California drought: As land sinks, farmers' brainstorm on water

[petronius]

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The deepwater aquifer being tapped by thousands of wells throughout the valley will take generations to restore, experts say. And if the sinking isn't stopped, everything from house foundations to railroad lines - such as the high-speed rail planned for the valley - could suffer.

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Federal water officials are shipping none of their normal allotment this year for most agricultural use, and state officials are shipping just 5 percent. Some agencies such as Hurley's get more - he's receiving 65 percent of normal, his lowest allocation ever - because of historic water rights dating back as many as 100 years. But if the drought persists, harder change will come to those users, too.

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Dipping so much into that water with no rainfall to recharge it is causing the clay layer to collapse, which in turn makes the land on the surface sink. The area around Los Banos has subsided more than most areas of the valley, according to maps compiled by the California Water Foundation.

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Nobody knows exactly how big the valley's draw on the deep aquifers is, since California is the only Western state that doesn't regulate its groundwater. But overall, groundwater supplies nearly two-thirds of the state's water, and scientific studies tracking the drought unmistakably tie the usage to the land subsidence.

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http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/California-drought-As-land-sinks-farmers-5649466.php

[drm604]

1. Hey, it's just natural cycles, the market will work it out!

[Zambero]

3. Common sense will save the day

Just bring in Sarah Palin to make a speech. A few pills and she'll provide all the answers. Why the worries???

[freshwest]

20. Sarah always has the answer:

Oil and water. It'll be a twofer!

[antiquie]

2. We can't irrigate crops but we still have green parks.

[deurbano]

12. You should see my mom's "English garden" landscaping in Bakersfield!

Out on on the west side-- which used to be all desert--with almost a third of an acre devoted to lush greenery (and a pool, of course). And she is not the exception... quite the contrary.

[Adsos Letter]

4. Thanks for linking to this.

Fagan and SFGate have done some excellent writing over the years.

Miles and miles and miles of emerald green lawns in our state. That's going to have to change if we're going to win this one.

[Cooperstown]

5. Are people thinking of solar powered ocean water desalination?

I think there's a big ocean just to the west of most California croplands, cities and towns.

Lots of sunshine can power desalination plants, as is done in the Middle East, Israel.

Probably expensive to build, but gives people jobs, provides unlimited fresh water all year in that sunny state.

Probably a lot less destructive to the landscape than risking sink-holes from deep well water aquifer drilling

[pinto]

6. San Diego is currently building a plant, iirc. Not sure of any other projects. (nt)

[Cooperstown]

8. Thanks, San Diego often does progressive things like this one

Having lived there, I know they are not always as conservative as they might appear to outsiders.

And San Diego, at the very end of the water supply from the Sierra's, and with lots of sun all year round, needs it more than other places for residents and business purposes.

[progree]

16. I don't think this one is solar powered. Probably powered by electricity from the grid

Doesn't say where the electricity will come from, but presumably from the grid -- whatever that region uses to generate electricity and I think that is mostly oil and gas in Southern California.

Nation's largest ocean desalination plant goes up near San Diego; Future of the California coast?, 5/29/14

to remove the salt, the plant will use an enormous amount of energy -- about 38 megawatts, enough to power 28,500 homes -- to force 100 million gallons of seawater a day through a series of filters.

http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_25859513/nations-largest-ocean-desalination-plant-goes-up-near

If so, we're solving the water problem by burning fossil fuel and generating greenhouse gasses. Lots of greenhouse gasses.

[KamaAina]

27. Sand City (Monterey County) has one up and running

[Dustlawyer]

7. I like your thinking!

[Cooperstown]

9. Several desert area locations near ocean water around the world are doing this.

Very little electrical power is required other than for pumping purposes.

The sun does a great job evaporating water, but the trick is to catch the "fresh" evaporated water and preserve it, also enabling a "harvesting" of the salt from the now evaporated salt water.

It's quite possible, and, as I said, it rains over the oceans worldwide as much or more than over the land area, so the water supply is unlimited, if only one can desalinate it at reasonable costs for power, and solar provides that power in vast amounts in desert areas.

UAE to set up world's largest solar desalination plant

Dubai: The UAE would establish world's largest solar-powered desalination plant that will process more than 22 million gallons of potable water per day.

The new plant at Ras Al Khaimah emirate would also generate 20 MW of electricity. It will implement the most advanced reverse osmosis and filtration technologies and, when operational, will push unit production rates down drastically.

The plant was announced by private service utility and solutions provider Utico Middle East that aims at setting a desalination business model. Desalination is the process of removing salt and other minerals from saline water.

The project would set the new benchmark for the desalination business model and will be the world's greenest desalination plant with the least CO2 emissions, Richard Menezes, Executive Vice Chairman of Utico Middle East, said.

http://zeenews.india.com/news/eco-news/uae-to-set-up-world-s-largest-solar-desalination-plant_892791.html

[valerief]

10. How will that help the oil and gas barons? Everything is done to please them. nt

[drm604]

11. This is the ultimate answer, and it's already being done elsewhere.

There is a lot of research being done on improving the efficiency and effectiveness of desalination processes.

[Dustlawyer]

18. Mainly Solar, but wind, hydroelectric, and geo-thermal, are the future.

It's getting people to demand it so we can make the change that's hard. More likely, hydrocarbon fuels will become too expensive and people will switch when it's cheaper. That plus countries like Germany, India, and China will get so far ahead on this we will feel compelled not to get too far behind.

China has made the decision to go solar in a big way due to their pollution being so bad. In 10 years they will be very far along their new energy plan.

India has started a huge solar project that will cover their canals. They plan on over 1,000 miles of solar which will drastically reduce water evaporation and ease their fresh water shortages and power the country at the same time.

Germany gets 25% of their energy from solar already. They are covering canals, parking garages, use the panels as covered parking at rental car lots....

The U.S. Just announced new Tariffs on solar panels from China and Taiwan.

Here in Texas their put stumbling blocks to discourage solar start ups.

When will we learn?

[Kablooie]

19. You assume there is a future.

It's sounding more and more like that may be speculation.

[Dustlawyer]

22. You are right, these are optimistic ideas.

The oil industries propaganda was/is very successful. I feel like a Lemming being pushed along heading towards a cliff. People have trouble thinking of the Earth as finite with inexhaustible resources and no thought to future generations. Always needing growth, expansion, more and more! That's why Capitolism is a bad system for us right now. Our politicians are owned by business so they cannot institute the changes our society needs to make now.

[truedelphi]

14. Marin County has considered a de-sal plant

Last I heard, they were planning on putting it along an area of the S.F. Bay, where the Global Climate Change forces would bury it under mountains of sea water, in fifteen to twenty years!

So much for having some $ 20 million for that plant. Until we get architects and builders who have common sense, the planet is pretty much heading for oblivion. (At least in terms 0f humanity)

[Brother Buzz]

15. Most experts are projecting oceans to rise between 2.5 and 6.5 feet by 2100

Me thinks our bonehead engineers can learn something from the fine Dutch engineers by then.

[drm604]

23. That does present a dilemma doesn't it?

Desalination plants need to be near the ocean, but sea level rise could put them underwater.

Maybe the plants could be on floating platforms?

Or maybe they could build saltwater canals that bring the sea water to plants further inland. You could have gates to control the amount of water allowed into the canals.

[truedelphi]

24. I love your ideas on this. Now, if only the architects and others who plan these

De-sal plants would understand the necessity of using such wisdom.

[drm604]

25. Well, I'm not an engineer

so there could be all kinds of things wrong with my ideas.

[upaloopa]

26. The cost per acre foot is still prohibitive.

We have one in mothballs in Santa Barbara. The city is on the verge of getting it out of mothballs but still at this point it is too costly compared to conservation. Most likely when conservation can no longer pay off it will go into operation.

[progree]

13. Satellites show major Southwest groundwater loss, AP,

Satellites show major Southwest groundwater loss, AP, 7/24/14
http://news.yahoo.com/satellites-show-major-southwest-groundwater-loss-203343494.html

...Since 2004, researchers said, the Colorado River basin — the largest in the Southwest — has lost 53 million acre feet, or 17 trillion gallons, of water. That's enough to supply more than 50 million households for a year, or nearly fill Lake Mead — the nation's largest water reservoir — twice.

...Three-fourths of those losses were groundwater, the study found. Unlike reservoirs and other above-ground water, groundwater sources can become so depleted that they may never refill, Castle said.

... California lacks a statewide system for regulating — or even measuring — groundwater.

[emsimon33]

17. Our home water supply comes from a well

The situation here terrifies me. We have no idea how much ground water remains. I pray for a major El Nino!

[kickysnana]

21. Even MN. Redirecting water from the Mississippi through White Bear Lake to replenish aquafers.

http://www.startribune.com/local/east/268377112.html

I

n a draft report released Wednesday, the Metropolitan Council outlined options for augmenting White Bear Lake with water from the Mississippi River. It also spelled out ways that up to a dozen northern Ramsey County communities could shift their heavy reliance on groundwater from the overtaxed Prairie du Chien aquifer to the more abundant surface water from the Mississippi.

While the draft report focuses on the northeast metro and White Bear Lake, which has lost one-fourth of its volume over the past decade, the Met Council also has begun several other regionwide studies to explore ways to restore balance to water sources and ease pressure on the aquifers.

More than 70 percent of the region’s water supply now comes from the ground, compared with about 20 percent in the 1940s and 1950s, before suburban growth. But that rate of mining is not sustainable, said Ali Elhassan, the council’s water supply planning manager. As seen in White Bear Lake, it has ruinous results for the quality of life and the local economy.

[KamaAina]

28. California is the only Western state that doesn't regulate its groundwater.