California Drought

On 7/26/2015 3:07 PM, Hypatia Nachshon wrote:
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The mains that have been breaking -- and wasting millions of gallons of precious water -- are under the jurisdiction of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LA DWP), not the MWD. And it is the LA DWP that has come under severe criticism in recent years for (among other things) a botched roll-out of a new computer billing system, payments to foundations controlled by the primary LA DWP labor union without any accountability of how the money has been spent, and millions of dollars transferred annual to the Los Angeles City budget but not having enough money to replace centry-old water mains.
It is the LA DWP that reimburses businesses and home-owners for damaged caused when a LA DWP main breaks. The LA DWP will soon be paying several millions of dollars to UCLA for damage to campus buildings and equipment for a double break. The same break resulted in destruction of a number of private automobiles parked in an underground garage at UCLA, andother liability against the LA DWP.

On Sunday, July 26, 2015 at 4:15:54 PM UTC-7, David E. Ross wrote:
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You are correct. I apologize to MWD for indicting them for the mis/mal/non-feasance committed by DWP. They have been "untouchable" for far too long. We are still hearing/reading fallout from the incidents you cite, and many others.
HB

thanks to a huge amount of new rainfall in the upper Colorado River Basin and recent rains in southern California (Delores) you folks are getting a little more breathing room.
i hope you use it wisely...
songbird

On 7/19/2015 9:32 AM, songbird wrote:
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Yesterday's rains (1.26 inches near my house) will do little to refill California's reservoirs. The primary source of water for the reservoirs is precipitation in central and -- most important -- northern California. Some cities in southern California -- including Los Angeles -- do attempt to capture rainfall and use it to replenish underground aquifers. And, of course, we all will be using less water for a while to irrigate our gardens.
Where I live, we do not get any water from the Colorado River. A slight increase in its flow from storms in the northern part of its watershed will mean a slightly less demand for water from the California Water Project's dams and aqueduct.
Thus, we are getting some minor relief. At this stage of the drought, even minor relief is welcome.
Today, I have not seen any rain. The weather is hot, cloudy, and extremely humid. The 9:00am PDT forecast is for 50%-60% probability of measurable rain this afternoon, this evening, and daytime Monday. "50%-60% probability" means that 50%-60% of the area will experience some rain, not that all areas have a 50%-60% probability of rain.
As of 30 June, 12 major California reservoirs were collectively at 37% of capacity. That is less than half the historical average for that date.

David E. Ross wrote:
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yes, however, my post was aiming more at the difference a few million acre feet of water will make over the next few years that as of a few months ago were not there. it was looking like they may have had to declare a shortage for Lake Mead water levels and that affects both Arizona and southern California water supplies above and beyond what is already lacking from the reserviors.
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this is a more structural and legal and or treaty difference than "slightly less demand" implies. however it is also important in other ways as it impacts how much electricity can be generated (they are currently upgrading the turbines at Hoover Dam to be able to generate electricity efficiently at lower water levels, but this is underway and not done yet).
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oh for sure, and any little bit that can go towards groundwater recharge... however a large fraction is likely to be lost due to evaporation, but that might end up further to the east in the mountain ranges as rain or fog/mist/dew. at this point any single drop is better than none.
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the radar is currently showing a nice pattern for the area to get more actual rain on the ground, i hope the rains can hold together long enough to actually get the ground soaked in places enough to give the trees and rivers a bit of a recharge.
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and as they get emptier the problems get tougher (water quality gets poorer as they get warmer, with algae problems and pumping and treatment costs rise, hydroelectric generation reductions, etc.). also the losses in forest cover in the north will make things even worse as you lose your sponge and soaking zones, but you also lose your trace moisture capture capabilities (forest can trap, condense and soak up mists/fogs).
songbird

On Sunday, July 19, 2015 at 5:10:55 PM UTC-7, songbird wrote:
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[...]
You can have 100% confidence in our decision-making process.
The one thing we (or our "lawmakers") will not tolerate is any interference with the golf courses dotting the landscape East of Palm Springs.
http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2015/06/best-golfers-world-are-playing-golf-course-powered-poop
800,000 gallons a day for the average golf course!
And let's not get into the water-hogging, highly reumunerative almond and cotton crops grown by agribusiness in the totally unsuitable Central Valley.
Some growers are more equal than others...
HB