California's water woes, solution?

[MagickMan]

Charge people the real cost of their water, that'll make them notice.

 

[WelshBloke]

I think any solution that involved taking water from another place is no solution at all. It's just transferring the problem to someone else.

Fern

Eh? Isnt it like anything else?

If Place A has a surfeit of Item 1 then they export it to Place B that has a need for Item 1 but pays for it by exporting Item 2.

 

[LunarRay]

Eh? Isnt it like anything else?

If Place A has a surfeit of Item 1 then they export it to Place B that has a need for Item 1 but pays for it by exporting Item 2.

In the context of water flowing from the East to the West, I'd think the question first in need of answering is ownership. Who owns the water flowing from Colorado, for instance. Is it Colorado and do they have the Right to dam the flow from taking the natural course to the ocean? Perhaps.... but, historically we've said it was not proper to block the flow of water from one farm to another and like that...
Ergo, and in general terms, California has the Right to the water as does the States and their people along the way... it seems to me anyhow.

 

[highland145]

..

 

[piasabird]

Even the Mississippi has problems not having enough water for barge traffic. Last summer a lot of the corn dried up again. The US has never had any real water conservation efforts. Near Boise Idaho they have a large canal irrigation system.

I heard in Las vegas the city is digging up lawns and replacing them with Gravel.

In the news they stated there are a quarter of a million swimming pools in the bay area and about 1/3 of them leak. Get rid of all your swimming pools.

 

[highland145]

Even the Mississippi has problems not having enough water for barge traffic. Last summer a lot of the corn dried up again. The US has never had any real water conservation efforts. Near Boise Idaho they have a large canal irrigation system.

I heard in Las vegas the city is digging up lawns and replacing them with Gravel.

Good. It's an effing desert.

 

[piasabird]

Why does all the extra rain water just wash through the drainage system and out to sea? Not very good for water conservation.

 

[piasabird]

Make people pay a really large tax if they use too much water. Tax em high and tax em low.

 

[davmat787]

Good. It's an effing desert.

This. Plus, there are plenty of native plants one could use if they wanted too.

 

[highland145]

...

 

[Slew Foot]

For the most part Californians are doing their part to stop breeding, its the illegals that are ruining those plans.

 

[Moonbeam]

The problem is, who defines 'irresponsible'? Aren't we taught that all human life is precious? And breeding just feels so good, and things like alcohol inhibit the logic that would encourage the use of birth control.

I overheard a lady on the train tell another that she gets $400 per month per child. She had three kids in tow and one well on the way. Also I'm pretty sure these women were of a religion that forbids birth control.

I don't really think you can discuss something like this with a person who has no empathy for other people. I don't think he is a normal person, a sociopath, perhaps.

 

[WhipperSnapper]

Or should we stop populating inhospitable places?

This. Also, our nation as a whole could stand for some population reduction (reduce immigration). Sadly, the landmass can only support so many people at a comfortable standard of living.

 

[Moonbeam]

The problem of water for California is the same problem for the world. It is a looming titanic issue for California that a lot of the world already faces whose solution is a function of the cost of energy. 70% of the earths surface is water, salt water so water itself isn't scarce. It is the salt that is the problem. The salt can be removed with energy and the water transported with energy too. Southern California is rich in desert land and desert sun. Solar energy can provide the energy for sea water desalinization. Home water could be reused and only solid waste disposed of, eliminating sewers and vastly reducing home water usage. Farming has already begun to use water saving techniques over traditional methods.

 

[WelshBloke]

This. Also, our nation as a whole could stand for some population reduction (reduce immigration). Sadly, the landmass can only support so many people at a comfortable standard of living.

Your country has a really low population density as it is even accounting for your inhospitable bits.

The problem of water for California is the same problem for the world. It is a looming titanic issue for California that a lot of the world already faces whose solution is a function of the cost of energy. 70% of the earths surface is water, salt water so water itself isn't scarce. It is the salt that is the problem. The salt can be removed with energy and the water transported with energy too. Southern California is rich in desert land and desert sun. Solar energy can provide the energy for sea water desalinization. Home water could be reused and only solid waste disposed of, eliminating sewers and vastly reducing home water usage. Farming has already begun to use water saving techniques over traditional methods.

Desalination works but it's pretty bad for the surrounding sea ecology.

 

[UglyCasanova]

Charge people the real cost of their water, that'll make them notice.

This. Economics solves the problem perfectly. No more wasting water manicuring lawns or growing crops in areas they shouldn't be grown.

 

[Londo_Jowo]

High speed rail is far more important than water.

 

[DrPizza]

High speed rail is far more important than water.

For certain! "I'm thirsty. I'm going to make a trip to 400 miles up north and get a glass of water."

 

[dmcowen674]

California's water woes, solution?

Stop building oil pipelines like Keystone that sends our oil to other Countries for massive profits while raping Americans and build pipelines that interconnect water resources around the country so we can divert rainwater where it is coming down most to areas where it stopped coming down.

Such a simple thing to do but won't do it because water doesn't make anywhere near the amount of profit that oil does.

 

[K1052]

Stop watering lawns with drinking supply.

Require that all residential swimming pools have and use covers when not in use.

Fix leaking supply infrastructure.

Comprehensively change statewide building code to require even more efficient fixtures in new construction. Require grey water systems for landscape irrigation in all new development.

Implement and fund a statewide initiative to replace legacy fixtures with low flow ones. Go business to business and house to house if necessary.

Establish reservoirs and along drainage paths near aquifers that can accept forced recharge. Draw on these aquifers when normal sources are low.

Revamp irrigation standards and practices for agriculture.

 

[Brainonska511]

Stop watering lawns with drinking supply.

They've already been doing this in the southwest. Municipalities are giving credits to people that rip up lawns, plant more natural landscape, and then insert a restriction into the deed to prevent any new owners from planting grass.

 

[K1052]

They've already been doing this in the southwest. Municipalities are giving credits to people that rip up lawns, plant more natural landscape, and then insert a restriction into the deed to prevent any new owners from planting grass.

I've seen that. The process needs to be accelerated.

 

[K1052]

High speed rail is far more important than water.

Because it's either have HSR or die of dehydration.

 

[Fern]

Eh? Isnt it like anything else?

If Place A has a surfeit of Item 1 then they export it to Place B that has a need for Item 1 but pays for it by exporting Item 2.

No, it's not like many other things.

This is different, your own words highlight that fact. See your own description I underlined your post above.

"Surfeit" not found.

Fern

 

[Londo_Jowo]

Because it's either have HSR or die of dehydration.

Guess you've missed the threads where Californians were so hyped on HSR and how it must be done now.