Sierra Snowpack 2015

Unfortunately, Common Sense… er… is not very common :(

I remember flyng over North Dallas in the late 1980s and seeing hundreds if not thousands of backyards swimming pools during a particularly nasty drought in West Texas, think what a bunch of idiots.:)

Most modern suburbanites are oblivious as to the real necesseties of life. You would think after the droughts, earthquakes, floods and the economic downturns folks have seen, they would have more sense in terms of conserving. And that includes their governments, too.

Reality comes to the land of milk and honey.

Most obnoxious things about BPL… Threads that degenerate into preachy social commentary and pissy diatribes from people who cant spell.

"… from people who cant spell."

Yea.

^ lol

Maybe there will be a recant.

Two wrongs won't make it right.

"There's only two things I hate in this world. People that are intolerant of other people's culture..and the DUTCH".

Nigel Powers

Two wrongs won't make it right.

But 3 rights make it left.

edit: Dean, LOL.

"Perhaps another analogy is Wall Street–banks need regulators to save them from themselves, and the rest of us too. If there's quick money to be had, anything goes until everything goes–down the toilet. The same with crops I guess–until the bottom drops out and there's no water for anyone, some farmers will grow rice, cotton and almonds in the desert until they're ruined, or retire rich. As for these water wasters: Is this what a "powerful water contract" allows? and how are some contracts more powerful than others, that some farmers are left high and dry by contrast"

Interesting that you should mention Wall Street. It turns out that the California almond industry is increasingly dominated by global corporations and investment funds, whose only goal is maximizing their profits. They know next to nothing about agriculture, and could care less about the long term consequences of their profligate use of CA water. Only short term profits matter to them, and like all carpet baggers, when they have exhausted the resource, they will move on, leaving a wasteland in their wake. They are also well versed in the ways of buying influence in the corridors of power, hence it is not surprising that they are not being asked to cut their use of water by Governor Moonbeam. I know, I know, it's the 'Merican way. Silly me for being outraged.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/04/19/us/ap-us-california-drought-almonds.html

Own it, work it, squeeze out every last drop of profit, and leave a burnt out wasteland for future generations to figure out.
And don't you dare question the right of another man to make a dollar.

Our economies are run by sociopaths and our civilization is insane.

Who is running California again?

Vermillion Valley Resort just posted this photo of "Lake" Edison:

Much easier to walk around Lake Edison now…

There's always some silver lining… if you look for it….

billy

Here is a pic near the damn in Late Aug 2014. The rest of the "lake" extended only a little way to the right of the trees. I'd estimate the total area had shrunk to much less than %10 of "full". On the bright side, nice to see that some nice grassy riparian plant life has settled into the new land, though what is there looks pretty much like dry straw already.

FWIW, the stream below the dam was still a nice tenkara spot for brookies.

"our civilization"

To paraphrase Mahatma Gandhi when he was asked what he thought of Western civilization: "It would be a nice idea".

"is insane."

To put it charitably.

My family has been in Ca since the 40's. It's just a drought, like in the late 80's. The rain will come, humans have thrived here for 10,000 years

Next years snowpack may be 150% .????
http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/tiogaopen.htm

Recently the Eel River here stopped flowing. In '06 it was nearly overflowing it's banks. It will come. And then some perhaps. Giant flood in '64. Rain and an earthquake here today. Kinda cold too.

That's probably what most Bronze-Age people said in Greece, Mesopotamia, and Egypt about 4000 years ago, right before the ~200 year drought that helped destroy their civilizations.

Ah, but IS IT like the drought of the 80s?
Saying adapted from the stock market: My drought can last longer than your water tank.

Cheers

"Saying adapted from the stock market: My drought can last longer than your water tank."

Another saying from the market types: Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

"The rain will come, humans have thrived here for 10,000 years"

Hunter gatherers, in much smaller numbers.

Time to cull the herd. Mom Nature will take care of it. Twice as many people now than when I was a kid. I'm not as old as Tom.

1967 3,468,521,724

1950 2,525,778,669

80+ million added every year.

Can't last.

"Time to cull the herd. Mom Nature will take care of it."

Mother Nature, the great impartial equalizer that will solve all of our problems.

Funny how her droughts and famines and plagues never quite seem to cull those with money, power, and first class plane tickets to get the hell out.

Everyone dies. No getting around that.