You probably don't want to hear this but California is using water left from fracking...

I came across this story from Natural News, (Yeah, I know, gag) but when I backtraced it, I found that there was another source, all the way back in May, so now I think it makes this story more urgent.

Yes, it's the waste water left over from fracking. The fracking liquid that contains chemicals we don't know about. This is the kind of idiocy posing as one solution to the California man-made water crisis. Although the drought is exacerbated by climate change, the water crisis is occurring due to irresponsible farming practices. Specifically, the 47% of California water which is used for dairy factory farms, livestock production and crops used for animal feed...

I can't understand the mentality from this kind of thinking. Yes, I know greed greed greed, but must that be the answer for EVERYTHING? Why not make french fries with used motor oil from your car then? Doesn't anyone have a conscience any more?

California seems to think it has a good thing going utilizing fracking waste water. California produces nearly 50% of all fruit and vegetables in US. Although there are other areas in US more suited to produce produce than California, California seems reluctant to cede it's production to more suitable areas regardless of the consequences to our food supply.

I try my best not to buy food from Cali due to Fukishima, (I know how that may sound to some of you, and I'm ok with that) but when the farmers themselves do it knowingly?

And then there's this charming lil post-script.

6:57 PM PT: Further research revealed that CA is probably not alone in using fracking wastewater for irrigation. From Ecowatch:

EPA allowance

I used to think these crazy ppl saying the govt. is out to soft-kill us were just looney, now I'm not so sure.

Source

Primary Source

Well California is big on recycling...

a reply to: schadenfreude

Considering the drought over in California, where else are they going to get their water from?

Even scarier than California’s shrinking reservoirs is its shrinking groundwater supply

Things are getting bad in Cali if they are resorting to things like in your OP.

a reply to: Krazysh0t

I don't claim to know what to do about it, all I know is that no one knows what's IN the waste water, or how well its filtered. (Or if it even CAN be filtered safely) Does anyone know? More importantly, if someone gave out a list, would you trust them considering how companies don't even want GMO foods to be labelled.

And honestly, who would drink waste water? Now realize that the water inside your produce is exactly that. (To what percentage I have no fricking clue, nor does anyone. Again that's the problem.)

a reply to: schadenfreude

Well frack fluid is 97-99% regular water with friction reducing additives and biocide to keep the fractures clean and open and a little acid for mud control.i personally don't know what biocide they use or its effect on drinking water.

Assuming some of these chemicals get used up threw reaction to environment amongst other things it's hard to say how if at all these would effect water quality. All the additives combine only make up 2% of the fracking fluid.

However 2% is a very substantial number when we are dealing with things dissolved it water. 1% is 10000ppm or 10000mg(10g)for ever 1l(1kg)of water you have.

geology.com...

a reply to: schadenfreude

If we can construct oil pipelines, I'm sure there wouldn't be a problem in constructing water pipelines from the north or areas that receive too much precipitation. How often do people up north complain about how much snow they receive? Melt it and pipe it to California! It would be a win-win situation.

Typical government procrastination, they'll wait until Californian's flee the state like refugees before they act on fixing the problem. Our government's priority is funneling trillions of dollars into the military budget instead of using those trillions of dollars to help the people who they represent!

a reply to: schadenfreude

I'm not saying I agree with the decision. I'm just trying to say that it appears that California may be between a rock and a hard place here and there may be more driving the decision to do this than just greed.

The chemicals can be cleaned out of the water by good filtering and other treatments. Now the question is are they treating it and to the levels needed to make it drinkable.

Not having water is bringing up another problem.


www.livescience.com...

California is sinking even faster than scientists had thought, new NASA satellite imagery shows.

Some areas of the Golden State are sinking more than 2 inches (5.1 centimeters) per month, the imagery reveals. Though the sinking, called subsidence, has long been a problem in California, the rate is accelerating because the state's extreme drought is fueling voracious groundwater pumping.

a reply to: schadenfreude

I had to ask....but.....assuming a person doesn't live in California........why would they not want to hear it? They probably wouldn't care one way or the other. Just sayin', I thought the thread title a bit odd.

originally posted by: WeRpeons
a reply to: schadenfreude

If we can construct oil pipelines, I'm sure there wouldn't be a problem in constructing water pipelines from the north or areas that receive too much precipitation. How often do people up north complain about how much snow they receive? Melt it and pipe it to California! It would be a win-win situation.

Typical government procrastination, they'll wait until Californian's flee the state like refugees before they act on fixing the problem. Our government's priority is funneling trillions of dollars into the military budget instead of using those trillions of dollars to help the people who they represent!

Aquaducts are no small project, it is one of the "necessary public works" that is troubling for me since it would be unlikely that a city would pay a private entity to bring them water, at least in this political climate.

When I have mulled this over, desalination seems like the best bet. Maybe it could be integrated with tidal power but, I can't see people paying an "evil" corporation to provide them with clean water.

Who would invest in such a project knowing that it would almost certainly be commandeered by the state. Probably only cronies who might plan to nationalize out when the getting is good in the first place so long term build quality would be questionable.

Whatever they do I bet nestle isn't having any water issues at their bottling factory. Never mind that they pay cost for the water from the state to resell to its residents at a huge markup...or the fact they most likely get subsidies as well. Not like the status quo now a days isn't to sell out the citizens for a buck anyway though...riiight??

a reply to: TonyS

if you went to the link you'd see that's the title of it. (minus the fact it was too long for ATS thread filters)

I would imagine though, that basically, "ignorance is bliss". Unless you know personally farmers that don't do this, what can ANYONE do about it? How much research are you going to do to protect your family's health? How many miles are you willing to drive to buy from ppl that don't do it? (If you can find them at all)

This is all guesstimation of course, seeing as how I'm not a mind-reader, but that's how I took it.

I've often thought if someone were to start a hydroponics farm, using only filtered water & protecting it from rainwater within an enclosure, they could make a MINT. Provided they started with generational seeds in the first place.

originally posted by: WeRpeons
a reply to: schadenfreude

If we can construct oil pipelines, I'm sure there wouldn't be a problem in constructing water pipelines from the north or areas that receive too much precipitation. How often do people up north complain about how much snow they receive? Melt it and pipe it to California! It would be a win-win situation.

Typical government procrastination, they'll wait until Californian's flee the state like refugees before they act on fixing the problem. Our government's priority is funneling trillions of dollars into the military budget instead of using those trillions of dollars to help the people who they represent!

Yes, I agree.

Also, why not put in a massive pipeline from the ocean to the desert southwest and use massive solar distillation. The salt can be sold and the water pumped back.

While we are at it, install algae farms there as well. Make glass at site where there is plenty of sand.

We are 18 Trillion in Debt. Screw it, devote 500 Billion or so at this and we are in business.

originally posted by: schadenfreude
a reply to: Krazysh0t

I don't claim to know what to do about it, all I know is that no one knows what's IN the waste water, or how well its filtered. (Or if it even CAN be filtered safely) Does anyone know? More importantly, if someone gave out a list, would you trust them considering how companies don't even want GMO foods to be labelled.

And honestly, who would drink waste water? Now realize that the water inside your produce is exactly that. (To what percentage I have no fricking clue, nor does anyone. Again that's the problem.)

They know exactly what's in it its called chemical testing. And of course it can be filtered all water can from anything just involves different procedures depending an what needs to be removed. I guarantee in the future all water will be recycled period. We haven't had to do that up to this point but it will happen.

a reply to: infolurker

Don't get me started on algae....

The EPA will never let you grow algae...

ever.

originally posted by: ObjectZero
The chemicals can be cleaned out of the water by good filtering and other treatments. Now the question is are they treating it and to the levels needed to make it drinkable.

That's the big question if they are and how they are. As long as they do it right nothing will be in the water. Though some of it may be a benefit depending on things like nitrogen content who knows.

Lots of aquarium hobbiest have micro algea farms for their aquariums. I myself had severl 2L cultures once upon a time. Sometimes though a bottle would get some bacteria in it and get pretty gross.

a reply to: grey580

a reply to: Athetos

Algae oil is a carbon neutral liquid fuel. It can easily be used in our power plants, and diesel engines.

If we utilized 1/10 of the uninhabited land of New Mexico, we could provide enough for the entire nation. 100% energy independence and we get can get animal feed, salt, and fresh water as by-products.

Win / Win / Win