California only has about one year’s supply of water left

[Eddie Teach]

Hear, hear!

[Ed Anger]

A life of eating 3 meals of IdeGruel(tm). 

[garbon]

An Earth that we expect or wish to support a middle class existence for all.

Being able to eat thick, juicy steaks is a fundamental part of a decent middle class existence.

[garbon]

How about "an Earth that can maintain our current technological civilization where your well-honed tertiary economy skills aren't useless"?  Does that motivate you?

No. It seems unlikely that Earth will suddenly fail to maintain that in my lifetime.

[crazy canuck]

Due to the low snow pack Washington State has declared a drought emergency in order to try to save water for the crops grown in that State over what is predicted to be a long hot summer.  That's right, the rainy State is going to experience a drought this year.

One knock on effect is that with lower amounts of snow melt there will be less hydro electricity generated and so more electricity will have to be generated by burning fossil fuels - mainly natural gas.

 

[MadImmortalMan]

I went up to Stampede Reservoir today doing some off-roading. No pics, I forgot my phone this time. 

Anyway, the water level was about 50 feet down from normal. I took the freeway home, so I passed Boca as well. That was so low the boat launches at the campgrounds were two hundred yards from the water. And it wasn't even a single lake anymore. It was a series of puddles with tire tracks across what used to be the lake bed.

[MadImmortalMan]

We went around the June Lake Loop yesterday, and when we got to Grant Lake it was...







...not really a lake anymore. Nothing but a small stream running through what used to be the lakebed. Which...




...Yes, of course I did that.


Oh, and the red stuff?



Creep Cluster! Good for potions to increase your carry weight among other things.

[Caliga]

I was in LA a few weeks back and it seemed the same as usual.  No plants looked dead, there were no water restrictions posted anyplace that I saw, and from the air all of the reservoirs (Irvine Lake, Lake Elsinore, etc.) looked full.

[MadImmortalMan]

The eastern side of the Sierra is always going to be worse off. If you don't know the history between the Owens River Basin and Los Angeles, you should check that out. I'm not saying it's not worth the tradeoff, but there is one. A big opportunity cost.

[Syt]

That looks kinda depressing, MiM.

[garbon]

Isn't Grant Lake an artificial construction that was part of LA stealing all the water?

[garbon]

I was in LA a few weeks back and it seemed the same as usual.  No plants looked dead, there were no water restrictions posted anyplace that I saw, and from the air all of the reservoirs (Irvine Lake, Lake Elsinore, etc.) looked full.

Well there are statewide restrictions on water usage.

[jimmy olsen]

California is about to receive a hundred inches of snow over the next ten days.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2016/03/04/el_ni_o_rain_and_snow_storms_headed_for_california.html

[Admiral Yi]

The bad news is it's all going to fall in one square foot.

[Siege]

If the environazis stopped blocking the use of water soirces to protect the fish, they would all have water.

I say charge per gallon of water and let the chips fall where they will.