4 ms·

Can this be true (1300 gal/hour is 5m^3/hour 24/7.)? At first I thought it was impossible. They I crunched some numbers... I don't think this is within the dom

by irixusr 11y ago

Can this be true (1300 gal/hour is 5m^3/hour 24/7.)? At first I thought it was impossible. They I crunched some numbers... I don't think this is within the domicile. It must be for irrigation. So let's estimate how large the lot would have to be. Bel-air is [google] 2.9 sq mi, or 1880 acres. A golf course [1](in Iowa, first example I found) uses on average 233 gal/acrehour on their worst month. So 1300 gal/hour is a lot size of 1300/233 = 5.3 acres. This is an upper bound [2] 5.3 acres? That's not necessarily a large lot! Especially if it's for the largest of all lots! [1] http://news.cybergolf.com/golf_news/johnny_walker_asks_how_much_water_does_a_golf_course_use_for_irrigation http://news.cybergolf.com/golf_news/johnny_walker_asks_how_m... [2] Note that the numbers I used are specifically assuming a certain amount of rainfall, which California doesn't have. I'm too lazy to use the numbers given in the article to have a better estimate, but I used "conservative" numbers so the lot size is an upper bound

waterlesscloud 11y ago
There's at least one 100+ acre estate back in those hills, but it's mostly wild. I dunno what the biggest irrigated lawn up there is. My guess would be less than 10 acres, but that's a guess. Five acres is well with in the realm of possibility, almost certain.
abduhl 11y ago
This is aggressively conservative. The evapotranspiration rate in California is 2x - 3x that of Iowa and the average rainfall is likely close to 0 inches in LA of which almost none is usable for landscape purposes. I would not be surprised if this much water is needed for a 2 acre or smaller sized lawn.
- nkurz 11y ago
  the average rainfall is likely close to 0 inches in LA of which almost none is usable for landscape purposes The average rainfall is Los Angeles is 15 inches per year. Why do you say this is "close to 0"? I would not be surprised if this much water is needed for a 2 acre or smaller sized lawn. 1300 gallons/hour * 24 hours * 365 days/year = 35 acre feet / year. https://www.google.com/search?&q=1300+*+24+*+365+gallons+in+acre+feet https://www.google.com/search?&q=1300+*+24+*+365+gallons+in+... I would be surprised if someone was putting 15 feet of water per year on a lawn! For comparison, the average Southern California golf courses about 3 acre-feet per year: http://www.kcet.org/news/redefine/rewater/drought/drought-fact-check-teed-off-about-golf-courses.html http://www.kcet.org/news/redefine/rewater/drought/drought-fa...

by irixusr 11y ago

waterlesscloud 11y ago

There's at least one 100+ acre estate back in those hills, but it's mostly wild. I dunno what the biggest irrigated lawn up there is. My guess would be less than 10 acres, but that's a guess. Five acres is well with in the realm of possibility, almost certain.

abduhl 11y ago

This is aggressively conservative. The evapotranspiration rate in California is 2x - 3x that of Iowa and the average rainfall is likely close to 0 inches in LA of which almost none is usable for landscape purposes. I would not be surprised if this much water is needed for a 2 acre or smaller sized lawn.

nkurz 11y ago
the average rainfall is likely close to 0 inches in LA of which almost none is usable for landscape purposes The average rainfall is Los Angeles is 15 inches per year. Why do you say this is "close to 0"? I would not be surprised if this much water is needed for a 2 acre or smaller sized lawn. 1300 gallons/hour * 24 hours * 365 days/year = 35 acre feet / year. https://www.google.com/search?&q=1300+*+24+*+365+gallons+in+acre+feet https://www.google.com/search?&q=1300+*+24+*+365+gallons+in+... I would be surprised if someone was putting 15 feet of water per year on a lawn! For comparison, the average Southern California golf courses about 3 acre-feet per year: http://www.kcet.org/news/redefine/rewater/drought/drought-fact-check-teed-off-about-golf-courses.html http://www.kcet.org/news/redefine/rewater/drought/drought-fa...