources to live the lifestyle available to you. It doesn’t hurt that the person themselves adjust to the reality of an alternate living style based on desert living.
Yeah, I am fond of the desert and have often thought about getting a few cheap acres out in Big Bend and building them out. Thanks for the info
There are already three being constructed in California or rather two being constructed and one being refurbished (it was built in Santa Barbara during the 1980's drought but has been shut down for 20 years as it cost so much to operate). That keeps the coast cities with water, albeit expensive water, however it won't be much good for crops. In the west most farmers are dependent upon the state water system and the state's reservoirs are pretty empty right now from extended years of drought. One staggering fact is that farmers make up 1% of California's population but consume 80% of the water while the other 38 million people only consume 20% of it.
let people go without water for 2-3 days and see how much they would be willing to pay then.
sooner or later, having desalination plants will be the only way to get fresh water as most of the planets fresh water supply with be gone or too polluted to drink.
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. Now, there is a difference between SURVIVAL and LIFE AS IT IS TODAY with a vibrant economy, agriculture etc. For an example of surviving on not much you can look up Terlingua, TX. It is in the desert of SW Texas and the few people that live there are surviving (and having a blast). But, there is virtually no economy to speak of. That place truly supports as many people as it can realistically support with its natural resources.
