new Calif. problem: It's sinking, 2 inches/month!

http://news.yahoo.com/report-groundwater-pumping-california-land-sinking-095906653.html

Look at the image of the bridge, The water is almost to that level.

Typical humans. Don't fix it until its good and broke! ( a more realistic version of 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it' ) .

Fix California?

How do we fix it?

A thumbs down? That is the response?

I thought this was a science forum.

Again, what is the solution to the problem? How do we keep California from sinking?

Goodbye San Andreas. It ain't our fault....

Originally posted by whodey
A thumbs down? That is the response?

I thought this was a science forum.

Again, what is the solution to the problem? How do we keep California from sinking?

Not pumping so much groundwater would seem to be a good start.

Much of the water is wasted in highly inefficient systems that could be made less inefficient with proper
management. [this requires planning and regulation, which I know you cannot abide]

Also, large scale desalination could be used to supply clean fresh water to make up the shortfall.
There are a number of techniques that could be used here.
One that I like which would work for California is to use specially designed green houses that use heat and
sunlight to evaporate seawater and then re-condense it as fresh water. This uses little energy aside from the
sunlight [making use of large areas of greenhouses with low energy density instead of high energy density
desalination plants] and the greenhouses produce more fresh water than they use, and have high food production
which makes money in addition to the fresh water. As a bi-product you also get salt, which could potentially
be collected and sold... but that may or may not be commercially viable.

Also, taking drastic action to prevent further global warming/climate change to avoid making the situation
worse would be a good move.

Ok, so we save California by regulating water use, building green houses, and stopping global warming.

How much is all this going to cost and are you sure it will work?

Originally posted by whodey
Ok, so we save California by regulating water use, building green houses, and stopping global warming.

How much is all this going to cost and are you sure it will work?

Yes it would work. It would cost some people and benefit others. Right now, some people are basically throwing water away while other people don't bath for weeks because water is too expensive.

http://www.businessinsider.com/r-california-community-suffers-as-wells-dry-up-in-drought-2014-10

Larger farms have spent up to $1 million to drill 2,000 feet into the Central Valley’s ancient aquifer, Lockman said.

Improved regulation may even save money.

Originally posted by twhitehead
Yes it would work. It would cost some people and benefit others. Right now, some people are basically throwing water away while other people don't bath for weeks because water is too expensive.

http://www.businessinsider.com/r-california-community-suffers-as-wells-dry-up-in-drought-2014-10

Larger farms have spent up to $1 million to drill 2,000 ...[text shortened]... tral Valley’s ancient aquifer, Lockman said.

Improved regulation may even save money.

It's looking like the drought is not going to go away any time soon so the only way to get fresh water is desalinization but that is going to take either a lot and I mean a LOT of energy OR a lot and I mean a LOT of real estate for the solar kind.

There is a lot of research going on making desalinization more energy efficient and we may benefit greatly from that effort, not only for California but anywhere desert like and close to an ocean. You never will run out of ocean water that's for sure.

Originally posted by twhitehead
Yes it would work. It would cost some people and benefit others. Right now, some people are basically throwing water away while other people don't bath for weeks because water is too expensive.

http://www.businessinsider.com/r-california-community-suffers-as-wells-dry-up-in-drought-2014-10

Larger farms have spent up to $1 million to drill 2,000 ...[text shortened]... tral Valley’s ancient aquifer, Lockman said.

Improved regulation may even save money.

So what is the Prog government in California going to do about it?

I thought they are all a bunch of tree hugging, science loving, environmentalists.

Maybe the EPA is too busy polluting rivers to do anything about their liberal friends in California.

Originally posted by sonhouse
It's looking like the drought is not going to go away any time soon so the only way to get fresh water is desalinization but that is going to take either a lot and I mean a LOT of energy OR a lot and I mean a LOT of real estate for the solar kind.

There is a lot of research going on making desalinization more energy efficient and we may benefit greatly ...[text shortened]... ywhere desert like and close to an ocean. You never will run out of ocean water that's for sure.

When will the drought go away?

Originally posted by whodey
So what is the Prog government in California going to do about it?

I don't know, but probably very little. As I said initially, humans tend to wait until its good and broken before they try and fix something.

I thought they are all a bunch of tree hugging, science loving, environmentalists.
Well you are wrong. But that's not surprising given that what you think is invariably wrong.

Originally posted by twhitehead
I don't know, but probably very little. As I said initially, humans tend to wait until its good and broken before they try and fix something.

[b]I thought they are all a bunch of tree hugging, science loving, environmentalists.
Well you are wrong. But that's not surprising given that what you think is invariably wrong.[/b]

The entire state is run by Dims. Surely they are love trees and mother earth.

Say it ain't so!! 😲

So if over population is a problem, which it would have to be with a water shortage, why not curb illegals coming in?

Originally posted by whodey
When will the drought go away?

They say El Nino will ensure more rain for California but it will take years of more rain to end the drought.

Originally posted by whodey
Surely they are love trees and mother earth.

Say it ain't so!! 😲

It ain't so.

So if over population is a problem, which it would have to be with a water shortage, why not curb illegals coming in?
Why would it 'have to be'? You do know this is the science forum not the lies and politics forum?
The largest users of water by far are the farmers (including those growing pot 🙂 ), and rich people watering their nice lawns. Over population isn't the problem, it is how that population uses the water that is the problem. You could cut down on the farming which would also allow you cut down on illegals as you will no longer need the cheap labour so badly. It would even save you on farm subsidies which would lower your taxes.

Also you could get farmers to use water more efficiently and generally improve their farming techniques.