Discussion Topic |
|
This thread has been locked |
Splater
climber
Grey Matter
|
|
"Hopefully California will prohibit exporting alfalfa to China. We have similar water problems now as they do."
Growing & exporting alfalfa is only a symptom, not the root issue. Alfalfa is just an example. All farm products use lots of water. Very few are actually low water use. Most depend on water costing far far below urban levels. Should we similarly regulate exports of every other product that used water to make it (Hundreds of farm products- cotton, rice, dairy, meat, nuts, fruit, etc.)
Or is the real issue that farmers are getting water so cheaply:
The delivered cost to an Imperial Valley farmer is $20/acre foot, about 1/50 of the market value.
Same thing with a lot of groundwater pumping - it's cheap for most pumpers, until it's gone.
|
|
rottingjohnny
Sport climber
mammoth lakes ca
|
|
Recently read that 80% of the worlds almonds come from Ca. and it takes a gallon of water to produce 1 almond...and most of the almond growers are irrigating by pumping ground water...
|
|
Gene
climber
|
|
Not buying the gallon/almond claim.
|
|
ruppell
climber
|
|
Damn it. I've been under watering my broccoli.
|
|
rottingjohnny
Sport climber
mammoth lakes ca
|
|
Don't feel bad Ruppell ....Gene has been under watering his almonds...
|
|
Gene
climber
|
|
Almonds use LOTS of water. They are killing the Central Valley. There are huge orchards that have yet to start producing. It's out of control.
But:
1 acre foot = ~325,000 gallons
Avg California 2014 almond yield/acre in 2014 was ~ 2250 lbs of meats.
~350 to 400 nuts per pound.
~800,000 – 900,000 nuts per acre.
Still, almonds are sucking the Central Valley dry.
Alfalfa is no bonus either in terms of water use. About 75% of California's alfalfa feeds dairy cows. Quit drinking milk, eating ice cream, and sipping lattes.
The water crisis is real. Ultimately, Ma Nature, rather than the government, will decide what happens.
EDIT:
REAL STUPID ANALYSIS ABOVE.
I forgot to consider that it takes several acre feet of water to grow almonds.
|
|
dave729
Trad climber
Western America
|
|
Snow is over rated. You don't want snow coming out of your tap.
Precipitation percentage of total for the Water Year will loosen
those bunched up panties. Not great but looks better than the snow.
http://www.cnrfc.noaa.gov/monthly_precip.php
|
|
Splater
climber
Grey Matter
|
|
Nuts use about the same amount of water per gram of protein as beef.
Other nuts also use a lot of water, we just grow more almonds.
In other words, there are numerous poor uses of water.
http://www.waterfootprint.org/?page=files/Animal-products
"- we should consider water consumed per gram of protein. In this case, pulses (including beans, lentils, peas, etc.) win out at 5 gallons per gram of protein, followed by eggs at 7.7 gal./gram, milk at 8.2 gal./gram, and chicken at 9 gal./gram. The numbers only go up from there, with beef topping the scale, requiring 29.6 gallons of water per gram of protein."
"Chicken at 518 gallons of water per pound. Beef requires the most water, at 1,847 gal./lb., followed by sheep at 1,248 gal./lb. and pork at 718 gal./lb. If you're going to eat meat, go with chicken. Better yet try eggs, which take 395 gal./lb., or plant based protein. For dairy products, cheese and butter take more than milk at 381 gal./lb. and 665 gal./lb. respectively. Milk by itself uses only 122 gallons of water per pound."
"Hazelnuts and walnuts at 1,260 gal./lb. and 1,112 gal./lb. respectively. That's still a lot of water! But almonds and cashews take more, averaging 1,929 gal./lb. and 1,704 gal./lb. It takes 1,362 gallons of water to produce one pound of pistachios." Olive oil is 1729. Chocolate is 2000.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/13/food-water-footprint_n_5952862.html
Uses for Chinese water:
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20150402-the-worst-place-on-earth
|
|
Charlie D.
Trad climber
Western Slope, Tahoe Sierra
|
|
Wrights Lake, El Dorado County April 4, 2015. It should be frozen over and there should be at least 4 feet of snow with us on skis instead of wearing approach shoes:
We are going to have hell to pay.
|
|
nita
Social climber
chica de chico, I don't claim to be a daisy.
|
|
* oops... I had put this on the wrong thread earlier..
April so far..2015...
4th..
7th..
8th
Hoping for more late spring storms..Like the one big storm last year ....Bring it..
April 26th.2014
|
|
Ken M
Mountain climber
Los Angeles, Ca
|
|
|
Apr 11, 2015 - 12:29am PT
|
Sprinklers were addressed in the previous restrictions. They've been in effect in LA for three years.
|
|
donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
|
|
|
Apr 11, 2015 - 07:51am PT
|
Rock garden and Astro turf lawns, shuttered golf courses, dust devils in the Central Valley.....brace yourself Oklahoma , a reverse Grapes of Wrath is coming.
|
|
Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
|
|
|
Apr 11, 2015 - 08:04am PT
|
brace yourself Oklahoma , a reverse Grapes of Wrath is coming.
There may be an exodus from California, but I don't think it's going to be to Oklahoma. Not going to be water there for much longer.
I think it's time to start working on a big fence at the Oregon/California border.
|
|
rincon
climber
Coarsegold
|
|
|
Apr 11, 2015 - 08:35am PT
|
With the lower flow toilets they might not have enough water for the sewer lines to work properly. That's what a plumber was telling me recently.
|
|
Bruce Morris
Social climber
Belmont, California
|
|
|
Apr 11, 2015 - 11:54am PT
|
eKat, my grandfather homesteaded with his young family out by Custer Battlefield in 1916. Does that count me as a native Montanan? After his wife died in the great flu epidemic of 1918, grandpa got driven out of the valley by some big guy who bought up all the land and - not surprisingly - grabbed all the water rights and turned off grandpa's spigot. No Montana winter wheat! There are have been problems with drought in the so-called 'Great American Desert' for a long, long, long time! That's how grandpa moved into town and became drinking buddies with Charlie Russell, the cowboy painter, who used to sell his paintings for drinks. Life was hard in Montana in those days. People just died.
|
|
TGT
Social climber
So Cal
|
|
|
Apr 11, 2015 - 12:06pm PT
|
With the lower flow toilets they might not have enough water for the sewer lines to work properly. That's what a plumber was telling me recently.
This is becoming a problem. I've met with plant operators at two treatment plants at opposite ends of the size spectrum in the last month or so. Conservation efforts have cut flows thru the plants to the point that they are having new problems in their collection systems and are worried about how the plants are going to handle the increased biological loading.
|
|
apogee
climber
Technically expert, safe belayer, can lead if easy
|
|
|
Apr 11, 2015 - 12:38pm PT
|
That almost looks like news, Ward!
Edit: "No its an opinion piece."
Ya got that right.
|
|
|
SuperTopo on the Web
|
Let us know!