California Drought

[beowulf]

You are not accounting for water having time during a flood to become ground water and recharge the aquifers. It is not just what reservoirs can hold. Flooding fields also lets sediment deposit in the fields like it was intended.

I agree. But here in the foothills most just flows on by and it would be nice to have storage for a lot of the water that passes on down to the ocean. Every Summer there are discussions about not having enough water in the reservoirs for release to farmers and for demands of the environmentalists. Having more storage would make those allocations much easier.

 

[ultrarunner]

Anyway all the newbies in California may not understand the history of the State. HS

This is a huge part of the problem... many in flooded areas are new to the area... interviewed some who said they lived their 9 years an never had anything like this... then they interviewed a local who said... 1955... 1961, 1985, etc...

The slides are also a huge problem and trees...

Slides because some could be avoided simply by property maintenance for drainage.

Trees are a huge issue here... a permit for a fee and public comment is required to remove just about any tree... many simply stop there and then a storm comes and the trees go over.

We had a planted old Walnut at one home... it took 6 weeks to get a permit to remove and the neighborhood was placarded with information should anyone object in writing or in person... for a backyard non-native tree and the tree company needed to be city approved with a city tax certificate... $1800 when it was all said and done.

Another place has a planted Redwood... for all intents it is protected but does a lot of damage to sewer, sidewalk, gutters... it is fight I will most likely leave to someone else.

 

[flusher]

Pilot programs have been started in CA recently to recharge the groundwater by flooding thousands of acres of orchard located near the Sacramento River and it's tributaries. Apparently almond trees can tolerate several weeks of flooding without damage to the roots. Orchard growers have to use D9 Cats with giant rippers to break up the clay layer when establishing a new orchard for drainage so the tree roots are happy.

Unfortunately this won't work for the half million acres of rice field north of Sacramento since those fields still have a clay layer under the topsoil so the water doesn't percolate into the ground. These fields are flooded early in the growing season and then drained when the crop is established. Rice growers are quick to point out that their crop uses less water than alfalfa or orchard crops.

 

[houstonscott]

What people don't understand is the California water project was created to supply water to agriculture, and control flooding. The dams the aqueducts are all for agriculture not drinking water. Over the last 100 years the agricultural people who own the water have sold water to communities, but maybe with exception of SF communities have not provided for their own supply of drinking water. Recharging aquifers takes decades of good water supply years. HS

 

[jerrybob]

Sounds like that's a specialty of his!

Careful..........somebody will report you for being political!:laughing:

 

[dickfoster]

This is a huge part of the problem... many in flooded areas are new to the area... interviewed some who said they lived their 9 years an never had anything like this... then they interviewed a local who said... 1955... 1961, 1985, etc...

The slides are also a huge problem and trees...

Slides because some could be avoided simply by property maintenance for drainage.

Trees are a huge issue here... a permit for a fee and public comment is required to remove just about any tree... many simply stop there and then a storm comes and the trees go over.

We had a planted old Walnut at one home... it took 6 weeks to get a permit to remove and the neighborhood was placarded with information should anyone object in writing or in person... for a backyard non-native tree and the tree company needed to be city approved with a city tax certificate... $1800 when it was all said and done.

Another place has a planted Redwood... for all intents it is protected but does a lot of damage to sewer, sidewalk, gutters... it is fight I will most likely leave to someone else.

Good thing I don't have that kind of nonsense up here. If I need to take down a tree, I get out the chainsaw and the tree is gone, no muss no fuss. Soon after it's down, if it's the right species, it's firewood.

 

[jerrybob]

Good thing I don't have that kind of nonsense up here. If I need to take down a tree, I get out the chainsaw and the tree is gone, no muss no fuss. Soon after it's down, if it's the right species, it's firewood.

Same up here.....yesterday I dropped 5 alder trees......they grow like weeds up here. These trees were behind the shop.....probably about 6 years old.......trunks were a good 12 to 14 inches......some were 50ft. tall at least. No permission was requested or needed.

 

[dickfoster]

I'm pretty much convinced that all cities are run by complete morons.

 

[prichard]

Same up here.....yesterday I dropped 5 alder trees......they grow like weeds up here. These trees were behind the shop.....probably about 6 years old.......trunks were a good 12 to 14 inches......some were 50ft. tall at least. No permission was requested or needed.

Alders grow to 50' and 14" trunk in 6 years? Wow!

 

[dragoneggs]

Alders grow to 50' and 14" trunk in 6 years? Wow!

Well jb may be stretching it a bit but they do grow very, very fast in wet rich soil.