About Our Drought

The real problem is residential use is a small fraction of California’s problem. Agriculture takes 80% of our state’s processed water! Residents are being asked to conserve. Farmers, not so much.

We’re in a drought here in California. You probably already knew that. Governor Brown has requested we all use 25% less water. I’m not sure how to do that? We’re not profligate water wasters.

Obviously, Helaine and I are part of the problem. So are all the other residents. When you live in a desert the water’s got to come from somewhere else.

IMAG2507Our community, built in 2013, was designed using best practices for water and electrical conservation. Water to irrigate all the common areas is recycled. It’s not quite good enough to drink.

Residential use is but a small fraction of California’s problem. Agriculture takes 80% of our state’s processed water! Residents are being asked to conserve. Farmers, not so much.

We are America’s best source for fruits, vegetables and nuts. Soil in the Central and Imperial Valleys is perfect. We hardly ever see frost. Sunshine is plentiful. We just don’t have a lot of water.

Some of our ag water use is questionable considering the short supply. Nearly 10% of our water goes to produce almonds! Growing one almond takes over a gallon of water.

ONE ALMOND!

I’m willing to do my part. I’m not as willing to let others slide by. Maybe it’s time to question how our valuable water is used? Is it being sold at a fair enough price to insure people and farmers think twice before consuming?

Here’s a chart from Mother Jones with the water requirements for some California crops.

Final-gallons-per-food_2

3 thoughts on “About Our Drought”

  1. There are still opportunities for residential water savings. SoCal needs to look to areas such as Tucson, AZ to see how beautiful desert landscaping can be. If you don’t live in an area where green lawns are indigenous, then you shouldn’t have one. Rock & cactus gardens are lovely, and use a fraction of the water even a small lawn does — not to mention the reduction in the use of pesticides.

    However, the biggest opportunity for water savings in CA would be to ban fracking. That is the single biggest source of water waste in the state currently. Once water has been used in the fracking process, it is not fit to be recycled in any way.

  2. I think Meredith is on to something:

    Part of the problem out West is that much of it is an arid climate and many folks just don’t want to except that fact. A green lawn in southern Calif is not only environmentally bad – but looks foolish as well. Most people want CA to look lush and green …but it just goes against the basic arid climate of much of CA.

    Farming is disappearing in CA due to poor land use and the continued drought. Time just did a story on the abandoning of farms in the southern part of the Central Valley. Thank God we have Florida for winter fruits and veggies …or most of America 10 years from now would be buying all its fruit and winter veggies from offshore!

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