Lake Mead lowest level in history.

[KevWind]

This is bad news for so many people, although sadly it is not like it's really new-s. After all the area has more or less been in drought cycle for almost 20 years

[Kerbie]

Yeah, that's sad and affects the whole southwest. I remember watching it get lower and lower, but it just gets worse. Saw it tonight on national news.

[Mycroft]

Kind of puts guitars in perspective, don't it.

[H165]

It's interesting in light of the fact that new construction continues at breakneck speed in the areas that claim to be running short of Colorado River water.

[Jobe]

Originally Posted by H165

It's interesting in light of the fact that new construction continues at breakneck speed in the areas that claim to be running short of Colorado River water.

That is a good point. Why buy property in a place that will be rationing water soon? This will take years to recover and let's not push the issue. It's not looking good.

[geewhiz]

Originally Posted by H165

It's interesting in light of the fact that new construction continues at breakneck speed in the areas that claim to be running short of Colorado River water.

CLAIM to be?

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by geewhiz

CLAIM to be?

I am betting rationing this summer will shed some light on such "claims"

Meanwhile of course the overall problem is multifaceted and very complex , such that simplistic generalized answers or blame, fail to enlighten the reality .


The real big picture issue is that for both of the fundamental factors ,,, supply and demand , at (current practice and levels ) we "could" be at critical mass sooner than later ?
In the bigger picture, expanding demand, pitted against diminishing supply, is a potential prescription for disaster.

Even the Mts where I live (which are basically the headwaters of both the Colorado and the Columbia water sheds) are only at about 50-60% of normal snow pack . Which could portend another dangerous fire season. My lower pasture part of which is considered "wetlands", is already drying up,,,, which usually does not happen until mid July to August

[MrDB]

Originally Posted by H165

It's interesting in light of the fact that new construction continues at breakneck speed in the areas that claim to be running short of Colorado River water.

Common sense would dictate that areas affected by these water issues would stop issuing building permits.

Unfortunately governments and common sense don't mix well together.

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by MrDB

Common sense would dictate that areas affected by these water issues would stop issuing building permits.

Unfortunately governments and common sense don't mix well together.

A reasonable question But a lack of common sense is not remotely limited to just governments.... juss sayin'


And as I noted it's not just a problem of new home construction Extremely wasteful and inefficient AG and industry is a far greater issue

https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/farm...tern%20States.

"Agriculture is a major user of ground and surface water in the United States, accounting for approximately 80 percent of the Nation's consumptive water use and over 90 percent in many Western States."

[Wukulele]

The Colorado River has been & continues to be drained drier & drier by SoCal & every state between SoCal & Colorado tapping into it, especially in ways that doesn’t keep future generations in mind & making bigger & bigger tinder boxes with each decade. And yet rebuilding in the same exact places in unsustainable ways continues... shortsighted developers lean on the powers that be to issue permits for all this unsustainability. The “market” demands it & the powers that be give in. There’ll always be shortsighted buyers who pay in advance for their own destruction... and everyone pays the price.

[H165]

Here's some interesting reading:

https://wrrc.arizona.edu/publication...colorado-river

https://weather.com/forecast-change/...n-out-of-water

CLAIM to be?

Yep.

A typical example is southern California's community of Irvine (and I could cite at least 20 similar cities). The city continues to approve and encourage new construction of all types, while regional water managers insist that current looming water shortages "caused by" the 1997 allocation agreements will soon be coming to roost. California has been appropriating unused Colorado River allocations for so long it's almost a tradition here. More than one million acre feet (MAF) are currently diverted.

To address directly the "CLAIM to be?" remark, California has cried wolf for years, yet I know of no instance of serious urban water rationing (where the votes are concentrated). There have been the token attempts to encourage urban transitions to low-use landscaping, but the developers and bureaucrats continue to build and approve (in fact, REQUIRE) lush urban greenbelts and the installation of high-usage greenery (like lawns). Farmers, on the other hand, claim to need more water at lower prices, yet the cost of produce has not escalated enough to ignite a widespread regulatory reaction.

I am betting rationing this summer will shed some light on such "claims"

Me too. I think this summer might initiate a reality check.

Los Angeles has in place a water management plan, but its detailed implementation appears to be years away. Other than the occasional opinion piece in the news, there seems to be no urgency around this issue at all.

[fazool]

The Hoover Dam is an engineering marvel but borderline folly.


The southwest USA and parts of California are naturally a desert but have been irrigated to make them habitable.

And yet we are surprised every time it dries out or wildfires destroy towns.

[6L6]

We’re in for another very bad year of fires here in CA. And water that is totally wasted on growing crops like rice will not be available to fight the fires or quench everyone’s thirst.

Homeowners use a tiny percentage of CA’s water. Most of it goes to farmers.

[Photojeep]

As someone who lived in Las Vegas for 41 years, I know first hand how this will affect the LV area and the other areas affected.

But first, a few interesting facts:

First off, it has been determined in hindsight the original agreement that gave the lion's share of river water to So Cal was made at the end of one of the highest river levels on record and no one believed that would change. This water has been used to turn desert land in So. Cal. into tillable agricultural land that we now rely on for much of our food.

Second, So. Cal. was the biggest population center/agriculture center in the area at that time so it made sense to give that much water to them. Las Vegas was little more than a stop on the RR from Salt Lake to LA. Bugsy Siegel was the one to start what is the Las Vegas we now love to hate.

Third, it has been determined the biggest share of water usage in LV is for residential turf grass; somewhere around 75%. By far, residential turf grass consumes far, far more than all of the Hotel/Casinos combined. Over the years I lived there, the LV valley has reduced its water consumption by over 35% while the population quadrupled.

Fourth, all the Strip fountains and other water features use grey water, not potable water. It still evaporates of course and much is lost to the dry air (typical RH in summer in LV is around 9%). After the water goes through the fountains and such it heads to the sewer plant and finally returned to Lake Mead. Each Hotel/Casino with a water feature treats the water prior to using it in the features. These water features use a tiny fraction of the water used in LV.

Fifth, between when I moved to LV in 1980 and when I left a month ago, the amount of heat absorbing concrete and asphalt increased about 10 fold (my anecdotal number based on personal observations). This means the entire valley is now a heat sink that absorbs the desert sun during the day and then releases it during the night thereby keeping the ambient temperature far higher now than it was in 1980. This keeps the evaporation rate very high even overnight resulting in greater water use.

Yes, it is a very complex problem but if developers and local governmental boards plan carefully and work to undo many of the foolish decisions of the past, catastrophic consequences can be avoided.

As for the Hoover/Boulder Dam being foolish, I beg to differ. It provides a huge amount of hydroelectric power for much of So. Cal. (the amount of which is being reduced due to shrinking water levels) and Lake Mead provides 90+% of the drinking water for the LV valley.

It is a complex problem that needs forward thinkers to solve and I wonder how long it will take for the hard decisions to be made.

Best,
PJ

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by 6L6

We’re in for another very bad year of fires here in CA. And water that is totally wasted on growing crops like rice will not be available to fight the fires or quench everyone’s thirst.

Homeowners use a tiny percentage of CA’s water. Most of it goes to farmers and their hold on the politicians in Sacramento is unbreakable. SO…. California will keep on burning.

You can’t convince me that climate change isn’t alive and well.

I just read the other day the Bay area will be implementing some fairly strict rationing

https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/10/us/ca...ncy/index.html