Re: Why Just About Everything You Hear About California's Water Crisis Is Wrong, Wrong, Wrong

The two major canals sucking water from the Delta have been ecological disasters. They were built during my lifetime with claims such would not happen but it did. Inconsiderate farming interests in past generations of the San Joaquin Valley totally decimated into extinction San Joaquin River system salmon runs and almost all valley riparian habitats. And the current canal is decimating the Sacramento River basin migratory fish. I'm all for damming the current canal where it starts going south from the Delta in order to save the Delta. Ought cost less than a million bucks instead of multi billions. All growth and development interests do in Southern California is create endless growth. One can drive for hours in any direction and never leave the urban sprawl. They already have way way too many people and many destroyed natural environments in Southern California due to all that growth. So PLUG IT! They can desalinate Pacific ocean water.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 01/09/2010 02:18PM by DavidSenesac.

It's surprising California hasn't made any attempt at desalinization of water from its abundant 800-mile-long coast. If the state truly wants to go green, the state could use wind and solar to run the desalting plants. No effort has been made whatsoever. If the state were serious in this respect then Hetch Hetchy could be restored as well.

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Vince
It's surprising California hasn't made any attempt at desalinization of water from its abundant 800-mile-long coast.

What makes you think it hasn't been done?

http://www.countyofsb.org/pwd/water/Desalination.htm

The desal plant in SB has been largely decomissioned and won't be used until necessary. That's according to the city's web site here.

Like I said, the gov't isn't serious at all about it. That is, until it can turn a profit, looks like. Either that or there really isn't a drought in CA.

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Vince
Like I said, the gov't isn't serious at all about it.

Why should they be serious about it? It's a stupid idea.

I did a little poking around and found an article from Imperial Valley (where I used to work) farmers in IV pay $3/acre-foot and San Joaquin Valley farmers pay $285 (as of July of last year). Just some interesting details to throw into the thinking. Article here.

I have long believed that the next major utility for major investment worldwide will be desalinization plants. Although initial investment and cost of fresh water production has been used as an excuse for not doing much of this I believe in the long run there will be no viable alternative. Fresh water is becoming a scare resource in many places worldwide. Should some of it be augmented by solar and wind where feasible? Definitely.

Will it be a huge profit machine? Unlikely. At best, as a semi-monopoly utility (at least in this country) it will be guaranteed the right to pricing that will permit making a modest profit. Necessity will become the great motivator. Amazingly, the growing scarcity of fresh water still seems to be a little bit below the radar in both national and international public discussions. We hear about it at the local level (San Q. Valley) but seldom at a higher level.