Forget about asteroids; the coming drought will do us in!

[ERD50]

I'm not sure, but I think they also count the water used to raise the crops that the cow ate to drive the number up to a more impressive level.

Right, these are interesting numbers, but they don't seem relevant to water shortages unless we are talking about using water over/above natural rainfall (or diverting that rainfall for crops), and that also depends on the geographic area.

We never irrigated the corn or alfalfa or soybeans we grew. You don't see much in the way of irrigation in the Midwest. Maybe some for table crops, or maybe for crops being raised for seed for next year's crop. If corn doesn't get water at some specific times during pollination and cob development, the yield can go way down - some added water at those times could make a huge difference, and seed crops are much higher value (and smaller overall acreage) than feed crops.

But it does make sense to include the water used on crops to feed the meat we eat - we could just eat the crops.

-ERD50

 

[NW-Bound]

... But it does make sense to include the water used on crops to feed the meat we eat - we could just eat the crops....

What? No steak? Sous vide veggie?

Seriously, knowing the water usage for food production is crucial to manage this resource more effectively. But why aren't almond and other nut trees not grown east of the Mississippi? Almond trees do not like cold!

The water shortage is just nature's way of pointing out: too many people in California.

Californians know that the state is crowded. They have enacted Proposition 13 in 1978 to discourage newcomers. I just looked at a neighborhood in Cerritos in LA County, where I know some people. Two houses of about the same value, one has a property tax of $935, the other $6045. A factor of 6.5X. The difference? Long-time CA resident vs. newcomer.

And then, in new developments, they have Mello-Roos tax in addition. Still, people keep coming.

 

[clifp]

The LA Times didn't go into detail, but they certainly do include the water used to feed the animal. Since very few animal on modern farm actually graze, it is totally fair to include the water used in providing them with food. On the other hand, I am imagine most California cows, and pigs are fed mostly corn meal, which I suspect is mostly shipped in from the Midwest. So not clear how feeding cows midwest corn is really contributed to CA's drought.

The San Joaquin valley is pretty much desert, so virtually all the crops are irrigated. I remember driving up and down Interstate 5 and US 101 in the late 70s and see tons of rainbird sprinking the crops. I am sure those have all been replaced by drip irrigation systems, but still is down of CA water usage.

Sometime around turn of the century Vegas outlawed any type of landscaping other than desert (catcus and rocks) for new development, there is no reason that Southern California shouldn't have done the same years ago.

 

[NW-Bound]

Some Californians are now having to skip showers.

When we are traveling in our RV, the small fresh water tank of 35 gal lasts us about 3 days, with one shower each. In our home, we would use 35 gal or more for just one shower if we are not careful. Perhaps more Americans should live in RVs to save water and energy.

Drought May Prompt Californians to Let Personal Hygiene Slide

 

[meierlde]

Not taking a shower does not mean clean there is always the sponge bath I learned how with a broken arm and leg and casts that did not take well to water. You just take a sink and a washcloth and go to town. Or you would see how if you spent time in a Hospital and and incisions that should not get wet.

 

[NW-Bound]

But there's nothing like a good rinse that washes away the grime and sweat. I have found that I can dry-camp with my RV for 4 or 5 days max, then need a full hookup so I can have a longer shower. And that's when it is cold and I do not stink badly.

 

[Texas Proud]

Not taking a shower does not mean clean there is always the sponge bath I learned how with a broken arm and leg and casts that did not take well to water. You just take a sink and a washcloth and go to town. Or you would see how if you spent time in a Hospital and and incisions that should not get wet.

But there's nothing like a good rinse that washes away the grime and sweat. I have found that I can dry-camp with my RV for 4 or 5 days max, then need a full hookup so I can have a longer shower. And that's when it is cold and I do not stink badly.

The sponge bath I have heard called a spit bath....

As to having a real shower.... you can do what my mom does... turn the water on... get wet... turn water off... soap up and scrub everything... turn water on and rinse... turn water off... done...

 

[NW-Bound]

Does your mom's shower take as little as 1 gallon, as some RV'ers claim to be able to do?

I think I use about 2 or 3 gallons for an RV shower, while my wife takes 5 or 6.

 

[Gumby]

As to having a real shower.... you can do what my mom does... turn the water on... get wet... turn water off... soap up and scrub everything... turn water on and rinse... turn water off... done...

A method that every Navy veteran will recognize. Since we had to distill seawater to get every drop of freshwater onboard, and the reactor and steam plant got first priority on the water, showers had to be as water conserving as possible.

 

[Options]

Some Californians are now having to skip showers.

When we are traveling in our RV, the small fresh water tank of 35 gal lasts us about 3 days, with one shower each. In our home, we would use 35 gal or more for just one shower if we are not careful. Perhaps more Americans should live in RVs to save water and energy.

Drought May Prompt Californians to Let Personal Hygiene Slide

This is an absolute crock, and typical mainstream media sensationalist reporting. There is still entirely too much water being wasted in CA to have to resort to bad hygiene. There are way too many golf courses, country clubs, and other resorts wasting water on massive green lawns, too many lawns still being watered period, and way too many instances of mindless water waste (this very afternoon I saw water gushing out of a large pipe onto the sidewalk--it wasn't a leak, just water pouring out of a pipe on the side of a building), and way too many hotels using water hoses to wash down an entire city block. Hell, people don't even limit their showers here.

 

[NW-Bound]

I thought golf courses are watered by effluent, water reclaimed as output from sewage treatment plants.

And speaking of water, we once RV-camped in the park at Lake Cachuma near Santa Barbara. They did not allow swimming in the lake, citing the reason as it being a source for drinking water. I guess they were afraid of dirty swimmers, or peeing ones. I did not see that reason for swimming restriction cited anywhere else.

 

[Options]

Nope. As of April 18 this year, a majority of golf courses in the Coachella Valley (where Palm Springs is located, and which is desert by the way) rely on private wells. See this:

California to require golf courses to cut water use

The Coachella Valley has one of the largest concentrations of golf courses in the country, and they use nearly one-fourth of the water that is pumped from the ground in the area.

We're not even talking about the Bay Area or the rest of Southern California.

 

[Ronstar]

Scottsdale TPC claims to use reclaimed water. As do city parks. The city reprocesses wastewater for irrigation, and some to drinking water standards- according to their website. What I don't understand is how the water gets to the golf courses and parks. I not aware of separate watermains for reclaimed water only.


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[Chuckanut]

This is an absolute crock, and typical mainstream media sensationalist reporting. There is still entirely too much water being wasted in CA to have to resort to bad hygiene. There are way too many golf courses, country clubs, and other resorts wasting water on massive green lawns, too many lawns still being watered period, and way too many instances of mindless water waste (this very afternoon I saw water gushing out of a large pipe onto the sidewalk--it wasn't a leak, just water pouring out of a pipe on the side of a building), and way too many hotels using water hoses to wash down an entire city block. Hell, people don't even limit their showers here.

Not to mention leaky and inefficient irrigation equipment used by farmers. One irresponsible farmer can wipe out the conservation efforts of dozens maybe hundreds of families in the big city.

 

[NW-Bound]

About Palm Springs, I have read somewhere that it has the highest per capita water consumption in California. No one can deny the millionaires their golfing green. And they do not have enough effluent as the population density is low there anyway.

I do remember seeing signs on SoCal freeways warning that the water on some landscaped shoulders is effluent and not potable.

About Scottsdale recycled water, they have to have a separate line for lawn watering with effluent. It is not extensive as the potable water mains, hence not that expensive to build and maintain.

 

[Ronstar]

I agree - Scottsdale has to have a separate set of mains for transporting reclaimed water. The water in the lakes and irrigation at Camelback Ranch, spring training home of the Dodgers and White Sox is reclaimed. And the lakes really look like it- they're grey.


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[meierlde]

This is an absolute crock, and typical mainstream media sensationalist reporting. There is still entirely too much water being wasted in CA to have to resort to bad hygiene. There are way too many golf courses, country clubs, and other resorts wasting water on massive green lawns, too many lawns still being watered period, and way too many instances of mindless water waste (this very afternoon I saw water gushing out of a large pipe onto the sidewalk--it wasn't a leak, just water pouring out of a pipe on the side of a building), and way too many hotels using water hoses to wash down an entire city block. Hell, people don't even limit their showers here.

Actually if we want to retrofit shower water and sink water as well as rinse water from washing machines qualify as grey water and could be used to irrigate lawns. Of course very few homes have dual sewer pipes and tanks to hold the water until its time to irrigate.

 

[pb4uski]

I have always wondered why water-challenged areas of the country don't require dual waste systems for new construction and use grey water for irrigation... it would also reduce the volume of water going into sewerage treatment plants (though I'm not sure if that would be good or not).

Here, we have the opposite problem... too much water right now... everything is soggy and it is adversely affecting the corn crop.

 

[NW-Bound]

Yes, the eastern half of the US has water to share. I wonder if anyone has done a study to see the feasibility of pumping that water to the west. It takes a lot of energy, but maybe that can come from future promising cheap solar power that we currently cannot store in a cost-effective manner.

San Diego is bringing online a desalination plant, which takes a lot of power to run. I wonder if it is going to be solar powered, like plants that Saudi Arabia has.

 

[ERD50]

Yes, the eastern half of the US has water to share. I wonder if anyone has done a study to see the feasibility of pumping that water to the west. It takes a lot of energy, but maybe that can come from future promising cheap solar power that we currently cannot store in an cost-effective manner.

San Diego is bringing online a desalination plant, which takes a lot of power to run. I wonder if it is going to be solar powered, like plants that Saudi Arabia has.

Perfect application for the Hyper-Loop! No worries about passenger discomfort due to G-forces! Just some water sloshing around. Coast-to-coast Hyper-Loop!

-ERD50

 

[NW-Bound]

I do not know when it started, but as I got older I became much less enamored of high science projects like space exploration and travel, subatomic particle studies, etc... I got much more interested in everyday's problems and how we can solve them. More water for drought areas, cheaper electricity for my AC, better gas mileage for my RV, etc...

The problem with large scale projects in the US is that who will study and spearhead them? We do not trust our government (read the bureaucrats) to do it right and economically, nor the businessmen from not cutting corners and causing collateral damage to the environment or to 3rd parties, nor can we agree on how to assign the cost to people who will benefit from it.

 

[redduck]

Not taking a shower does not mean clean there is always the sponge bath I learned how with a broken arm and leg and casts that did not take well to water. You just take a sink and a washcloth and go to town.

OK, I am heading to town right now. But once I arrive, what do I do? You didn't say. I wonder how you got to town with a cast on your arm and leg. Did you take the bus? How did you carry the sink?

Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure I broke the sink as I tried to decouple it from the wall. Taking the wash cloth was easier than I expected. I guess the difficulties with the sink and the easiness of the wash cloth makes it a wash. I imagine once in town I should buy a new sink--especially since I already have the old sink with me to help me get the right-sized sink. Or maybe I could save some money: does duct tape work on sinks? I figure now that duct tape comes in a wide variety of colors, (my letter-writing campaign obviously was successful) a duct-taped sink might look pretty darn swell.

I'm also wondering if this post should have be placed on the "What Did You Do Today?" thread.

Is everybody's life this complicated?

 

[BBQ-Nut]

Actually if we want to retrofit shower water and sink water as well as rinse water from washing machines qualify as grey water and could be used to irrigate lawns. Of course very few homes have dual sewer pipes and tanks to hold the water until its time to irrigate.

There is a small new housing sub-division close to where I live with the model homes showcasing a water reclamation system that does exactly this.

DW and I were going to go play lookie-loo at these soon. The models were showcased on a local San Diego news cast with the reclamation system.

Me?

I've got the back yard all converted to drip irrigation - no more overspray or run off or water against the house.

Front yard is next.

We have big 3 gallon buckets in all the showers and a big bowl in the kitchen sink to catch grey water to use on decorative plants outside.

I do the "navy shower" routine now and don't really missed long showers - and I'm out quicker.

I'm slowly seeing more neighbors getting rid of their grass lawns (I did about 4 years ago).

It all makes sense.

 

[NW-Bound]

OK, I am heading to town right now. But once I arrive, what do I do? You didn't say. I wonder how you got to town with a cast on your arm and leg. Did you take the bus? How did you carry the sink?

Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure I broke the sink as I tried to decouple it from the wall. Taking the wash cloth was easier than I expected. I guess the difficulties with the sink and the easiness of the wash cloth makes it a wash. I imagine once in town I should buy a new sink--especially since I already have the old sink with me to help me get the right-sized sink. Or maybe I could save some money: does duct tape work on sinks? I figure now that duct tape comes in a wide variety of colors, (my letter-writing campaign obviously was successful) a duct-taped sink might look pretty darn swell.

I'm also wondering if this post should have be placed on the "What Did You Do Today?" thread.

Is everybody's life this complicated?

I remember that in a previous post, you mentioned that you had a bucket that you carried into the library and people looked at you funny. Can you use that bucket instead of the sink? It should work as well, and is even lighter to carry to town on a bus, oui?

 

[HFWR]

I do not know when it started, but as I got older I became much less enamored of high science projects like space exploration and travel, subatomic particle studies, etc... I got much more interested in everyday's problems and how we can solve them. More water for drought areas, cheaper electricity for my AC, better gas mileage for my RV, etc...

The problem with large scale projects in the US is that who will study and spearhead them? We do not trust our government (read the bureaucrats) to do it right and economically, nor the businessmen from not cutting corners and causing collateral damage to the environment or to 3rd parties, nor can we agree on how to assign the cost to people who will benefit from it.

Without the space program, we'd never have discovered Tang...