The ghosts of Lake Mead

[BMWTurboDzl]

Well water doesn’t help - it’s extraction, not a renewable resource.

Think of it as mining the aquifer, not drawing from a flowing river of water underground.

The problems out West are both on supply and demand side.

Flushing toilets isn’t the issue, either, it’s agriculture that uses the preponderance of the resource.

So, yeah, let your lawn die, that’s already been done. Fine/punish people for washing cars. Also…Done. Low flush toilets. Done. Low flow showerheads. Done.

It’s all been done already. Living in water - abundant upstate New York, you likely haven‘t lived with any of this, but it’s already been done. All of it.

The elephant in the room: farming.

Tell California farmers that they have to stop farming. That they lose their farms and livelihoods. Tell everyone that they can’t get fresh fruit. Fresh vegetables.

That’s the problem. Kill off the farms, and you solve the water problem.

But you would create food shortages across the country.

As a consumer, as a buyer of produce, you are part of creating this water shortage by buying food that’s grown in California, using water from the Colorado River.

The other issue with well water is that as you just can't keep going deeper.

Growing demand for deeper wells is tapping ancient water reserves

Communities that rely on the Colorado River are facing a water crisis. Lake Mead, the river's largest reservoir, has fallen to levels not seen since it was created by the construction of the Hoover Dam roughly a century ago. Arizona and Nevada are facing their first-ever mandated water cuts...

phys.org

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

This is the biggest problem. Farming. We can't live with it, and we can't live without it. The biggest aquifer in the country is the Ogallala Aquifer. Lake Mead is a mud puddle in comparison. It holds an estimated 948 TRILLION gallons of water, and covers an area that contains 8 states.

And it's disappearing fast. It is expected to be 70% depleted within the next 50 years. But you can't see it. People look at Lake Mead today and say, "Oh my God!" But the Ogallala Aquifer supplies most every center pivot in flyover country.

The average 1/4 mile center pivot waters an average of 126 acres. And pumps 772 gallons per minute. And in 50 years, then what? 50 years is nothing. I've been out of high school over 50 years. When it's gone, or close to it, the nation's bread basket will start drying up. We will see food shortages the likes of never been seen before.

And depending on what study you read, it takes eons to replenish it. What we're seeing now is just the tip of the iceberg, as they say. In another 50 years we will have issues regarding water that are going to be incomprehensible. And it will affect the entire nation.... Not just the desert regions.

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Growing demand for deeper wells is tapping ancient water reserves

Communities that rely on the Colorado River are facing a water crisis. Lake Mead, the river's largest reservoir, has fallen to levels not seen since it was created by the construction of the Hoover Dam roughly a century ago. Arizona and Nevada are facing their first-ever mandated water cuts...

phys.org

 

[Dave Hess]

That region of country will be in very big trouble as there will be less and less snow pack as the globe heats up.

 

[2strokeNorthstar]

This is the result of too many people residing in the desert.

And building a reservoir in the desert.

 

[2strokeNorthstar]

If you go on Google Earth from about 20 miles up, and run parallel, southeast along the runway at Palm Springs airport, all the way to the northern shore of the Salton Sea, you can get an idea of just how much water is used to keep all of those golf courses green. It has to be literally billions of gallons annually. They wouldn't last a week in this weather without it.

Palm Springs has a lot of ground water. The Saltón Sea itself is a giant waste of water. Water is dumped in there because they don’t know how to clean it up

 

[Kira]

Keep the information and history coming.

I feel I have to say that my posting of "WE USE WELL WATER" signs was part of a sarcastic volley.
Up goes such a sign and nothing further is done.

Also, my mention of composting toilets (or even the 2 button toilets) was to pique the the question "how many are out there NOW".
Lots of times, good improved ideas don't get installed because the property hasn't changed hands so no review of code has happened.

 

[Snagglefoot]

I read one of the sets of remains were found in a barrel and probably were murdered in the 1970's or 80's....

Edit: Just saw Overkill mentioned this...

 

[billt460]

.......Also, my mention of composting toilets (or even the 2 button toilets) was to pique the the question "how many are out there NOW".
Lots of times, good improved ideas don't get installed because the property hasn't changed hands so no review of code has happened.

I'm having a hard time getting past the smell of that one. I've gotten a whiff of some vegetation composting piles, and it was enough to make a maggot puke. Add the smell of human crap, and it has to move the stink meter off the gauge.

 

[Rmay635703]

Keep the information and history coming.

I feel I have to say that my posting of "WE USE WELL WATER" signs was part of a sarcastic volley.
Up goes such a sign and nothing further is done.

Also, my mention of composting toilets (or even the 2 button toilets) was to pique the the question "how many are out there NOW".
Lots of times, good improved ideas don't get installed because the property hasn't changed hands so no review of code has happened.

When we didn’t have soap or supplies we would “clean” dishes with beach sand.

Was good enough so you could dry them and take home.

Sponge baths, paper plates and composting toilets can vastly reduce human water use.

Now farm, these too waste 90% of their water, farmers growing and exporting overseas “solid water” in the form of alfalfa because they are worried their water budget might be lost next year should be illegal. Almonds also should be illegal but they are being farmed with frack water from what I’ve heard.

Then we get to the fact there are foods that grow in pure desert like hemp, if we don’t have the water budget to grow traditional crops and cattle f what people want and grow what is reasonable.

It used to be veggies were seasonal, too bad so sad if they are once again

I'm having a hard time getting past the smell of that one. I've gotten a whiff of some vegetation composting piles, and it was enough to make a maggot puke. Add the smell of human crap, and it has to move the stink meter off the gauge.

The point of a composting toilet is to make sterile “ash” and be odor free, best ones are vented outside though many claim to work without. Your weekly waste is reduced down to a couple pounds of ash once composted and free of water.

If that’s not your goal there are outhouses that achieve your apparent smell goal.

 

[Pablo]

Almonds also should be illegal

Tell us more.

 

[Rmay635703]

Tell us more.

If they don’t natively grow there without irrigating, shouldn’t be allowed.

Almonds are the most energy and water intensive crop in California

 

[Pablo]

If they don’t natively grow there without irrigating, shouldn’t be allowed.

Almonds are the most energy and water intensive crop in California

Illegal. Just like that?

Start banning other crops.

 

[Rmay635703]

Illegal. Just like that?

Start banning other crops.

Other crops aren’t as intensive, can’t continue dumping 90% of your water into a pit.

Funny part is many crops are functionally made illegal by lack of water, state could remove head from ass and be pro-active about land and water management with the main users of water but typically full stop only when they run out.

 

[billt460]

Illegal. Just like that?

Start banning other crops.

Yeah really. I can see where this is headed.

 

[Chris142]

Well water doesn’t help - it’s extraction, not a renewable resource.

Think of it as mining the aquifer, not drawing from a flowing river of water underground.

This statement is incorrect.

 

[PimTac]

Just as the big push to go plant based on everything gets started the lack of water will stop that nonsense.

No cauliflower pizza for you!

 

[SwampSurvivor]

We should build water pipelines!

At my old house (which I still own!) , the water table is usually a foot down. Here in the swampy eastern Lake Ontario region, we have way more water than we know what to do with. Apparently it's attractive to chip manufacturers.

 

[Rmay635703]

We should build water pipelines!

At my old house (which I still own!) , the water table is usually a foot down. Here in the swampy eastern Lake Ontario region, we have way more water than we know what to do with. Apparently it's attractive to chip manufacturers.

The us has long standing drought through “most areas” up through Mississippi delta, would need pipes coast to coast to divert flood waters

 

[Yah-Tah-Hey]

This is the biggest problem. Farming. We can't live with it, and we can't live without it. The biggest aquifer in the country is the Ogallala Aquifer. Lake Mead is a mud puddle in comparison. It holds an estimated 948 TRILLION gallons of water, and covers an area that contains 8 states.

And it's disappearing fast. It is expected to be 70% depleted within the next 50 years. But you can't see it. People look at Lake Mead today and say, "Oh my God!" But the Ogallala Aquifer supplies most every center pivot in flyover country.

The average 1/4 mile center pivot waters an average of 126 acres. And pumps 772 gallons per minute. And in 50 years, then what? 50 years is nothing. I've been out of high school over 50 years. When it's gone, or close to it, the nation's bread basket will start drying up. We will see food shortages the likes of never been seen before.

And depending on what study you read, it takes eons to replenish it. What we're seeing now is just the tip of the iceberg, as they say. In another 50 years we will have issues regarding water that are going to be incomprehensible. And it will affect the entire nation.... Not just the desert regions.

Nebraska closely regulates the use of groundwater through Natural Resource Districts which were created five decades ago. These districts handle natural resources on a river basin basis. Our NRD, which covers 16 counties, recently opened applications for 1,000 new irrigated acres based on groundwater rise. No water from the Ogallala Aquifer is pumped without a permit.

 

[wpod]

That region of country will be in very big trouble as there will be less and less snow pack as the globe heats up.

Yes indeed, the climate changed and the Earth warmed the Ice packs started melting and the ice age ended . The ice is still melting today.