Northern California drought

Lan · 01-15-2014, 11:48

We're having another sunny rainless winter. Ranchers in Calaveras county are losing livestock because of a lack of plant growth. Cattle have eaten all of last years dry growth which is crucial to this years growth because it protects the new growth from frost, so the ranchers are having to pay big bucks to supplement their livestock with hay. This is just one example of many problems the lack of precipitation is causing. The link below explains more.

Article

This is a picture I took the other day of Folsom lake, which supplies a lot of the state with water.

mojaveman · 01-15-2014, 11:55

No water in Northern California means no water in Southern California. Those $25 billion water tunnels would be a good idea if only the State really had the money. When the water shortage gets severe down here people start getting cited for silly things like hosing their driveway down or watering their lawn for too long. Maybe we could get Richard to do a rain dance for us.

Lan · 01-15-2014, 12:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by mojaveman

Maybe we could get Richard to do a rain dance for us.

lol.

I'm going to add to my cache of water and dry goods now. I can't irrigate off our well because I don't want to dry up what we have, so our sheep are at the neighbors because they'd eat what we have in a day. If things get bad I'll butcher them.

mojaveman · 01-15-2014, 12:53

Here it is. A good idea I guess but in price it ranks up there with the proposed high speed rail between LA and the Bay. Wonder where the money is going to come from?

http://www.theverge.com/2014/1/15/53...-to-save-delta

mark46th · 01-15-2014, 16:58

Yup- I hunted pigs on a couple of ranches in Central Calif last year. Both were selling their cattle early because of lack of rain/grass. At this time, the Sierra snow pack is only 20% of normal for this time of year.

I think we should take the billions we are going to waste on the stupid bullet train boondoggle and use it to build nuclear powered desalinization/power plants up and down the coast of California...

mojaveman · 01-15-2014, 18:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by mark46th

I think we should take the billions we are going to waste on the stupid bullet train boondoggle and use it to build nuclear powered desalinization/power plants up and down the coast of California...

Exactly.

Saw a couple desalinization plants in Saudi last year and like the idea. At least in California we have an unending supply of seawater.

Lan · 01-15-2014, 18:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by mojaveman

Wonder where the money is going to come from?

Our politicians will cut their pay and benefits to save us. They'd never raise taxes. They're going to cut wasteful spending on state employees, departments and social programs. Mark my words.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mark46th

I think we should take the billions we are going to waste on the stupid bullet train boondoggle and use it to build nuclear powered desalinization/power plants up and down the coast of California...

I've wondered why nuclear power has not been used as a primary method of energy production, but I surmise it's political.

Richard · 01-15-2014, 19:25

The last couple of years - weatherwise - is why I'll never go back to farming/ranching...other than growing a few grapes for personal reasons, that is. I just don't need the aggravation and stress I've seen it put on those around here and back in Texas who are still in the Ag business.

We have a very deep water well here on the ranch, but I water the trees and rose bushes and pretty much let most of the grass die off this year - don't need to waste the water even though our access to it is plentiful.

And so it goes...

Richard

torturedxeno · 01-16-2014, 22:29

I was visiting my home in NorCal just last week. I couldn't believe how low the water level was at Lake Shasta. Weirdly enough, it started raining the day I drove to the airport.

Requiem · 01-16-2014, 23:09

My sister is near Folsom Lake and sent me a few photos the other day of the "mud puddle." She said the lake was at 17% capacity.

I suggested she take a metal detector out and have some fun.

S.

Lan · 01-20-2014, 19:09

Spent the day at Folsom lake today with my family. The trees in the distance are where I took the second photo.

GratefulCitizen · 01-20-2014, 20:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by mojaveman

No water in Northern California means no water in Southern California. Those $25 billion water tunnels would be a good idea if only the State really had the money. When the water shortage gets severe down here people start getting cited for silly things like hosing their driveway down or watering their lawn for too long. Maybe we could get Richard to do a rain dance for us.

The BOR is cutting Lake Powell releases to the minimum for the first time ever this water year.
Th resultant low levels at Lake Mead could trigger other actions which may affect California and other lower basin states.

There is the "fill Mead first" movement which is downright idiotic.
Powell has a lower surface area to volume ratio and is at higher altitude (colder) which means much less water lost to evaporation.

Oldrotorhead · 01-20-2014, 21:03

If CA didn't worry about salmon that they don't have and may never have and some shitty little bait fish they MIGHT have some water to get them through a few bad years. I know some of you call CA home but just how long can you live with the fruits and nuts? Maybe some of the Hollywood croud and the Silicon people can live with their swimming pool water till next winter.

mark46th · 01-20-2014, 22:16

If CA didn't worry about salmon that they don't have and may never have and some shitty little bait fish they MIGHT have some water to get them through a few bad years. I know some of you call CA home but just how long can you live with the fruits and nuts? Maybe some of the Hollywood croud and the Silicon people can live with their swimming pool water till next winter." Old Rotor Head..

The reason is groups like the Sierra Club and activist judges. If I ever buy a ranch and an endangered species shows up on it, I will hunt it down and kill it. I know one rancher who can't improve a dirt road on his property because it crosses a 6 foot wide gully that would be good habitat for a moth that has never been seen on his land but MIGHT magically appear.

mojaveman · 01-20-2014, 23:08

Quote:

The reason is groups like the Sierra Club and activist judges. If I ever buy a ranch and an endangered species shows up on it, I will hunt it down and kill it. I know one rancher who can't improve a dirt road on his property because it crosses a 6 foot wide gully that would be good habitat for a moth that has never been seen on his land but MIGHT magically appear.

Yep.

Do you remember how ridiculous it was getting with the Stephens Kangeroo Rat about 20 years ago? Proposals were made for expensive retaining walls to be built and land owners were not being allowed to disc for fire prevention because of the possibility of killing a few of them?

The enviromentalists here in California take species protection to the extreme.

I always thought that it was kind of crazy that they want to do all of these great things to protect a certian type of animal yet we do nothing to take care of the homeless homo sapiens in this state.

Kalifornia, fascinating and fruity.