Water - Going, going ..

[Lainey]

This is the best article I've seen on the water situation in the Southwest. Very readable, very sobering. 30 years from now is it even going to be livable here?

http://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2015/...ater-supplies/

[razz]

Denial is a very common problem with humanity. Water is just one. Misuse of credit is another, having sex without thought of the long-term consequences is another, drinking and drugs without the impact on oneself and any unborn child is another. Society lives with the high cost of each of these. There seems no way of getting past the denial stage in humanity except hard experience and reducing the importance of the individual or self-interest, so prevalent today, to start thinking of the common good.

[Lainey]

And in this case there's undue influence from agribusiness including dairy farmers, cotton farmers, etc. who can buy politicians. But the fact that water - Water! - has become entangled in politics is maddening.

[freshstart]

agreed and downright scary

[creaker]

Denial is a very common problem with humanity. Water is just one. Misuse of credit is another, having sex without thought of the long-term consequences is another, drinking and drugs without the impact on oneself and any unborn child is another. Society lives with the high cost of each of these. There seems no way of getting past the denial stage in humanity except hard experience and reducing the importance of the individual or self-interest, so prevalent today, to start thinking of the common good.

It's not just denial - they've made stating the truth illegal - temporarily:

Tucked into Pavley’s package was a little-noticed provision that explicitly prohibits California state regulators from addressing the interconnection between groundwater and surface water in local water plans until 2025, a compromise meant to give local water agencies a leisurely runway to adjust to a new way of counting.

[Gregg]

We spent last weekend with a friend who travels all over the world lecturing on food safety and food security. He said, in no uncertain terms, that water is the greatest threat to security there is. That's not just food security, he meant security in terms of global political stability. He thinks that within 10-20 years, depending on drought conditions, California's commercial ag industry will effectively cease to exist specifically because of water shortages. I'm thinking now is a good time to start a garden if you don't already have one.

[pinkytoe]

It has been interesting living through the last ten years of drought here in Texas. Even with the monumental spring rains and the lakes being replenished, I think many here have accepted the fact that it is a diminishing resource. Lawns are turning brown and that's OK. We know we can no longer wash our cars in the driveway or water more than once a week. Behavior can be changed but sounds like it might be too late for CA.

[Ultralight]

I used to live in Phoenix. One of the big reasons I moved away was water. It freaked me out that it almost never rained. The canals were just out in the open and I worried some nutjob would do something to them. The city just kept getting bigger and bigger and all the restaurants had these misting machines to spray mist on people. People grew lawns like they lived in Indiana. It was wacky.

Now, back in Ohio, it rains a lot. I mean a lot. People complain, but I like it so long as I don't have to drive in it. And fishing in the rain is pure joy to me!

I think the US government with eventually pipe Great Lakes water all over the country.

[Gregg]

All the talk of restrictions on watering our precious lawns boils my blood. Lawns are an abomination in the current state of the world. Pretty, but an abomination nonetheless. As far as I know turf grass is still the #1 irrigated crop (by acres) in the US. Really? How silly is that when it could be tomatoes and beans for most of those people? If I were king lawns would be illegal except for Wimbledon. That's too cool to mess with.

[Lainey]

...
I think the US government with eventually pipe Great Lakes water all over the country.

or, we can just declare war on Canada and take their water but honestly if I did have the resources I'd be buying property around the Great Lakes or similar water-rich area for my next generation.