y'know, stillsuits never would've worked, you'd boil in one.
oh, srsly about the drought - they're still growing rice and almonds, right?
What about all the bazillion golf courses in California? The entire course will be a sand trap except for the putting greens.
Read the full article to figure out where the water went.How Growers Gamed California’s Drought
Consuming 80 percent of California’s developed water but accounting for only 2 percent of the state’s GDP, agriculture thrives while everyone else is parched. “I’ve been smiling all the way to the bank,” said pistachio farmer John Dean at a conference hosted this month by Paramount Farms, the mega-operation owned by Stewart Resnick, a Beverly Hills billionaire known for his sprawling agricultural holdings, controversial water dealings, and millions of dollars in campaign contributions to high-powered California politicians including Governor Jerry Brown, former governors Arnold Schwarzenegger and Gray Davis, and U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein.
The record drought now entering its fourth year in California has alarmed the public, left a number of rural communities without drinking water, and triggered calls for mandatory rationing. There’s no relief in sight: The winter rainy season, which was a bust again this year, officially ends on April 15. Nevertheless, some large-scale farmers are enjoying extraordinary profits despite the drought, thanks in part to infusions of what experts call dangerously under-priced water.
Resnick, whose legendary marketing flair included hiring Stephen Colbert to star in a 2014 Super Bowl commercial, told the conference that pistachios generated an average net return of $3,519 per acre in 2014, based on a record wholesale price of $3.53 a pound. Almonds, an even “thirstier” crop, averaged $1,431 per acre.
Agriculture is the heart of California’s worsening water crisis, and the stakes extend far beyond the state’s borders. Not only is California the world’s eighth largest economy, it is an agricultural superpower. It produces roughly half of all the fruits, nuts, and vegetables consumed in the United States—and more than 90 percent of the almonds, tomatoes, strawberries, broccoli and other specialty crops—while exporting vast amounts to China and other overseas customers.
But agriculture consumes a staggering 80 percent of California’s developed water, even as it accounts for only 2 percent of the state’s gross domestic product. Most crops and livestock are produced in the Central Valley, which is, geologically speaking, a desert. The soil is very fertile but crops there can thrive only if massive amounts of irrigation water are applied.
Cali is in what, year five of the drought? Driving through the central valley this winter we saw groves that had to have been planted in the past year or two. Same farms had the big banners bitching about the need for farm water and claiming the drought was caused by politicians not by nature and greed.California almond & pistachio farmers, owned by billion dollar hedge funds and retirement boards have consumed mind blowing amounts of water. You would be amazed at how much water it takes to grow high margin almonds and pistachios.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/03/30/how-growers-gamed-california-s-drought.html
Read the full article to figure out where the water went.
As an apartment dweller basically nothing. The landlord is so screwed when water rates go up though.
Me, I'm glad we're selling the house. That pool ain't cheap to keep full!
Lets see... Brown took office again in 2011. We have been in drought conditions since he took office. I didn't see his press conference, did he explain why he hasn't done squat about the drought in the last 4 years before now?
-KeithP
What's he supposed to do, a rain dance?
What's he supposed to do, a rain dance?
You do whatever it takes when you are in power. Even if that means sending a ship to this place:
Or maybe just start mandatory water restrictions at the beginning of the drought, not when were fucked.
Almond farmers COULD switch to high efficiency drip systems...and many have, but MOST of the orchards are watered by flood irrigation
That's nutsCalifornia almond & pistachio farmers, owned by billion dollar hedge funds and retirement boards have consumed mind blowing amounts of water. You would be amazed at how much water it takes to grow high margin almonds and pistachios.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/03/30/how-growers-gamed-california-s-drought.html
Read the full article to figure out where the water went.
Meanwhile,Nestle pumps 80 million gallons a year out of the aquifer there...out of
Sacramento alone..
They have other wells in California
Through 2009, Nestlé Waters, the division that operates the Millard Canyon facility, provided the state with annual reports, but after that, the flow of information has slowed to a trickle. The state has used a rounded estimate of 244 million gallons pumped out per year roughly the annual usage for 480 area homes, according to calculations used by area newspaper The Desert Sun.
http://www.mintpressnews.com/nestle-continues-stealing-worlds-water-during-drought/203544/
http://www.truth-out.org/speakout/i...own-nestle-water-bottling-plant-in-sacramento
http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/2015/03/05/bottling-water-california-drought/24389417/ This is the one to read.
Last figure I saw was 704 million gallons annually.
I recently read a story about how water rights work in the Western states. Apparently when you own water rights, your ownership is for a quantity of water, not a percentage of available water. So if someone upstream from you takes the amount of water they are entitled to, and due to low water supply there's not enough left for you, you're screwed. That's the system. So those who are far enough upstream to get all the water they are entitled to are going to take it. And too bad, so sad for those downstream.
What about all the bazillion golf courses in California? The entire course will be a sand trap except for the putting greens.