Water Wars

[steev]

Years ago, it was predicted that the next wars, after oil, would be for water; I didn't think I'd live to see it, but it's already becoming so. California's drought is straining NorCal/SoCal relations (again!; haven't we seen this movie enough times, before?); Israeli Zionism continues its program of displacing the Palestinians (who've been living there how long?) by seizing water-sources for Israeli settlements. All over the world, aquifers are being pumped out beyond reasonable expectation of their re-charging; some have NO expectation of re-charging. We don't need more water; we need fewer people; if we can't get a grip on population control by education and birth-control measures, we will surely see populations reduced through war, famine, and disease; what fun that will be! We can take responsibility for our future, or we can put it on GOD; frankly, I don't think that ancient speculative construct gives a husky fuck what happens to us, being imaginary.

So! It's not that we're all in the same boat, but that there's only one damned boat and if we sink it, we're finished.

I think land-race varieties and local food production are our only hope, other than birth-control. 'Kay, done ranting.

[longhorngardens]

Wow. Tell us what you really think.

[steev]

As James Joyce said, "Have I made that perfectly obscure?"

[synergy]

David Suzuki message today was how our population in the city of Vancouver living in the rainforest coastline of British Columbia would deplete their present water reserves by 2050 with a continuing influx of people , median detached house price is over 1.2 million dollars so these people are paying dearly to live here . Water aquifer depletion is already and issue popping up here and we have a lot more rainfall.

[MikeH]

Water is life. One need only look at many of the ongoing conflicts on the planet.

The Aral Sea is shared by Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, but Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan are also affected.



Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon depend on Lake Chad.

[flowerweaver]

Americans are so privileged to be able to turn on a faucet and have water flowing in their homes and yards at a moment's notice. I think this has given false the idea it is an endless resource. Having spent a good deal of my life as an environmental educator, I am constantly astonished at how few people even know from where their water originates.

In the exceptional drought here in my part of Texas in 2010, when it didn't rain for 11 months, and our well was completely dry for six of those, I had to bucket water out of the river twice a day until the river went dry, then I had to beg it off people who were mostly afraid of their wells going belly up. Water acquisition became my full time job, on top of a full time job. I conservatively estimate I physically carried 54 tons of water that year. You develop a real appreciation of water conservation when you actually have to carry it yourself.

As far as catastrophic weather events have gone, I would say living without running water was much more difficult on my physical, mental, and emotional self than was last summer's tornado, from which repairs are still ongoing.

[steev]

For years, being a property-owner in Colusa County, I occasionally received glossy brochures touting the myriad benefits of a commercial-development proposed for a large area of rangeland/winter-grain farmland; these always suggested I urge my county supervisor to support permitting of this bountiful cornucopia of jobs and money for Colusa County (last I heard, C C has the lowest per-capita income of any county in Cali). Those brochures were so pretty, it looked like somebody was putting out a fair chunk of change in hopes of getting an awful lot more back. I asked my county supervisor (my neighbor to the West) what his thoughts were; they were not just the same as mine, which I had not shared, but his were far more detailed as to why it was BS. The proposal faded away.

Now, every few months, as I drive to the farm, I'll see a well-drilling rig out on some of that rangeland, a bit later comes a huge chisel-plow rig, then it gets disked, and eventually there pops up another several-hundred-acre instant orchard of nut trees, whatever acreage the new well seems capable of supporting. I saw a new well going in last week-end. These aren't small farmers; this is deep-pockets Big Ag drilling wells for monoculture before Cali gets around to regulating groundwater; they're going to want herbicides, pesticides, factory-fertilizer, honeybees, water from the State and Federal water systems if the aquifer drops from over-pumping/under-re-charging, and that moronic reservoir constructed in the valley I drive through to my farm.

Remember the fable of "The Goose That Laid The Golden Eggs"? There's always some greed-blinded nit-wit who'll say "I know how we can get all the eggs at once; hand me that knife!"

[PatrickW]

All this talk about what's going on around the world, but the US has more serious problems than you might realize. The mid-western aquifers that water the big expanses of corn are facing serious threats from depletion or pollution. This together with all these suburbs being built in CA, CO, AZ and so on in some of the driest parts of the country.

You know why none of this is a problem?

This isn't a problem, because there's always the Great Lakes. For years now they've been working on removing the heavy metals, and making them ready for use. I'm sure this will be good for another 50 years or so. I can imagine the area will be quite a bit different when the lakes are turned into a desert, or reduced to a puddle of toxic sludge.

I don't remember where anymore, but a year or two ago I was reading an article about the top 5 regions in the world facing water problems, and this was one.

[reed]

The dry spells of two, four, six, eight weeks are pretty much the norm here now but the last officially recognized drought was in 1988. The Ohio river fell to it's lowest level since 1936. That drought was far worse according to the old timers but there were no high rise dams then. Never the less the river got low enough that they slammed even the lock gates closed not just the flood gates. Giant barges of coal and whatever else moves on the river were just sitting around here and there. They couldn't open even the locks because water intakes for the cities were close to being above water level. The Mississippi does not have dams like the Ohio but barge traffic stopped there too just because of low spots.

I remember then that some "officials" suggested digging a canal from lake Michigan to drain it into the river valleys so as to mitigate such disruptions to river transportation. Might be a tad bit of a conflict there, irrigation or barge traffic? Two different non related interests wanting the same water. Wonder how that will shake out. Not to mention it's doubtful there is enough water in the lakes, levels there are already also falling from what I'v read.

O'well there is all that other water in Canada, Like a joke I heard Robin Williams tell one time when he was poking fun at Canada. "They have lots of water, we'll come for it one day."

[steev]

Exactly; let's catch all that Polar snow-melt before we need to de-salinate it.

[flowerweaver]

And if Big Ag isn't a bad enough idea for water use, let's talk about the huge consumption of potable water for FRACKING. Basically south of us, and a thousand feet lower, lay the Eagle Ford Shale where small farmers and ranchers are 'leasing' their lands for the promise of a percentage of profit from oil extraction. It is a pittance of income by comparison of what the oil companies are raking in, but more than enough for them to 'retire' compared to their usual hard knock subsistence. And the schools are flush with tax money and able to build up, and other folks are able to charge $500/mo rent for a man-camp travel trailer spot.

So what if a few locals are killed each month by the heavy truck traffic, it's a small sacrifice for small town progress, eh? So what if the fracking is using up and polluting the drinking water. The short-sighted can laugh all the way to the bank with their 'riches', until their cigarette ignites a cup of their drinking water.

[steev]

It seems pretty clear that all that fracking prosperity is getting Oklahoma pretty shook up.

[kyredneck]

Jun 22, 2015 7:45:04 GMT -5 reed said:

The dry spells of two, four, six, eight weeks are pretty much the norm here now but the last officially recognized drought was in 1988. The Ohio river fell to it's lowest level since 1936. That drought was far worse according to the old timers but there were no high rise dams then. Never the less the river got low enough that they slammed even the lock gates closed not just the flood gates. Giant barges of coal and whatever else moves on the river were just sitting around here and there. They couldn't open even the locks because water intakes for the cities were close to being above water level. The Mississippi does not have dams like the Ohio but barge traffic stopped there too just because of low spots.

I remember then that some "officials" suggested digging a canal from lake Michigan to drain it into the river valleys so as to mitigate such disruptions to river transportation. Might be a tad bit of a conflict there, irrigation or barge traffic? Two different non related interests wanting the same water. Wonder how that will shake out. Not to mention it's doubtful there is enough water in the lakes, levels there are already also falling from what I'v read.

O'well there is all that other water in Canada, Like a joke I heard Robin Williams tell one time when he was poking fun at Canada. "They have lots of water, we'll come for it one day."

I remember that one reed. During the drought of 88 our dug well went dry. I was faced with the dilemma, do I drill a deep well or build a cistern?

I followed a geologist's advice and questioned all my neighbors who had deep wells and cisterns.

Deep wells around in this locale have strong sulfur water.

The two main complaints I got about cisterns were they wished they had built them bigger to hold more water, and, the quake of 1980 had cracked many cisterns in the area.

So, I built a large (11,000 gal) capacity cistern with earthquake resistant steel re-enforced concrete walls (actually I built it like a bank vault).

Piped all the roof water to a filter made from a 33 gal HD galvanized garbage can filled with, well, filter gravel. The system works like a charm, and we basically live like 'city people'. 

Since 'the girls' grew up and moved out water usage went waaaaay down, I actually am able to divert the warm summer rains and get by with storing only the cold winter rainwater with normal rainfall.

I really do emphathize/sympathize with you people out there in the drought stricken areas though. Wish there was something that could bring you all some immediate relief.

[kyredneck]

^ Here's the water filter in action. Any diverted water goes to an 800 gal tank for watering the garden and the kids to 'swim' in. But there's not a downspout on this place that doesn't empty into some sort of collection vessel whether it be a water trough or 55 gal drum.

[steev]

Sweet!