Calif. Drought

[flusher]

The Bay Area is experiencing a real gully washer at the moment...

Miracle March?

So far this year we've received a whopping 10" of rainfall (the rainy season goes from 1July to 30 June, it's a Mediterranean climate, cold/wet winters, hot/dry summers, plant in Oct/Nov, mow/bale in early May).

My neighbor just finished baling his 8-acre hayfield (forage mix with a little vetch mixed in). Yield was 430 bales (3-twine, about 100 lb). A little over 2.5 tons per acre. His hayfield is irrigated (mine is not, I'm across the road from him). He watered three times in Jan, about 8 acre-feet total at $41 per. So his field received about 22 inches of rainfall equivalent. The only time during the past 5 years that I got anything close to his results dryland farming was in 2009-10 when we got about 24" of rainfall (Kanota oats). The past two years each had about 15" rainfall for the season.

As of 15 April the irrigation district is rationing water. Price is now about $625 per acre-foot. Consequently the well pumps are running during the night to irrigate the orchards (olive, plums for prunes, almond, English walnut mostly) around here (lower electric power rates at night). Hope the water level in my well doesn't get too depressed.

I noticed yesterday that about 100 acres of olive orchard is being removed in my neighborhood. This may be the beginning of the exodus. These trees produce the jumbo size olives that are hand-picked. The trees look pretty good. But the growers have had problems recently getting enough workers to pick the crop. And now you have the huge jump in irrigation water rates to contend with. Looks like the marginal growers are opting out.

 

[downsizingnow48]

Well the rainy season, such as it was, is over. Hardly any snowpack in the mountains which means hardly any runoff to fill reservoirs. Quite a few homeowners in this corner of the normally-wet north coast are putting in 2500 gal storage tanks, partly because the fire season is sure to be bad, and partly to have a reserve in case the wells get weak. The map below shows conditions now at the beginning of the dry season. NOAA says this past winter was the warmest in California since records were started 119 years ago.

 

[powerpace]

So far this year we've received a whopping 10" of rainfall (the rainy season goes from 1July to 30 June, it's a Mediterranean climate, cold/wet winters, hot/dry summers, plant in Oct/Nov, mow/bale in early May).

My neighbor just finished baling his 8-acre hayfield (forage mix with a little vetch mixed in). Yield was 430 bales (3-twine, about 100 lb). A little over 2.5 tons per acre. His hayfield is irrigated (mine is not, I'm across the road from him). He watered three times in Jan, about 8 acre-feet total at $41 per. So his field received about 22 inches of rainfall equivalent. The only time during the past 5 years that I got anything close to his results dryland farming was in 2009-10 when we got about 24" of rainfall (Kanota oats). The past two years each had about 15" rainfall for the season.

As of 15 April the irrigation district is rationing water. Price is now about $625 per acre-foot. Consequently the well pumps are running during the night to irrigate the orchards (olive, plums for prunes, almond, English walnut mostly) around here (lower electric power rates at night). Hope the water level in my well doesn't get too depressed.

I noticed yesterday that about 100 acres of olive orchard is being removed in my neighborhood. This may be the beginning of the exodus. These trees produce the jumbo size olives that are hand-picked. The trees look pretty good. But the growers have had problems recently getting enough workers to pick the crop. And now you have the huge jump in irrigation water rates to contend with. Looks like the marginal growers are opting out.

Olive trees and other fruits are now being planted and harvested in Oregon.

 

[ultrarunner]

I'm in the Bay Area and surrounded by a sea of brown lawns...

Just returned from a graduation in Sacramento and found lush green lawns and landscaping...

California is a big State and water availability or lack of varies greatly...

 

[ultrarunner]

Olive trees and other fruits are now being planted and harvested in Oregon.

The wine region in Washington State is expanding too...

 

[flusher]

Last week CA water authorities have restricted pumping water from streams, creeks and rivers for those farmers and municipalities holding junior water rights (rights obtained after 1914). Affects the San Joaquin and Sacramento valleys. I'm cutting 20 ft wide firebreaks today with my 7-ft tandem disc along the fence lines and between the hayfield and the house/outbuildings.

 

[dave1949]

I thought this is interesting: Study finds medical pot farms draining California streams dry - San Jose Mercury News

Pot growing has become an environmental disaster. Herbicides, ruined natural habitat, fertilizer, trash, violence/booby traps, and now water too. There is some work for military-style drones.

 

[downsizingnow48]

Out of curiosity I looked up Mendocino County building permits for the last two years. About half are for 200 and 300 amp panel upgrades. I thought that was unusual so asked a neighbor. He says that is all backyard dope growing they need the amps to run equipment.

Everything you say about impact is true add to that a fairly toxic culture that comes with it. There is talk of stopping water to pot growers in favor of traditional agriculture during the drought but I dunno how, cant enforce existing laws let alone something like that.

 

[ultrarunner]

One of the homes in area had the roof covered with solar panels...

The owners were real cordial to everyone and kept the place up.

A couple of years ago, they walked away when the housing bubble burst.

It was then when everyone learned they had a sophisticated grow operation in the basement... floor drains, ventilation, irrigation, grow lights, etc...

Law enforcement says high electric of tampered meter often indicates a grow operation... having a roof covered with solar avoided all but the minimum account fee.

There was another grow operation in the canyon... diverted the stream and lots of trash left everywhere.