It's funny reading the comments from the out-of-state people. Did someone really suggest building a canal to Southern California? Uhm, you're about 55 years behind. Low flow toilets? Uhm, standard since the 70's...
This isn't news, droughts happen all the time, some are worse than others. Eventually, the cost of water will get so high, farmers will just stop producing food for the rest of the country while California residents will keep the water. In that sense, we're all in the same boat, Massachusetts to California.
This isn't news, droughts happen all the time, some are worse than others. Eventually, the cost of water will get so high, farmers will just stop producing food for the rest of the country while California residents will keep the water. In that sense, we're all in the same boat, Massachusetts to California.
1
As a Southern California resident for the past 30 years, I've been greatly ashamed of what we do here for years. Drive our S.U.V's with environmental plates, brag about the number of golf courses we have, and try to turn our native desert into a lush green suburbia with swimming pools in and lawns in every yard. I do hope the rain returns, but at least we will have hopefully learned many important lessons in the meantime.
2
Posterity, or perhaps sentient aliens instead, will look back at this arid area of North America and wonder at the mindless entitlement that possessed these humans who settled the West, a vast desert incapable of sustaining such great numbers.
1
Are those elephants real?
Matthew--it's a ride, at Disneyland! They are so utterly not real. Were you serious?
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No. None of the animals on the Jungle Cruise ride are real.
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Makes no sense -- businesses which have been conserving water all along have to make the same cuts as ones that have been wasting water.
1
Actually, they don't have to make the same cuts if they are already conserving; it is figured by current water use in each area. See the part of the article about the Monterey Penninsula (Pebble Beach.)
No mention of the gallons of water to create a POUND of BEEF. 1700 gallons
per pound. And they ship alfalfa to China, and water out of state, Nestle!
If everybody gave up two pounds of beef a week, the problem would go away.
What if Moonbeam Govenor Brown decided to step to the plate, and take charge of the problem? I have given up my almonds and grapes, and NO BEEF
And the cost of bottled water is 2000 times the cost of tap water, but buying a brita filter could accomplish the same result. One more idea, adopt the navy shower ( Buy wateev9s awotkf uinGguha vattere tu UDE uthe TEA
per pound. And they ship alfalfa to China, and water out of state, Nestle!
If everybody gave up two pounds of beef a week, the problem would go away.
What if Moonbeam Govenor Brown decided to step to the plate, and take charge of the problem? I have given up my almonds and grapes, and NO BEEF
And the cost of bottled water is 2000 times the cost of tap water, but buying a brita filter could accomplish the same result. One more idea, adopt the navy shower ( Buy wateev9s awotkf uinGguha vattere tu UDE uthe TEA
6
Between not having enough water to flush the toilets and the oil spill on California beaches, this might the year to go to Cuba.
1
Herd mentality, media reporting on drought in California. El Niño coming this winter and you can all report on the floods.
1
Rather like the el nino promised for last winter? Even if it is a banner year, it won't change the serious and ongoing problem; note also that groundwater is being pumped down with startling rapidity.
6
Keep telling yourself that.
4
This is, demonstrably, the worst drought in what is now California in 1,200 years John. The media "herd" that you deprecate are merely reporting the facts. Do you think that they're making this stuff up? As for El Niño, let's wait and see how it actually pans out before we count our chickens shall we. Also, keep in mind that even if our next rainy season is fully what we're all hoping for, one "normal" season alone is not going to be anywhere near enough to restore our former wasteful lifestyle. Get real and drop the right wing ideological blinders, we're all in the same boat.
3
It might be useful for California to create RATIOS contrasting an industry's total benefits (and detriments) to the state economy vs that industry's total water usage. Especially if the RATIOS extended beyond strictly economic measures and could include long-term societal costs such as environmental degradation and increased health care costs, I think that it might be seen that Tourism was 2 to 4 times more valuable to the state than Agriculture. Within that economic frame of reference, it could be easily argued that a golf course provides more economic benefits to California than a similar sized almond orchard. While existing water laws and a powerful agriculture lobby make this a difficult conversation, I hope that some far-sighted politicians and civic leaders can at least begin the conversation.
1
Low-flow urinals for all,
1
Low-flow toilets have been mandated since the 1970s.
3
Well, there you go. Forget the HST nonsense. Reallocate the funds. Go old school. Build a nuke plant/pumping station on the shores of Tahoe, run some really good size concrete conduit down to LA/SoCal, and start pumping. An in-state solution. Problem solved.
2
Glad to see that the Californian drought is receiving some coverage. It's hard to believe that it is not front page news all the time. The implications for America of this drought are enormous. Huge amounts of your food comes from California, it is also by itself one of the biggest economies in the world and it is running out of water. If it was running out of gas, it would be front page news all the time. While the media is obsessed with ISIS and foreign threats ( with good visuals), the greatest threat of all to your economy and food is getting very minor attention. Why is that?
32
Bottom line is that without water and with the drought persistent, Ca is not ever going to be the same ever.The only way for effective control and use of water with equality is the State of CA. and Federal Government to take complete charge and bring all these various 100,000 plus private water authorities under state and federal control. After all water is a utility and these self interest, self righteous , so called not for profits water authorities run by County Commissions and private boards of the good old boys, all living high on the hog , are pure simple self serving water dictators promoting the fundamentally flawed economic system that has been a failure.
4
That is the last thing needed.
2
That Catalina island part where bison roam is the symbol of environmental destruction: the invasive species nearly killed off native (and, yes, deadly cute) island fox.
7
There is no fresh water in Key West so they built a fresh water pipeline to Key West.
This pipeline idea would work for California too.
This pipeline idea would work for California too.
1
You realize the population of Key West is tiny right? It's not nearly the same scale.
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Finally, California is DOING something about their insufficient water supply, that does NOT entail taking water away from Mono Lake, or other states in the desert southwest. (Familiar with the phrase, "A day late, and a dollar short"?) Just HOW many golf courses are IN CA? 'Cause the last that I heard, it's approximately 1,000,000 Gallons of water, Per Day, PER Golf course. Never heard of astro-turf?
8
Golf courses in CA, while they look terrible for water use, actually recycle their water from waste water which is otherwise unused. I do think it might be better for the rest of us if the waste water was sanitized and reclaimed, but some people find that idea repulsive--at least, so far...
Over 1/5 of the world's fresh water is in the Great Lakes. The US needs a network of pipes that can delivery water on an emergency basis (not routine delivery), to the key reservoirs of the contiguous States without a link to these lakes. The delivery tests should consider reservoir levels, States' demonstrated conservation efforts and results, supply management (waste).
Not doing this will lead to economic and environmental catastrophes not just in CA, but other States that will have their turn of getting impacted by volatile weather patterns. The alternatives such as desalinization, deeper wells, draining lakes till they are dry, etc. are far more damaging to their energy use and or the eco impact.
At the end, we are one country, and have no issues with transporting oil, coal, gas, minerals and other extractable across state lines.
Not doing this will lead to economic and environmental catastrophes not just in CA, but other States that will have their turn of getting impacted by volatile weather patterns. The alternatives such as desalinization, deeper wells, draining lakes till they are dry, etc. are far more damaging to their energy use and or the eco impact.
At the end, we are one country, and have no issues with transporting oil, coal, gas, minerals and other extractable across state lines.
5
never going to happen. The great lake states are extremely protective of this resource and will fight to the end to prevent distribution to other areas.
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Never going to happen because of the economics of such a thing. Water is heavy, hence expensive to move anywhere but downhill. Each generation "discovers" this solution and has to be disabused of the notion.
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Only slightly heavier than crude oil. We ship that from Alaska, from Texas/Oklahoma to many states, have planned to ship from Canada to Mississippi, from middle east to europe.
The biggest obstacle to this is a political system fragmented by State level politics, and the expense of the well being of the Republic. We have no issues shipping extracted minerals and fuels across state lines, but stop at water.
The biggest obstacle to this is a political system fragmented by State level politics, and the expense of the well being of the Republic. We have no issues shipping extracted minerals and fuels across state lines, but stop at water.
1
My mother was from Avalon, on Santa Catalina Island, and until the sixties her family, like many others, had a large above-ground tank that collected roof runoff. All that ended when Southern California Edison, promising unlimited water, took over the utilities as part of a grandiose scheme (the Pereira plan) to develop the Santa Catalina Island Company holdings into suburban housing with multiple golf courses. Fortunately the Wrigley family saw the error of their ways and turned most of the island into a nature preserve. Now, about that vineyard...
10
if God or Mother Nature or whomever or whatever intended for human beings to live in comfortable concentrated mass numbers in California then there would be much less desert ground shaking volcanic erupting land.
1
Or Oklahoma, with its twisters, or Arizona, with its summers of 113 degrees, or the entire East Coast, with its giant snowstorms, or all the states bordering the Gulf of Mexico, with its hurricanes...guess we really shouldn't be here at all, pretty much. Everyone should just be squished into the Pacific Northwest--lots of water there--but then we would all be too depressed because of hardly any sunlight, not to mention no personal space. Great boon for the pharmaceutical companies, though.
2
Disney California Adventure, while it contains a rafting ride, and a water show, isn't a "waterpark" any more than Disneyland is. If the author Googles "Carsland", it will be apparent that that section of the park contains little water other than drinking fountains.
5
There is no app for climate change.
16
I'm doing my part to help solve this crisis. I am not going to California but, rather, staying home and enjoying my own area. It's much cheaper and reduces the footprint.
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Too bad Mr. Christopher Baum (president and chief executive of the Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority) is bad at math. He claims that Lake Tahoe would cover the state with 15 feet of water because it is 1600 feet deep. However, Tahoe is not 1:100th of the state's area, it is more like 1:1000. The lake is 192 sq miles, the state is 163,696 sq miles, so the simple calculation is about 1.5 feet, assuming the entire lake is 1600 feet deep (bad assumption). If you do the detailed math, the lake has a volume of 122,160,280 acre-ft (wikipedia), the state is 104,765,440 acres, so the entire state would be covered to a depth of 1.2 feet.
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Agriculture uses over 80% of the state's water supply. It's obvious that's where you cut first. Get rid of all the almond and alfalfa crops as a start. Stop all exports and grow what is necessary for domestic purposes only. This is common sense.
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Yeah, and stop shipping fresh vegetable to the East Coast. What a gross misappropriation of precious natural resources.
This is an oversimplification of the issue. While yes, over 80% of the state's water supply is going to agriculture, you aren't taking into account the various effects of cutting their water. Farmers in addition to California's economy and jobs would take a significant hit with a water reduction. Cutting their water is no simple task and has a multitude of negative effects that need to be taken into account.
Actually, it's the golf courses that should get cut first -- agriculture has a purpose; golf does not (as in: a good walk spoiled). And alfalfa is typically a cover crop for when fields are rotated, which is sound farming practice. What isn't sound is putting big sprinklers out in the fields 6 feet in the air and letting much of what sprays out evaporate. That's just stupid. Stop THAT immediately.
20
Disney was always ahead of its time re: conservation.
11
What? A golf course in Yosemite?
"At Yosemite National Park, managers have reduced watering lawns at the park’s four lodges to once a week and reclaimed water is sprinkled on the golf course."
"At Yosemite National Park, managers have reduced watering lawns at the park’s four lodges to once a week and reclaimed water is sprinkled on the golf course."
36
Yeah, THAT they don't need. You should go to Yosemite to see wilderness, *not* greens and sand traps. Otherwise, stay home!
10
Yes, on the west side, not Yosemite Valley. Wawona Lodge. And there is also a golf course in Death Valley National Park. SoCal needs to outlaw watering lawns, imo.
5
South of Yosemite Valley. In Wawona.
Wow, have the political idealogies in power over the last 30 years contributed to or helped limit the impact of the drought conditions?
2
So...any evidence that the drought is actually "testing" California tourism?
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I believe the point of the article is on the supply side of tourism, not demand.
4
AJ, the "New" New York Times doesn't bother with much evidence these days. What with shrinking circulation, which means shrinking advertising revenues, they have lowered their standards considerably.
1
There's actually little worth seeing in southern California including Los Angeles.
Almost ALL of California charm lies north of Ventura.
Almost ALL of California charm lies north of Ventura.
17
There are beaches in Southern California that seem to be quite popular. And there are little kids who visit them and run around with shovels and pails and big smiles on their faces. The beaches are visited for 700 million visitor days during summer. Nothing comes close. And if you think they're all tacky and crowded, that just isn't true. Huntington has the finest surfing on the West Coast. Laguna attracts an arty crowd. San Diego has so much coastline that it easily absorbs half the population of Arizona. Venice attracts the young and the homeless. Santa Monica attracts upscale shoppers. And Malibu is Malibu. Redondo and Manhattan, the urban beaches of L.A. are cleaner and more attractive than Rockaway and Coney Island, California law protects public access to the whole coastline. And Southern California summer weather can't be beat. You can bring your furry friend to dog beaches in Huntington, Del Mar, and San Diego, where they can play in the water off leash. And don't go home until you've seen the sun set over the ocean in blazing glory.
As for the drought, most beachgoers use only the water they need to re-hydrate and to shower before going out for the night. The folks seeking charm are generally the ones who stay at the hotels with fountains, green lawns, and golf courses. There clearly is a need to cut back on charm.
As for the drought, most beachgoers use only the water they need to re-hydrate and to shower before going out for the night. The folks seeking charm are generally the ones who stay at the hotels with fountains, green lawns, and golf courses. There clearly is a need to cut back on charm.
19
Such nonsense.
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michjas - You made a few incorrect statements. Not sure why NY beaches got into a debate regarding Northern versus Southern California... For one thing Redondo and Manhattan Beaches wouldn't be compared to Rockaway and Coney Island. That is ridiculous. They would more compared to Long Beach on Long Island or Seaside Heights in NJ. Actual LA city beaches do not have cleaner water than Rockaway and Coney Island according to the national council that measures it (it's not 1980 anymore).
That said - if you actually like swimming - only the beaches of San Diego area are actually nice. North of the San Diego area the beaches are better for tanning and surfing. In the summer beaches in the northeast can sometimes have warmer water than LA beaches. North of Ventura - forget it. Overall yes So Cal has the "beach lifestyle" but the actual beaches are overrated. Forget the Caribbean (the real jewel) or Florida - I find even beaches in the Carolinas nicer to swim than that. I wouldn't even give up Fire Island or Robert Moses beaches on Long Island in the summer to visit California just to go to the beach. If you are talking about surfing - then yes California "can't be beat" in the lower 48.
That said - if you actually like swimming - only the beaches of San Diego area are actually nice. North of the San Diego area the beaches are better for tanning and surfing. In the summer beaches in the northeast can sometimes have warmer water than LA beaches. North of Ventura - forget it. Overall yes So Cal has the "beach lifestyle" but the actual beaches are overrated. Forget the Caribbean (the real jewel) or Florida - I find even beaches in the Carolinas nicer to swim than that. I wouldn't even give up Fire Island or Robert Moses beaches on Long Island in the summer to visit California just to go to the beach. If you are talking about surfing - then yes California "can't be beat" in the lower 48.
9
Just as discouraging is the lack of acceptance by the rest of the country that California supplies us with much of our food.
Does the California drought have to turn into yet another divisive issue? Have we lost the instinct to look out for each other? To share hard times?
I know the politicians are incapable of it, but I hope that we, the People, are better than they.