States and Counties predicted to run out of water due to severe drought

[MrPickins]

If you decide to live in a desert, you should expect to be thirsty from time to time.

Yeah, Austin TX is not in a desert (yet), but we're having major water problems.

In 1988 my area of the state went 91 days without rain in one of the hottest summers we've ever experienced. I remember vividly because I was real busy watering all the new landscaping in the home I'd had built the year before. Shit happens.

A whole 91 days, huh? Get back to me when you're in the 10th year of one of the worst droughts on record.

This is getting close to Dust Bowl level conditions, and you think people should just suck it up?

Your lack of empathy should be surprising, but it is not.

 

[Blackjack200]

Why?

Seriously? Look up the word, his post pretty much embodies the definition.

Feel free to explain what empathy will do to remedy the situation.

Empathy alone never remedies a situation, but I never said it would. It was a simple comment, an observation.

 

[Jaskalas]

1: Dust Bowl era... really?
1934

2: The solution is natural. Computer models suggest that an El Nino will form this year. If that happens the Climate crazies will be blaming the flooding on CO2.

 

[DrPizza]

We can pipe oil all over the planet, no reason can't pump water.

When water gets to $100 a gallon you can bet they will build pipes all over the planet.

Sorry for my lack of empathy...
"Oh wow, we're so awesome! We live where it's warm 365 days a year, and it hardly ever rains at all! The weather here is sooooo awesome. Oh, by the way, hey guys, can you pipe some of that water you have to us?"
"F you. Move."

 

[Chaotic42]

1: Dust Bowl era... really?
1934

2: The solution is natural. Computer models suggest that an El Nino will form this year. If that happens the Climate crazies will be blaming the flooding on CO2.

Look at that little part of southwestern Utah hogging all the water

The first thing that pops into my mind when I read about problems like this is the number of people (not necessarily those affected by this or even posting in the thread) who said that everyone affected by Katrina were stupid to live here because hurricanes hit and that no money should be spent rebuilding. A very harsh but understandable viewpoint.

I'm curious if those same people think it's time to move out of the B climate zones (Link).

 

[Jaskalas]

The first thing that pops into my mind when I read about problems like this is the number of people (not necessarily those affected by this or even posting in the thread) who said that everyone affected by Katrina were stupid to live here because hurricanes hit and that no money should be spent rebuilding. I very harsh but understandable viewpoint.

I'm curious if those same people think it's time to move out of the B climate zones (Link).

Well.. all we do is keep increasing the population in these areas. Not exactly logical thinking or proper planning.

California does not even allow itself to build more reservoirs even though its population rises.

 

[TheSiege]

Ultimately, I think fresh water is going to become a bigger and bigger problem, so much so that wars will be fought over it much like wars are fought over oil. The only real way to dramatically increase the supply is to figure out a way to desalinate water at a reasonable rate without destroying the environment in the process.

From what I hear, at the rate of electricity, it would cost the average household about $4 a day for desalinated water. Its entirely feasible and I don't see it has a real threat. If you really want to reduce how water is used/wasted, stop eating beef. Its funny how many problems cattle cause the environment...

 

[Darwin333]

Houston Chronicle Link

CNN news article on California converting waste water to drinking water due to severe drought

I guess we will all be drinking recycled toilet water here soon.. lol

Enjoy climate deniers!

Shrug, if you know the actual science behind it you shouldn't have an issue drinking treated waste water. Its almost always "cleaner" or better than the tap or well water that is already coming through your pipes. Pretty sure its one of the main sources of drinking water for the astronauts on the ISS.

With that said, most of the places the article lists are desert areas some of which we decided to transform into tropical paradises and agricultural land.

 

[Darwin333]

Atlantan's have been drinking their own piss since 2002.

Wastewater is put right back into Lake Lanier.

We can pipe oil all over the planet, no reason can't pump water.

When water gets to $100 a gallon you can bet they will build pipes all over the planet.

If water was to hit $100 a gallon we would build a pipeline directly from the Arctic. I wonder how big of a pipeline we would need to deliver 25% of the nations daily use? Oooh, maybe we could tow icebergs closer and use some huge locks to get it into the great lakes and pump it from there?

 

[feralkid]

well, it's not like they're disintegrating it or blasting it off into space.

it'll go back up into the atmosphere and fall as rain somewhere else... fuck, for all I know the monsoons that have been hitting NYC this month have all been pee water. D:

Monsoon doesn't mean what you think it does.

 

[Subyman]

California was built on water exploitation.

 

[MongGrel]

California was built on water exploitation.

yep.

Sorry everyone drying up in a few years.

J/K.

A bit.

I'll have Mississippi, Georgia, Louisiana, Alabama etc guarding me from infiltrators, if they make it through the Midwest

 

[Darwin333]

It looks like 80% of Cali's water is used by the agricultural industry, sounds like it is long past time for Cali to incentivize other industries to take over a large portion of that agriculture. Proper planning can minimize the financial harm done to the existing farmers and I'm sure some sort of zoning restrictions can prevent other farmers or ag businesses from buying up land as farmers leave.

Either that or drastically raise ags water bills which would have the same effect but without the benefit of potentially negating some of the financial damage to individual farmers.

 

[MongGrel]

Might have to fire up the deep well again with some bleach

J/K.

 

[Subyman]

Just look at Hetch Hetchy. They flooded some of the oldest and largest trees in the world to damn up a valley to provide water for morons that wanted to live in the desert. Can't last forever.

 

[WHAMPOM]

I think I'm going to continue living next to the great lakes!

I hear Lake Superior is now back to predrought levels due to the extra amount of lake ice holding back the usual Winter evaporation.

 

[desy]

I hate watering my lawn cause I'm cheap and I think the damn thing should survive on the water nature provides 'prairies' So the blend I planted was prairie park, various ryes and clovers and bluegrasses for whatever the water/shade situation
So the Clover and Rye take over in the back yard cause its hot back there and the wife doesn't like it 'its like sticks in August'
Yes that's the point its the species best suited to survive hot dry August, I don't need a golf course back there

 

[Subyman]

I hate watering my lawn cause I'm cheap and I think the damn thing should survive on the water nature provides 'prairies' So the blend I planted was prairie park, various ryes and clovers and bluegrasses for whatever the water/shade situation
So the Clover and Rye take over in the back yard cause its hot back there and the wife doesn't like it 'its like sticks in August'
Yes that's the point its the species best suited to survive hot dry August, I don't need a golf course back there

Stay the course. I think sodded yards look idiotic. Pay thousands every year to prop up a species that looks incredibly out of place in the area.

 

[Londo_Jowo]

Some areas of Texas are getting massive rain amounts, specially those that need it the most. Where I live we got 4" yesterday and a huge storm has dropped 1" to 2" more in the last hour or so and it looks like there's several hours of medium to light rain yet to come.

http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Storm-System-Brings-Heavy-Rains-Twisters-to-Texas-260705071.html

 

[NikolaeVarius]

California was built on water exploitation.

Half the country was built on water exploitation.

 

[K1052]

Half the country was built on water exploitation.

I'll go with basically all the country...and every civilization that came before us.

 

[NikolaeVarius]

I'll go with basically all the country...and every civilization that came before us.

Well, usually that meant growing a town next to a river.

Most of the midwest population/agriculture relies on aquifiers that are being used up several times faster than they recover.

When those run out within the next 100 years, I wonder what's going to happen. It's not like California where it SHOULD be raining and it just isn't, the midwest simply will not have any source of water at all.

 

[K1052]

Well, usually that meant growing a town next to a river.

Most of the midwest population/agriculture relies on aquifiers that were are being used up several times faster than they recover.

When those run out within the next 100 years, I wonder what's going to happen. It's not like California where it SHOULD be raining and it just isn't, the midwest simply will not have any source of water at all.

Or a good harbor. NYC is the city it is today because of it's large protected harbor and probably more importantly the building of the Erie canal. One way or another civilizations are built around water, either naturally occurring sources or ones that are brought in through engineering.

The central plains states in particular are going to be pretty fucked if they can't figure out ways to reduce what they are drawing out of the Ogallala aquifer or a viable means to artificially recharge it.

 

[OCGuy]

I 100% support getting rid of most lawns here in Socal, unless they find a way to water the lawns only with reclaimed water, as they do the city landscaping.

I am not for government bans, but watering a lawn should be very very expensive.

 

[K1052]

I 100% support getting rid of most lawns here in Socal, unless they find a way to water the lawns only with reclaimed water, as they do the city landscaping.

I am not for government bans, but watering a lawn should be very very expensive.

I think sliding the xeriscaping incentive up along with water rates could make people move along more quickly to conserve. The economics will speak for themselves.