California ... About One Year of Water Left

As our “wet” season draws to a close, it is clear that the paltry rain and snowfall have done almost nothing to alleviate epic drought conditions. January was the driest in California since record-keeping began in 1895. Groundwater and snowpack levels are at all-time lows. We're not just up a creek without a paddle in California, we're losing the creek too.

Data from NASA satellites show that the total amount of water stored in the Sacramento and San Joaquin river basins — that is, all of the snow, river and reservoir water, water in soils and groundwater combined — was 34 million acre-feet below normal in 2014. That loss is nearly 1.5 times the capacity of Lake Mead, America's largest reservoir.

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Right now the state has only about one year of water supply left in its reservoirs, and our strategic backup supply, groundwater, is rapidly disappearing. California has no contingency plan for a persistent drought like this one (let alone a 20-plus-year mega-drought), except, apparently, staying in emergency mode and praying for rain.

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[Author:]

Jay Famiglietti is the senior water scientist at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory/Caltech and a professor of Earth system science at UC Irvine.

California has about one year of water left.
Will you ration now?

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OBSERVATIONS-n-OPINIONS:

1. The 'cruelest' Winter I've Ever Seen ...
( including 'Desalination' )

2. The TRUELY Smart-People are the ones who can ...
Learn From Other's Mistakes.
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California will be fine the residents will conserve water and the government will take water from the Colorado river or steal it from other sources. No reason to panic.

a reply to: FarleyWayne

Uh oh, every state should start making 'no Californians need apply' signs immediately.

Let's hope they don't figure out how to distill water.

Quick, Get to the Choppa

Maybe they should have spent the last 5-10 years funding and building desalination plants instead of the 100 billion dollar non-bullet train debacle. This is what happens when you build a mega metropolis in a desert (Los Angeles) and then you overpopulate it. Bad planning all around.

It's not just California either. Our nation's infrastructure is crumbling all around us but we'd rather spend billions in foreign aid, wars, and the like. Rebuilding our nation should be the number one priority. As a bonus it would create much needed, well paying jobs for years to come.

a reply to: greencmp

So your plan would be to block everyone in and refuse to help???

Do you know how harmful that would be for everyone including yourself???

California's agricultural abundance includes more than 400 commodities. The state produces nearly half of US-grown fruits, nuts and vegetables. Across the nation, US consumers regularly purchase several crops produced solely in California.
CDFA Stats

a reply to: mOjOm

Always jarring when someone states they want millions of people to die all because they think they're all progressives and liberals. Being American or even just human means nothing. Zealotry.

a reply to: mOjOm

This is more environmental catastrophism, distilling enough water is completely feasible. I believe it works out to about $1 per gallon.

The aquifers are being run out and that is bad but, not the end of the world. I am more concerned with whether the emptied cavities will remain structurally sound. Perhaps they can be used as reservoirs for distilled sea water.

a reply to: Kali74

Way to go, thanks for supporting my point.

originally posted by: greencmp
a reply to: mOjOm

This is more environmental catastrophism, distilling enough water is completely feasible. I believe it works out to about $1 per gallon.

The aquifers are being run out and that is bad but, not the end of the world. I am more concerned with whether the emptied cavities will remain structurally sound. Perhaps they can be used as reservoirs for distilled sea water.

I'm all for finding a solution. If it's using sea water or whatever that is at least an attempt at finding a solution.

Much better than what you seemed to be suggesting earlier which was basically, "Cut 'em loose and save ourselves!" Perhaps that wasn't your intention but that is what it sounded like at first.

a reply to: mOjOm

I didn't realize that my sardonic mirth went undetected.

a reply to: Kali74

That kind of attitude seems to be the norm in the world today. I miss the old days when American's would rally together in the face of a crisis. Now it seems the rally cry is "Screw you, I got mine, now you get yours if you can. I'm outta here."

a reply to: mOjOm

Kinda like unions and advocates of minimum wage.

originally posted by: greencmp
a reply to: FarleyWayne

Uh oh, every state should start making 'no Californians need apply' signs immediately.

Let's hope they don't figure out how to distill water.

California has enough water for at least 5more years. There's no water "crisis" as of yet. No national guard handing out bottles of water downtown. Just low scale water rationing.

The aquifers are not running dry they may have dropped but they are nowhere near running out.

You do realize a good amount of your produce comes from California, relatively easy to grow so it can make it to your table at minimal cost. The low cost is from the water, take it away and YOU are going to feel the repercussions. I don't care if you live on the other side of the country and buy local produce, you'll still feel it from the agricultural businesses having to ship products out west to balance out the demand of produce.

Another part of the water plan isn't even for people, it's for the wildlife, they need to release a specific amount of water for the streams and rivers salmon and fish population. The purpose for the water is not to drink but to save the environment first.

So if I were you I'd think twice before talking down on california. Because you will miss it if it's gone.

It's all built up hype based on truth. California does have plenty of water, it's just that a minimal amount of that water will get to households after most of the water makes it to the fields rivers and streams. Not even including the biggest amounts going to San francisco and the surrounding Bay Area for drinking water.

So if you're going to complain complain at San francisco they own the water not California.

a reply to: greencmp

I have trouble detecting what is sarcasm and what is not sometimes. Part of it is because it's written rather than spoken. Part of it is the fact that some people really aren't being sarcastic when they some crazy stuff.

ATS needs to make a sarcasm post button or something that identifies those posts for people like me that have a hard time knowing the difference. It happens in reverse too where people think I'm being serious when I'm not. It creates problems sometimes. Emoticons help sometimes but even then it's hard to tell the difference sometimes.

a reply to: mOjOm

True enough, that would be the invention that changed humanity.

Somehow [sarc] [/sarc] just doesn't cut it.

originally posted by: greencmp
a reply to: mOjOm

Kinda like unions and advocates of minimum wage.

How do they show the I got mine now you get yours mentality?

a reply to: Sremmos80

Because unions necessarily decrease jobs as do minimum wage laws.

And that is neither a theory nor an accident of process, it is a primary function of such policies.

originally posted by: greencmp
a reply to: mOjOm

Kinda like unions and advocates of minimum wage.

I see it everywhere, everyday. I think it's the result of having a bleak looking future. When people start viewing the future existence on the planet as being without much hope of things getting better a sort of despair sets in and survival instincts kick in.

What once was a helping hand reaching out to you in case you need it becomes a swinging fist that is knocking you out of the way as everyone tries to escape a sinking ship.

a reply to: greencmp

I think the reasoning behind why they do is not organic but we are getting far off.

On topic: With this, maybe sensationalized, article in mind, I find it almost comical that people think it would be a good time to split our state into 6 different states, which would sky rocket cost of water.