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  1. TopTop #1
    Zeno Swijtink's Avatar
    Zeno Swijtink
     

    Groundwater supply not sustainable, needs permitting

    https://www.capitalpress.com/main.as...12&TM=66706.06

    Legislative report calls for water changes
    Groundwater supply not sustainable, needs permitting
    Capital Press – 11/3/08
    By Hank Shaw


    The state Legislature's top analyst has released a report on California's water supply that could add new life to two perennial issues - regulating groundwater supplies and rewriting the state's water-rights laws.

    The Legislative Analyst report notes that California is one of just two Western states - the other is Texas - that does not have a state-run groundwater permitting law. The report also suggested that lawmakers revise the legal definition of "reasonable use" when it comes to water rights. Neither proposal sits well with the farming and ranching community.

    Staffers who deal with water legislation acknowledge that the proposals make sense from a broad view, but they shook their collective heads at the potential legislative war that would ensue should lawmakers take on the issues seriously when they convene in Sacramento this January.

    "This'd go over real well with the aggies," one staffer said, recounting a multi-year row over a bill by state Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica, that would only assess groundwater levels, not regulate its use.

    Catherine Freeman, the author of the report, said groundwater permitting just makes sense. "We think it's time we come along with other states," she said.

    Texas, the other state without permitting, has so severely overdrafted its Ogallala Aquifer that some small towns have had to be abandoned.

    Freeman's report shows that groundwater makes up nearly 40 percent of the state's water supply in dry years, a level that many experts do not believe is sustainable. Groundwater pumping makes up only 21 percent of the state's water supply in wet years.

    "In a lot of areas of the state, groundwater is relatively unknown," said Freeman, who noted that much of Southern California already requires permits to pump groundwater. "We don't have a sense of how much the groundwater is holding and what is the quality of that water."

    Mike Wade of the California Farm Water Coalition says statewide permitting isn't needed. "Local water districts and regions do manage groundwater and have done so for decades," he said.

    Farmers and ranchers have traditionally opposed government interference in their use of groundwater because permitting and regulation would likely cost them money - and it may even ban them from growing what they want.

    Indeed, Freeman's report includes a section on how much water the same crops use in different areas. This could lead to policymakers declaring that growing a certain crop in a certain area does not qualify as a "reasonable use" of water, essentially banning it.

    Alfalfa is one of the main villains for this point of view. California is a leading alfalfa producer and alfalfa hay is a main feed source for the state's livestock - especially its largest-in-the-nation dairy herd.

    Alfalfa requires a lot of water, and critics say that valuable California farmland would be better used growing higher-dollar crops such as grapes or almonds.

    "That we should not grow alfalfa in California is a complete falsehood," said Wade of the Farm Water Coalition. "The dairy industry, the beef industry, the horse industry are all highly dependent on alfalfa and if we didn't grow here, we'd have to ship it in from somewhere else."

    Freeman's report does not single out alfalfa, but it does include a look at "pasture" grown in the Colorado River basin, the area in and around San Joaquin County, as well as the Central Coast.

    Her report shows that growing pasture in the Colorado River basin requires more than double the amount of water needed to grow it on the Central Coast and nearly double that needed around San Joaquin. She showed similar results for orchard and tomato crops. Wade said economics can trump water costs.

    "Although it may take more water to grow a tomato in the Imperial Valley, we're growing tomatoes during a time of year when tomatoes won't grow in the San Joaquin Valley," he said.

    Freeman's report also suggests tinkering with water-rights definitions to reflect modern water needs. This has been tried before in the Legislature and agriculture has opposed it as a water-grab by urban dwellers aimed at rural California.

    The possibilities of much of the report becoming law appear dim - unless the makeup of the Legislature radically changes after Election Day.

    Republicans have historically opposed any changes to water-rights law and have consistently voted against groundwater legislation. But Democrats are expected to pick up seats in the Assembly and possibly in the Senate; some are even talking about a two-thirds majority, which would eliminate the need for Republican votes on constitutional amendments or tax increases. Still, rural Democrats in the Central Valley could still block changes.

    "I know that there are people in the Legislature who will use this to say we don't need new resources, that we need to reallocate existing resources," Wade said. "It throws farmers under the bus."
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  2. TopTop #2
    Braggi's Avatar
    Braggi
     

    Re: Groundwater supply not sustainable, needs permitting

    Quote Posted in reply to the post by Zeno Swijtink: View Post
    https://www.capitalpress.com/main.as...12&TM=66706.06

    Legislative report calls for water changes
    Groundwater supply not sustainable, needs permitting
    ...
    We're just so stupid when it comes to handling rainwater. Just watch this simple video: The Swale Plume.

    Look at what people in the most arid deserts are doing: Greening the Desert

    See? We can do better.

    There are so many experts out there teaching how to harvest rainwater and recharge underground aquifers. It's time to start listening to them.

    Rain is like solar power. We get way more than we can use. The challenge is how do we put to use that which Nature gives us so freely.

    -Jeff
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  3. TopTop #3
    Zeno Swijtink's Avatar
    Zeno Swijtink
     

    Re: Groundwater supply not sustainable, needs permitting

    Quote Posted in reply to the post by Braggi: View Post
    We're just so stupid when it comes to handling rainwater. Just watch this simple video: The Swale Plume.

    Look at what people in the most arid deserts are doing: Greening the Desert

    See? We can do better.

    There are so many experts out there teaching how to harvest rainwater and recharge underground aquifers. It's time to start listening to them.

    Rain is like solar power. We get way more than we can use. The challenge is how do we put to use that which Nature gives us so freely.

    -Jeff
    Great references Jeff, and thanks for your energy. See also this:

    Tucson Passes Rainwater Harvesting Ordinance for Commercial Properties

    The city of Tucson, Arizona is the first municipality in the country to require developers of commercial properties to harvest rainwater for landscaping.

    The new water-saving measure -- approved by a unanimous vote by the City Council -- mandates that new developments meet 50 percent of their landscaping water requirements by capturing rainwater. The new rule goes into effect June 1, 2010.

    Though environmentalists had pushed for a 100 percent requirement and a stakeholder group convened by the city at one point considered a 75 percent requirement, the city settled on the 50 percent recommendation after developers expressed concern that a higher percentage would have required the installation of expensive cistern systems.

    The ordinance is intended to boost water conservation in arid Tucson, which receives about 12 inches of rainfall a year. It will also reduce stormwater runoff, said Brad Lancaster, a nationally recognized rainwater harvesting expert who lives in Tucson.

    Download the Tucson Rainwater Ordinance here. Learn more about the rules of rainwater harvesting in the western U.S. here.
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  4. TopTop #4
    Braggi's Avatar
    Braggi
     

    Re: Groundwater supply not sustainable, needs permitting

    Quote Posted in reply to the post by Zeno Swijtink: View Post
    ... The ordinance is intended to boost water conservation in arid Tucson, which receives about 12 inches of rainfall a year. It will also reduce stormwater runoff, said Brad Lancaster, a nationally recognized rainwater harvesting expert who lives in Tucson. ...
    Brad Lancaster is really an amazing guy and a wonderful presenter. He's full of humor and brilliance and magic. If you get a chance to hear him speak at the upcoming Green Festival I highly recommend him. We heard him last year and he was one of the major highlights.

    Watch him on youtube. He has a lot of videos there. Also, buy his books. He needs the money and he deserves it. He's an environmental exemplar and he's the kind of person we should support. I hope Obama hires him. Maybe we should start a letter writing campaign. National water czar? Ouch! I hate that. How about National Water Jester. That's Brad.

    See him here: Brad Lancaster.

    -Jeff
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  5. TopTop #5
    Dixon's Avatar
    Dixon
     

    Re: Groundwater supply not sustainable, needs permitting

    On the subject of great educators regarding water issues, I highly recommend Brock Dolman of the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center (I think I got the name of that organization right). His presentation that I saw was enlightening, interesting, inspiring and funny. Everyone should see him speak! It gives you a whole new appreciation for water, and concern for what we're doing to our water-world.

    And remember, we humans, who are mostly water, were actually created by water to allow it to run uphill.

    Dixon
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  6. TopTop #6
    Braggi's Avatar
    Braggi
     

    Re: Groundwater supply not sustainable, needs permitting

    Quote Posted in reply to the post by Braggi: View Post
    Brad Lancaster is really an amazing guy and a wonderful presenter. ... See him here: Brad Lancaster.
    Shucks. I checked the Green Festival's speaker lineup and Brad's not on the list. Too bad.

    -Jeff
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  7. TopTop #7
    Braggi's Avatar
    Braggi
     

    Re: Groundwater supply not sustainable, needs permitting

    Quote Posted in reply to the post by Dixon: View Post
    On the subject of great educators regarding water issues, I highly recommend Brock Dolman of the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center (I think I got the name of that organization right). ...
    Is he still promoting the fantasy that redwood trees make it rain 15 inches a year by drawing water out of the fog? I've lived in a redwood forest for 14 years and I've never seen them dripping water unless it was raining. What I know for certain about redwoods is that they consume a vast amount of ground water which is fine because their duff allows a lot of rain water to soak in around them. But, they really don't make it rain. Sorry.

    Redwood forests could be and should be planted at all sewage treatment plants to absorb excess "waste" water and turn it into useful building materials. Also, redwoods are one of the best methods of capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

    Quote Posted in reply to the post by Dixon: View Post
    ... And remember, we humans, who are mostly water, were actually created by water to allow it to run uphill.
    That's cute, but I thought we were created by mushrooms so we could eat them and help move their spores around.

    -Jeff
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  8. TopTop #8
    Dixon's Avatar
    Dixon
     

    Re: Groundwater supply not sustainable, needs permitting

    [quote=Braggi;74182]
    Quote Is he still promoting the fantasy that redwood trees make it rain 15 inches a year by drawing water out of the fog?
    I don't remember whether he said anything like that, and I'm not sure I even understand what it means. You may want to ask him and, if he says yes, ask for references to research.

    (In response to my saying "And remember, we humans, who are mostly water, were actually created by water to allow it to run uphill.", Jeff says:
    Quote That's cute, but I thought we were created by mushrooms so we could eat them and help move their spores around.
    I believe we were a collaborative project which, unfortunately, has taken a Frankensteinian turn.

    Dixon
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  9. TopTop #9
    MsTerry
     

    Re: Groundwater supply not sustainable, needs permitting

    Groundwater Jeff?
    What is your definition of groundwater? Anything wet in the ground?
    Redwoods have a very shallow but expansive rootsystem and thrive on subsurface and surface water.
    https://dictionary.reference.com/browse/groundwater

    Quote Posted in reply to the post by Braggi: View Post
    What I know for certain about redwoods is that they consume a vast amount of ground water which is fine because their duff allows a lot of rain water to soak in around them.

    -Jeff
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