Native Georgian
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"With Dry Taps and Toilets, California Drought Turns Desperate"
Depressing portrait of rural California in 2014. It's been a long time since conditions like this were "normal" in America:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/03/us/cal...-news&_r=0
Politically, two thoughts:
1. For about 150 years, California represented a hopeful, optimistic future for the rest of America. People moved there from all states in order to have a new chance in life. Who would want to move there now? If you've got a house waiting for you in Monterey or Tahoe then yeah, sure. But huge swaths of CA's territory are simply becoming unlivable for people who don't speak a foreign language and are accustomed to middle-class American lifestyle.
2. Imagine if this were happening in a "Red State," especially if it were in the South like Texas or Mississippi. In that case, I believe certain people would try to draw a line between the lack of running-water in residential homes and the partisan balance in local/state government. I believe there would be a further claim that the condition was targeted against lower-income people and racial minorities.
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10-03-2014 08:10 AM |
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vandiver49
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RE: "With Dry Taps and Toilets, California Drought Turns Desperate"
Californians have spent the last 50 years deriding Mulholland for his efforts to bring water to the LA Basin. Despite all of the picturesque views, the large swaths Golden State are naturally a desert. Time to get hot on the Reverse Osmosis units.
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10-03-2014 08:26 AM |
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oklalittledixie
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RE: "With Dry Taps and Toilets, California Drought Turns Desperate"
(10-03-2014 08:10 AM)Native Georgian Wrote: Depressing portrait of rural California in 2014. It's been a long time since conditions like this were "normal" in America:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/03/us/cal...-news&_r=0
Politically, two thoughts:
1. For about 150 years, California represented a hopeful, optimistic future for the rest of America. People moved there from all states in order to have a new chance in life. Who would want to move there now? If you've got a house waiting for you in Monterey or Tahoe then yeah, sure. But huge swaths of CA's territory are simply becoming unlivable for people who don't speak a foreign language and are accustomed to middle-class American lifestyle.
2. Imagine if this were happening in a "Red State," especially if it were in the South like Texas or Mississippi. In that case, I believe certain people would try to draw a line between the lack of running-water in residential homes and the partisan balance in local/state government. I believe there would be a further claim that the condition was targeted against lower-income people and racial minorities.
It is happening in Texas. Texas is trying to steal water from LA and OK
Research Tarrant Regional Water District v. Herrmann.
also from your article
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/...0002&abg=1
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10-03-2014 08:57 AM |
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Lord Stanley
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RE: "With Dry Taps and Toilets, California Drought Turns Desperate"
Plenty of water in San Fransisco, Silicon Valley and Los Angeles . That's all that matters, to the liberals that matter.
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10-03-2014 09:00 AM |
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fsquid
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RE: "With Dry Taps and Toilets, California Drought Turns Desperate"
what is the economy there that is attracting these people to live in a desert?
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10-03-2014 09:03 AM |
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Lord Stanley
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RE: "With Dry Taps and Toilets, California Drought Turns Desperate"
(10-03-2014 09:03 AM)fsquid Wrote: what is the economy there that is attracting these people to live in a desert?
Agriculture.
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10-03-2014 09:14 AM |
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Native Georgian
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RE: "With Dry Taps and Toilets, California Drought Turns Desperate"
(10-03-2014 08:57 AM)oklalittledixie Wrote: It is happening in Texas. Texas is trying to steal water from LA and OK
Research Tarrant Regional Water District v. Herrmann.
I don't doubt that states are stealing (or trying to steal) water from one another. Georgia has had those kinds of arguments for decades with neighboring states.
But are you also telling me that some people in Texas have no access to mere tap-water?
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10-03-2014 09:44 AM |
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EagleRockCafe
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RE: "With Dry Taps and Toilets, California Drought Turns Desperate"
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10-03-2014 10:30 AM |
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Fort Bend Owl
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RE: "With Dry Taps and Toilets, California Drought Turns Desperate"
(10-03-2014 09:00 AM)Lord Stanley Wrote: Plenty of water in San Fransisco, Silicon Valley and Los Angeles . That's all that matters, to the liberals that matter.
No there isn't. The drought isn't quite as bad there because it's not an agriculturally based economy. But people there have had to restrict water usage too. California farms are going to have to figure out how to grow crops that don't take as much water as the ones they grow currently.
LA got 6 inches of rain last year, San Diego 5 and Fresno just under 5 (that's the 2013-14 rain calendar year which ended in July). Most of Northern California has had less than an inch of rain so far this rain calendar year. My part of Texas is up to 40 inches of rain now for 2014 (I had almost 10 inches in September and probably another 3/4 of an inch overnight), but it wasn't that long ago that we were in a moderate to severe drought.
I feel for them. It's not a fun place to be when everything is brown.
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10-03-2014 01:50 PM |
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DragonLair
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RE: "With Dry Taps and Toilets, California Drought Turns Desperate"
(10-03-2014 01:50 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote: (10-03-2014 09:00 AM)Lord Stanley Wrote: Plenty of water in San Fransisco, Silicon Valley and Los Angeles . That's all that matters, to the liberals that matter.
No there isn't. The drought isn't quite as bad there because it's not an agriculturally based economy. But people there have had to restrict water usage too. California farms are going to have to figure out how to grow crops that don't take as much water as the ones they grow currently.
LA got 6 inches of rain last year, San Diego 5 and Fresno just under 5 (that's the 2013-14 rain calendar year which ended in July). Most of Northern California has had less than an inch of rain so far this rain calendar year. My part of Texas is up to 40 inches of rain now for 2014 (I had almost 10 inches in September and probably another 3/4 of an inch overnight), but it wasn't that long ago that we were in a moderate to severe drought.
I feel for them. It's not a fun place to be when everything is brown.
Wasn't there a period about 7-8 year were it rained every-single day in Texas over the summer.
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10-03-2014 02:00 PM |
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DaSaintFan
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RE: "With Dry Taps and Toilets, California Drought Turns Desperate"
My favorite was the guy who is running a start up...
His business? Putting a Brick (company name: "Drop-A-Brick") in your toilet tank so you don't need as much water in your toilet tank...
He charges $15 for a "brick made of an eco-friendly material with a bit of natural dye and filled with an all-natural hydro gel powder." the guy says "You could actually eat it if you wanted to," although he does not recommend it.
$15 for a Brick?
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10-03-2014 02:35 PM |
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AngryAphid
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RE: "With Dry Taps and Toilets, California Drought Turns Desperate"
(10-03-2014 02:35 PM)DaSaintFan Wrote: My favorite was the guy who is running a start up...
His business? Putting a Brick (company name: "Drop-A-Brick") in your toilet tank so you don't need as much water in your toilet tank...
He charges $15 for a "brick made of an eco-friendly material with a bit of natural dye and filled with an all-natural hydro gel powder." the guy says "You could actually eat it if you wanted to," although he does not recommend it.
$15 for a Brick?
Present it as the aquatic form of a pet rock and Californians will buy it.
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10-03-2014 02:53 PM |
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Fort Bend Owl
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RE: "With Dry Taps and Toilets, California Drought Turns Desperate"
(10-03-2014 02:00 PM)DragonLair Wrote: Wasn't there a period about 7-8 year were it rained every-single day in Texas over the summer.
Houston for sure - doubt all of Texas. Houston originally was a swamp so it's not unusual to have highs of 92 (or maybe 92-96) every day in the summer with a 20 to 30 pct chance of pop-up thunderstorms. You can also get tropical storms (like Allyson in 2001) that can drop 30 inches of rain in one storm over a couple of days (that might be a bit extreme but 6 inches in a day is not).
But we also had a summer a couple of years ago where the entire summer felt more like Arizona. It's supposed to be a high of upper 70's in Houston tomorrow (beautiful day for us in October) but the high in San Diego and much of Southern California will be upper 90's, and probably 100 a few miles inland. Crazy, crazy stuff.
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10-03-2014 08:59 PM |
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olliebaba
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RE: "With Dry Taps and Toilets, California Drought Turns Desperate"
Stupid Californians. Here in El Paso we were smart enough to build a desalination plant that makes our brackish water drinkable. They say our water table is enough to last 50 years. We're in the desert, if we were next to the ocean water would NEVER be a problem. If states thought about the future they would build desalination plants with pipelines from the ocean and not wait til the last minute.
I guess in the long run, you get what you ask for. Californians are not known for smar..., no scratch that, they have the smarts but lack the common sense.
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10-03-2014 11:10 PM |
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GoApps70
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RE: "With Dry Taps and Toilets, California Drought Turns Desperate"
It really doesn't make sense that we have not built desalination plants all around our coast and even some inland to have ocean water piped in for crops.
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10-03-2014 11:17 PM |
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ODUChm
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RE: "With Dry Taps and Toilets, California Drought Turns Desperate"
(10-03-2014 11:17 PM)GoApps70 Wrote: It really doesn't make sense that we have not built desalination plants all around our coast and even some inland to have ocean water piped in for crops.
Its simple, it comes down to economics. It most cases it is still far more cheaper to obtain fresh water from other sources.
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10-03-2014 11:45 PM |
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Owl 69/70/75
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RE: "With Dry Taps and Toilets, California Drought Turns Desperate"
(10-03-2014 11:45 PM)ODUChm Wrote: (10-03-2014 11:17 PM)GoApps70 Wrote: It really doesn't make sense that we have not built desalination plants all around our coast and even some inland to have ocean water piped in for crops.
Its simple, it comes down to economics. It most cases it is still far more cheaper to obtain fresh water from other sources.
When that water is available, of course. California's problem is not cost, it's availability. I have always found it hypocritical that all these Hollywood stars who are so concerned about the environment don't hesitate to contribute to a major problem by pouring thousands of gallons of water onto their expensively landscaped yards. LA is a desert. and needs to behave accordingly.
California needs desalinization. Desalinization works particularly well for Cali because its major cities are either coastal (LA, SFO, SD) or at low altitude (Sacramento), minimizing pumping costs. Along with the rest of the country, it also needs to recycle and use treated sewer effluent in a major way. We are headed for a water crisis of epic proportions if we do not act now.
(This post was last modified: 10-04-2014 04:01 AM by Owl 69/70/75.)
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10-04-2014 04:00 AM |
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ODUChm
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RE: "With Dry Taps and Toilets, California Drought Turns Desperate"
(10-04-2014 04:00 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote: (10-03-2014 11:45 PM)ODUChm Wrote: (10-03-2014 11:17 PM)GoApps70 Wrote: It really doesn't make sense that we have not built desalination plants all around our coast and even some inland to have ocean water piped in for crops.
Its simple, it comes down to economics. It most cases it is still far more cheaper to obtain fresh water from other sources.
When that water is available, of course. California's problem is not cost, it's availability. I have always found it hypocritical that all these Hollywood stars who are so concerned about the environment don't hesitate to contribute to a major problem by pouring thousands of gallons of water onto their expensively landscaped yards. LA is a desert. and needs to behave accordingly.
California needs desalinization. Desalinization works particularly well for Cali because its major cities are either coastal (LA, SFO, SD) or at low altitude (Sacramento), minimizing pumping costs. Along with the rest of the country, it also needs to recycle and use treated sewer effluent in a major way. We are headed for a water crisis of epic proportions if we do not act now.
California does have desalination plants in the works, with a few operating, but the cost is still higher now for those located immediately near the coast, never mind those inland who are most affected, than current alternative methods, such as water conservation (dirty word I know). Never mind the environmental and energy concerns, such as it can take 2 gallons of salt water to produce 1 gallon of fresh water.
Desalination has never been a simple idea that no one thought of.
Ollie makes it seem El Paso is living ina desalination utopia. That plant if fully operable can produce 25% of El Paso's water needs, but because of cost it currently only produces 4% of the water.
http://www.window.state.tx.us/specialrpt...nation.php
(This post was last modified: 10-04-2014 02:35 PM by ODUChm.)
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10-04-2014 02:34 PM |
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jh
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RE: "With Dry Taps and Toilets, California Drought Turns Desperate"
Ed Begley Jr. is no hypocrite.
Quote:The 64-year-old actor and environmentalist just installed a 10,000-gallon rainwater tank in the couple’s new LEED-platinum-certified home, which is under construction in Studio City, California. Though it seems enormous, the tank will fill up in just two or three days of heavy rain.
http://www.ecorazzi.com/2014/05/13/ed-be...k-in-home/
Of course, in Southern California it will take five or six years to get two or three days of heavy rain.
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10-04-2014 03:37 PM |
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Fo Shizzle
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RE: "With Dry Taps and Toilets, California Drought Turns Desperate"
Cali needs to import more Mexican rain dancers.
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10-05-2014 09:52 AM |
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