5 ms·

To save water, an underground movement to bank El Niño's rainfall

29 points by vinayak147 11y ago

MrTonyD 11y ago
This is basically more public money being used to supply the multibillionaire multi-national farmers of California with more free groundwater to extract and use for their profit (and yes, there are studies showing that most water is used by farmers, and that multi-nationals control the bulk of California farmland - even though 80% of farmers are small, they don't control most of the water and most of the land.)
bsder 11y ago
> The cheapest method of recharge Is not to use more water from underground than flows back. The cheapest method of recharge in California is to start buying up farms and shutting them down. California subsidized putting farms in the Central Valley; it can subsidize taking them back out.
orasis 11y ago
This sounds somewhat like Keyline Design (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keyline_design https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keyline_design) a technique developed in Australia to slow water down, minimize runoff, and maximize water infiltration into the ground. The primary tool is a Keyline Plow or just a standard subsoiler. You simply rip lines slightly off contour based on a "key point" on the topography. This encourages water to flow laterally across the hill from the wet valleys to dry ridge lines, slowing and soaking in the water rather than flowing straight down hill and causing erosion. Pretty much every farm and ranch should be doing this - but on a direct local scale on each piece of property rather than yet another public works project.
bigdubs 11y ago
Is the bank underground? Is the movement underground? So many questions. After reading, it seems like the movement is underground, the water banks are above ground.
- Avshalom 11y ago
  Seems like that's the reverse of what you'd want.
- sp332 11y ago
  The article is about groundwater, which is definitely underground. The cheapest method of recharge is through spreading basins, which have to be located on relatively coarse-grained soil through which the water can percolate.
panzagl 11y ago
Sounds good until Nevada does it.
aaron695 11y ago
India is doing something similar on a village scale? http://www.ecotippingpoints.org/our-stories/indepth/india-rajasthan-rainwater-harvest-restoration-groundwater-johad.html http://www.ecotippingpoints.org/our-stories/indepth/india-ra...

29 points by vinayak147 11y ago

This is basically more public money being used to supply the multibillionaire multi-national farmers of California with more free groundwater to extract and use for their profit (and yes, there are studies showing that most water is used by farmers, and that multi-nationals control the bulk of California farmland - even though 80% of farmers are small, they don't control most of the water and most of the land.)

bsder 11y ago

> The cheapest method of recharge Is not to use more water from underground than flows back. The cheapest method of recharge in California is to start buying up farms and shutting them down. California subsidized putting farms in the Central Valley; it can subsidize taking them back out.

orasis 11y ago

This sounds somewhat like Keyline Design (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keyline_design https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keyline_design) a technique developed in Australia to slow water down, minimize runoff, and maximize water infiltration into the ground. The primary tool is a Keyline Plow or just a standard subsoiler. You simply rip lines slightly off contour based on a "key point" on the topography. This encourages water to flow laterally across the hill from the wet valleys to dry ridge lines, slowing and soaking in the water rather than flowing straight down hill and causing erosion. Pretty much every farm and ranch should be doing this - but on a direct local scale on each piece of property rather than yet another public works project.

bigdubs 11y ago

Is the bank underground? Is the movement underground? So many questions. After reading, it seems like the movement is underground, the water banks are above ground.

Avshalom 11y ago
Seems like that's the reverse of what you'd want.
sp332 11y ago
The article is about groundwater, which is definitely underground. The cheapest method of recharge is through spreading basins, which have to be located on relatively coarse-grained soil through which the water can percolate.

panzagl 11y ago

Sounds good until Nevada does it.

aaron695 11y ago

India is doing something similar on a village scale? http://www.ecotippingpoints.org/our-stories/indepth/india-rajasthan-rainwater-harvest-restoration-groundwater-johad.html http://www.ecotippingpoints.org/our-stories/indepth/india-ra...