Could California be facing a water collapse?

[LordMortis]

There is a lot of evidence supporting the notion that fracking can increase earthquakes too.

And that's #2

[Max Peck]

1/3 of world's major aquifers are being sucked dry, NASA data shows

Human water use is sucking dry around a third of the world's largest underground water basins at an alarming rate, with potentially risky consequences for farmers and other consumers, researchers said. Eight of the planet's 37 biggest aquifers are classified as "overstressed" because they have almost no new water flowing in to offset usage, according to two studies from the University of California based on NASA satellite data. Another five aquifers are classified as "highly stressed", meaning some water is flowing back into them but they are still in trouble, said the studies published in the journal Water Resources Research this week.

[LordMortis]

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/0 ... ing-water/

In Texas, it is illegal to make fracking illegal?

Oil and gas is big business in Texas, which passed a law this year that prevents towns and cities from banning fracking. Denton, which is located in the Barnett Shale region, was forced to revoke its ban — the first in Texas — this week, citing the cost of litigation.

[Isgrimnur]

Damn it. I was hoping Denton would be able to hand the state their hat.

[The Meal]

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/0 ... ing-water/

In Texas, it is illegal to make fracking illegal?

Oil and gas is big business in Texas, which passed a law this year that prevents towns and cities from banning fracking. Denton, which is located in the Barnett Shale region, was forced to revoke its ban — the first in Texas — this week, citing the cost of litigation.

Not just Texas. Colorado has the same law on the books (frackers are good lobbyiests). My home town ousted the frackers against state law a few years back and are not in a protracted legal dispute. I linked to a national article recently (in this thread, I believe).

[Pyperkub]

The May numbers are encouraging:

Drought-weary California received encouraging news Wednesday when officials announced that residential water use had dropped 29% during the month of May -- the first real indication that the state might meet unprecedented conservation reductions imposed by Gov. Jerry Brown.

I'm one of the ones who remembers the '77 drought, when the state faced similar problems and came up big. Kudos for the folks who have sacrificed for the common good here.

[Newcastle]

not to brag and am sure others have done more. But i've really altered how I live. I havent properly washed my car in over 1.5 years; when i do dishes now I fill a pot w/ hot water and use that to soap, then do quick rinse offs. I limit my showers to no more than 3-5 minutes; i even have a small trash can that i use to put the water that I run to get the shower warm. I've got no lawn so thats a bonus. But i've been doing this for the last several years.

[Scuzz]

The May numbers are encouraging:

Drought-weary California received encouraging news Wednesday when officials announced that residential water use had dropped 29% during the month of May -- the first real indication that the state might meet unprecedented conservation reductions imposed by Gov. Jerry Brown.

I'm one of the ones who remembers the '77 drought, when the state faced similar problems and came up big. Kudos for the folks who have sacrificed for the common good here.

I no longer have a back lawn and only about a 1/3 of my front lawn. We reduced our usage about 30% the first month they measured.

Remember though, this is residential water use. That means about 2-4% of the total water in the state. I think it is disgraceful that after we passed a bond to do something about water storage nothing has been done.

[naednek]

The May numbers are encouraging:

Drought-weary California received encouraging news Wednesday when officials announced that residential water use had dropped 29% during the month of May -- the first real indication that the state might meet unprecedented conservation reductions imposed by Gov. Jerry Brown.

I'm one of the ones who remembers the '77 drought, when the state faced similar problems and came up big. Kudos for the folks who have sacrificed for the common good here.

Weird this article shows that the Southern parts of the state were the big wasters
http://www.actionnewsnow.com/news/areas ... a-drought/

(forgot the forum was still broken not linking urls the correct way)

[Isgrimnur]

CBS

A water district has sued Tom Selleck, claiming the star of the crime shows "Magnum, P.I." and "Blue Bloods" stole truckloads of water from a public hydrant and brought it to his ranch in drought-stricken California.

The Calleguas Municipal Water District in Ventura County claims a tanker truck filled up at a hydrant more than a dozen times and hauled water to a 60-acre ranch owned by Selleck in Westlake Village.

The district also says it spent nearly $22,000 to hire a private investigator to document the alleged thefts that date back two years.

The Los Angeles Times says Selleck grows avocados at the ranch.
...
The district claims it sent Selleck cease-and-desist letters aimed at halting the unlawful water deliveries, but the truck was spotted as recently as March filling up at the hydrant on four days and delivering water to the ranch.

The suit does not specify how much water was taken.

In addition to legal fees and investigative costs, the water district is seeking an injunction barring Selleck and his contractors or employees from taking water from the district.

[LawBeefaroni]

"Ha ha, fuck you normal people! See my balls?"

[cheeba]

Why the hell would they hire a private investigator? Don't they have like actual investigators to do such a thing?

[malchior]

It seems to me based on the cost and the logistics - they probably needed someone literally sitting there to catch them in the act - which was an irregular event. More than they would typically dedicate an employee to probably.

[LawBeefaroni]

It seems to me based on the cost and the logistics - they probably needed someone literally sitting there to catch them in the act - which was an irregular event. More than they would typically dedicate an employee to probably.

They can also act independently since they're not a city employee. More leeway.

And of course, it's fitting that a P.I. nails Magnum P.I. That's almost worth the $22K by itself.

[Scuzz]

The cities of Fresno and Clovis recycle water that is now being sold, by the truck load commercially. The water is free to individuals, you just have to figure out how to haul it. It is not to be used for drinking or watering eatable plants however, because of the laws.

[Isgrimnur]

LA mayor floats a plan to help:

Facing a long-term water crisis, officials concerned with preserving a reservoir in Los Angeles hatched a plan: They would combat four years of drought with 96 million plastic balls.

On Monday, Mayor Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles arrived at the 175-acre reservoir to release the final installment of the project: 20,000 small black orbs that would float atop the water.
...
Mr. Garcetti said that the dark balls would help block sunlight and UV rays that promote algae growth, which would help keep the city’s drinking water safe. Officials also said the balls would help slow the rate of evaporation, which drains the water supply of about 300 million gallons a year. The balls cost $0.36 each and are part of a $34.5 million initiative to protect the water supply.

Video and pics at the link.

[Jaymann]

Why the hell would they hire a private investigator? Don't they have like actual investigators to do such a thing?

Or even secure the hydrant from theft?

[Daehawk]

LA mayor floats a plan to help:

Facing a long-term water crisis, officials concerned with preserving a reservoir in Los Angeles hatched a plan: They would combat four years of drought with 96 million plastic balls.

On Monday, Mayor Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles arrived at the 175-acre reservoir to release the final installment of the project: 20,000 small black orbs that would float atop the water.
...
Mr. Garcetti said that the dark balls would help block sunlight and UV rays that promote algae growth, which would help keep the city’s drinking water safe. Officials also said the balls would help slow the rate of evaporation, which drains the water supply of about 300 million gallons a year. The balls cost $0.36 each and are part of a $34.5 million initiative to protect the water supply.

Video and pics at the link.

Thats pretty cool but wouldn't white ones work better because those black ones would absorb heat and become hot?

[$iljanus]

LA mayor floats a plan to help:

Facing a long-term water crisis, officials concerned with preserving a reservoir in Los Angeles hatched a plan: They would combat four years of drought with 96 million plastic balls.

On Monday, Mayor Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles arrived at the 175-acre reservoir to release the final installment of the project: 20,000 small black orbs that would float atop the water.
...
Mr. Garcetti said that the dark balls would help block sunlight and UV rays that promote algae growth, which would help keep the city’s drinking water safe. Officials also said the balls would help slow the rate of evaporation, which drains the water supply of about 300 million gallons a year. The balls cost $0.36 each and are part of a $34.5 million initiative to protect the water supply.

Video and pics at the link.

Thats pretty cool but wouldn't white ones work better because those black ones would absorb heat and become hot?

Well here's your explanation. And to me they look cooler too:

Why are Drought Balls Black Instead of White?

An excerpt:

The balls are coated in carbon black, a food-safe pigment with an albedo near zero. Both these characteristics are vital for explaining why the balls are designed to be a dull light-absorbing black instead of a shiny light-reflecting white, and are a lot more important than a bit of heat.

The purpose of shade balls is to provide shade, not to prevent evaporation. The primary purpose of the shade balls is to block sunlight so the ultraviolet light doesn’t catalyze nasty chemical reactions. Chlorine can breakdown into bromate when exposed to UV light, which is a carcinogen that really should violate drinking water standards instead of merely being a thing it’s nice to minimize. It is a secondary benefit that the shade also reduces evaporation, a small but important smidgeon of water savings during the ongoing extreme drought.

And:

Carbon black has an albedo near zero, which means it is incredibly dark and reflects almost no light. That in turn means that any sunlight is absorbed by the ball, not reflected or refracted. For thin plastics, black is opaque while white is translucent. Cheap, thin-walled black balls still provide actual shade while lighter colours permit sunlight to penetrate into the water. Blocking as much sunlight as possible is the name of the game for shade balls, so black is the better colour. In an interview with Mashable, a spokesperson from the ball-manufacturing company XavierC explains that this theory is backed up by their testing, “After decades of testing, black has been deemed the color that provides the best protection.”

Black will also help the balls survive longer. Ultraviolet light, the component of sunlight that gives us sunburns, is very effective at breaking down plastics. This is problematic by reducing the lifespan of the balls, and thus increasing the expense of replacing them. Carbon black will prevent the plastic from breaking down in UV light, giving them a multi-decade lifespan.

And as Wesley Snipes said, "Always bet on black."

[LawBeefaroni]

Wonder how long before
1. Someone drowns in the giant "ball pit"
2. They're featured in a movie in a new take on the classic LA reservoir car-chase scene.

[Blackhawk]

Wonder how long before
1. Someone drowns in the giant "ball pit"
2. They're featured in a movie in a new take on the classic LA reservoir car-chase scene.

3. Someone gets around to making one of the hundreds of 'takes balls' or 'black balls' jokes that this thread has set up.

[Smoove_B]

Apparently black balls matter.

[$iljanus]

Apparently black balls matter.

Or as the young hip kids say nowadays: #blackballsmatter

[Jaymann]

Wonder how long before
1. Someone drowns in the giant "ball pit"

When that happens the headlines will read: LOCAL MAN GETS BLACKBALLED

[Smoove_B]

Apparently black balls matter.

Or as the young hip kids say nowadays: #blackballsmatter

The wedding I attended a few weeks ago had a hashtag. I have never felt so old and useless in my life. But hey, open bar and lots of ice for my drinks. Sorry CA.

[$iljanus]

Apparently black balls matter.

Or as the young hip kids say nowadays: #blackballsmatter

The wedding I attended a few weeks ago had a hashtag. I have never felt so old and useless in my life. But hey, open bar and lots of ice for my drinks. Sorry CA.

No worries. The open bar at weddings is what brings the generations together. That and the chicken dance.

[Kraken]

Apparently black balls matter.

Or as the young hip kids say nowadays: #blackballsmatter

The wedding I attended a few weeks ago had a hashtag. I have never felt so old and useless in my life. But hey, open bar and lots of ice for my drinks. Sorry CA.

No worries. The open bar at weddings is what brings the generations together. That and the chicken dance.

My niece's wedding next month will not have an open bar. Nor will it have a cash bar. Not to worry, though, it won't be dry: There'll be homemade mead for a toast. Yup, if I read her description right everybody gets one glass of fermented honey. I foresee an early end to the reception.

[$iljanus]

Apparently black balls matter.

Or as the young hip kids say nowadays: #blackballsmatter

The wedding I attended a few weeks ago had a hashtag. I have never felt so old and useless in my life. But hey, open bar and lots of ice for my drinks. Sorry CA.

No worries. The open bar at weddings is what brings the generations together. That and the chicken dance.

My niece's wedding next month will not have an open bar. Nor will it have a cash bar. Not to worry, though, it won't be dry: There'll be homemade mead for a toast. Yup, if I read her description right everybody gets one glass of fermented honey. I foresee an early end to the reception.

Hmm, are they having a vaping room perhaps?

[LawBeefaroni]

Apparently black balls matter.

Or as the young hip kids say nowadays: #blackballsmatter

The wedding I attended a few weeks ago had a hashtag. I have never felt so old and useless in my life. But hey, open bar and lots of ice for my drinks. Sorry CA.

No worries. The open bar at weddings is what brings the generations together. That and the chicken dance.

My niece's wedding next month will not have an open bar. Nor will it have a cash bar. Not to worry, though, it won't be dry: There'll be homemade mead for a toast. Yup, if I read her description right everybody gets one glass of fermented honey. I foresee an early end to the reception.

I went to a friends wedding in a dry county. It's amazing how everyone manages to bring a flask to a dry wedding without any coordination at all. It's just an innate reaction.

It's also amazing how well a car trunk doubles as a bar.

[Isgrimnur]

The real question is whether or not I want to consume some of the beer left over from my wedding after donating blood an hour ago.

[ImLawBoy]

The real question is whether or not I want to consume some of the beer left over from my wedding after donating blood an hour ago.

In college I had a friend who would sometimes give blood on a Friday so that it would be easier to get drunk that night. I think he might have had a problem.

[noxiousdog]

The real question is whether or not I want to consume some of the beer left over from my wedding after donating blood an hour ago.

I tried that yesterday. Make sure to drink extra water. The buzz wasn't that good, but one scotch gave me a slight hangover.

[Isgrimnur]

That seems to be the online consensus. Guess I'll hold off until tomorrow at least.

[RLMullen]

The real question is whether or not I want to consume some of the beer left over from my wedding after donating blood an hour ago.

In college I had a friend who would sometimes give blood on a Friday so that it would be easier to get drunk that night. I think he might have had a problem.

When I was in college I didn't give blood for the purpose of getting a cheap drunk, BUT if I donated blood before a traditional drinking night I considered the cheap buzz a bonus. Now that I'm old, I use blood donation as an excuse to have steak that night. I don't know if protein helps the body regenerate red blood cells and I don't really care, because STEAK!


*Someone must keep this going because we're on track for some sort of world record for "thread derail".

[Kraken]

OK, I'll go: In college I sold plasma twice a week for grocery money. I got $5 for the first donation and $7 for the second. As often as not I spent that on beer, because food stamps already covered groceries to the princely tune of $56/month. On my budget, the extra buzz was worth it.

I really ought to give whole blood once more to get my 4-gallon pin. I stopped donating after they had some trouble hitting my veins the last couple of times.

[Paingod]

I really ought to give whole blood once more to get my 4-gallon pin. I stopped donating after they had some trouble hitting my veins the last couple of times.

I never got near a single gallon, but it was the same thing that drove me off. I didn't mind helping out - but the time I went in and the nurse was all "Let's try this a third time" was the last time I went.

[Scuzz]

The real question is whether or not I want to consume some of the beer left over from my wedding after donating blood an hour ago.

When i worked for the government (in my 20's) me and some co-workers would give blood, get some time off and then go drinking. It was part of the process.

I should be very near the 4 gallon mark now. I already have the 3 gallon plaque.

To stay on thread, according to my last water bill I have saved 63% of water from my 2013 bill. Of course I no longer have a back lawn and the front lawn is just about gone.

[Jeff V]

So...the solution to their water crisis it seems is to replace water with blood and booze. I look forward to the produce section of the future: watermelon pre-loaded with vodka; blood oranges in type A, B, and O...

[Rip]

Despite living in one of the most car-centric and image-conscious cities in the world, many Los Angeles drivers have cut their carwashes during the crippling drought.

Not so for the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

The majority of the supervisors wash their take-home cars two or three times a week, service records show, and actually washed them more frequently after Gov. Jerry Brown ordered a 25 percent cut in urban water use. As the county’s washes continue to consume tap water, some other local governments have pledged to skip washes for months or are using recirculated water.

“When government takes the initiative, it really says something about their leadership,” said Rachel Stich, spokeswoman for Los Angeles Waterkeeper, an environmental group that started a pledge drive for dirty cars. “If they’re going to be asking their residents to conserve water, everybody needs to be stepping up.”

http://www.dailynews.com/government-and ... mes-a-week

[Isgrimnur]

Water from the sky!

A late fall storm drenched California with rain and dumped nearly three feet of snow to help bolster the vital Sierra Nevada snowpack but also triggered mud flows, flooded roads and traffic snarls as it tapered off early Friday.

With thousands of acres of wildfire burn scars all over the state, authorities were warily monitoring barren slopes where parched earth soaked with rain can cause life-threatening mudslides.

Mud from the San Gabriel Mountains flowed into the foothill city of Duarte east of Los Angeles before dawn, affecting 18 homes where residents were told to not to leave, KCBS-TV reported. Firefighters rescued two people stuck in cars.
...
Torrential rain fell on the coast between San Francisco and Los Angeles near the landmark Hearst Castle late Thursday and rockslides closed about 36 miles of Highway 1 in the region. Highway crews expected to have the scenic route reopened by midafternoon Friday. A weather station in the area recorded more than 5 inches of rain.

In the Sierra Nevada, the Tioga Pass entry point to Yosemite National Park received 35 inches of snow in 24 hours, the weather service said.
...
Downtown Los Angeles, in a part of the state that has been categorized as in the midst of “extreme drought,” had collected 1.58 inches of rain from the storm by Friday morning.

In Hollywood, hundreds of people were pelted by rain for hours Thursday night as they stood outside trying to get into a rare Metallica concert at a small venue, the Henry Fonda Theater.
...
San Francisco recorded more than an inch of rain in 24 hours, with areas further north seeing 2 to 4 inches and 5 to nearly 7 inches recorded in some areas of the Sierra Nevadas, along with at least one wind gust of over 100 mph.