4 ms·

For those who are truly concerned about water rights and extended droughts, I think the simple solution to that person is simply "dont live in an area with very

For those who are truly concerned about water rights and extended droughts, I think the simple solution to that person is simply "dont live in an area with very limited water resources." In the next decade, there will probably be a multi-year regional drought that hits a US city (not a countdown to running out drought, but an actual "no water in the domestic pipes" drought), and it will properly force states and the fed to come to grips with reality. Lenders and fire insurance will be the first to obligate some level of water supply chain assurance. But not until they get burned badly first.

bhhaskin 8y ago
I have a strong feeling that new pipelines aren't going to be caring oil, they will be caring water. We should be building as many desalination plants along the coast as we can right now. When we need them it will already be too late.
- wahern 8y ago
  People don't need much water to drink or bathe. Agriculture and industry are the largest consumers of water by a large margin. Shipping water is very inefficient and uneconomical as compared to shipping the products of water--food, industrial products, etc.
sehugg 8y ago
This is close to happening in Cape Town: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-safrica-drought/cape-town-day-zero-pushed-back-to-2019-as-dams-fill-up-in-south-africa-idUSKCN1HA1LN https://www.reuters.com/article/us-safrica-drought/cape-town...
- anothergoogler 8y ago
  Thankfully, Cape Town's had a very rainy May.
sbov 8y ago
I'm curious, how do you define "area"? How long does water have to travel before its no longer in the "area"? How do you classify rivers? Water falls one place, and rivers direct it elsewhere, sometimes hundreds of miles away from where it first fell. Presumably these nearby rivers are still in area, even though the water flowing in them did not originate in area. For example, SF gets its water from a reservoir in the Sierras, 150 miles away. Much of California gets its water from just a couple places: the Colorado river (which runs along the border) and Northern California (and much of "Northern California" gets its water from More-Northern California). Some people who live in the southwestern deserts live closer to their water source than people in SF.
- jameshart 8y ago
  The relevant area is probably the watershed. In general, moving water between watersheds is hard, but within a watershed redistribution is possible. So total rainfall within a given watershed basically defines the water supply. http://digg.com/2016/river-basin-map-us http://digg.com/2016/river-basin-map-us
- ethagknight 8y ago
  Almost everywhere gets there water from some other area (even groundwater), which is why the concept of a “water supply chain” will come of importance. More specifically, “area” can be defined as the point sources for utility water distribution lines. As another poster mentioned, watershed is the common term. I’m not sure what point you are trying to make beyond water flowing downhill. My point was, if I’m a lender, and I’m about to lend to a property that has a history of water shortage + a severe threat of total drought, i’m hedging my bet by knocking back the appraisal to be sure I can get my money back from the property given the likelihood of drought. Likewise, I think there is an outsized chance wildfire or an empty fire hydrant, my premiums charged to the property are going way up. In these cases, “area” is looking at all possible options for getting potable water to the site for the foreseeable future, including high cost options like trucking supplies in to refill municipal water supplies.
ianai 8y ago
My votes for making a pipeline from the ocean inward. Power could maybe be supplied by wind or solar, hopefully. The sun could also do the desalination. It would cost a lot. But the US did just dump over 2T into the Middle East.

bhhaskin 8y ago

I have a strong feeling that new pipelines aren't going to be caring oil, they will be caring water. We should be building as many desalination plants along the coast as we can right now. When we need them it will already be too late.

wahern 8y ago
People don't need much water to drink or bathe. Agriculture and industry are the largest consumers of water by a large margin. Shipping water is very inefficient and uneconomical as compared to shipping the products of water--food, industrial products, etc.

sehugg 8y ago

This is close to happening in Cape Town: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-safrica-drought/cape-town-day-zero-pushed-back-to-2019-as-dams-fill-up-in-south-africa-idUSKCN1HA1LN https://www.reuters.com/article/us-safrica-drought/cape-town...

anothergoogler 8y ago
Thankfully, Cape Town's had a very rainy May.

sbov 8y ago

I'm curious, how do you define "area"? How long does water have to travel before its no longer in the "area"? How do you classify rivers? Water falls one place, and rivers direct it elsewhere, sometimes hundreds of miles away from where it first fell. Presumably these nearby rivers are still in area, even though the water flowing in them did not originate in area. For example, SF gets its water from a reservoir in the Sierras, 150 miles away. Much of California gets its water from just a couple places: the Colorado river (which runs along the border) and Northern California (and much of "Northern California" gets its water from More-Northern California). Some people who live in the southwestern deserts live closer to their water source than people in SF.

jameshart 8y ago
The relevant area is probably the watershed. In general, moving water between watersheds is hard, but within a watershed redistribution is possible. So total rainfall within a given watershed basically defines the water supply. http://digg.com/2016/river-basin-map-us http://digg.com/2016/river-basin-map-us
ethagknight 8y ago
Almost everywhere gets there water from some other area (even groundwater), which is why the concept of a “water supply chain” will come of importance. More specifically, “area” can be defined as the point sources for utility water distribution lines. As another poster mentioned, watershed is the common term. I’m not sure what point you are trying to make beyond water flowing downhill. My point was, if I’m a lender, and I’m about to lend to a property that has a history of water shortage + a severe threat of total drought, i’m hedging my bet by knocking back the appraisal to be sure I can get my money back from the property given the likelihood of drought. Likewise, I think there is an outsized chance wildfire or an empty fire hydrant, my premiums charged to the property are going way up. In these cases, “area” is looking at all possible options for getting potable water to the site for the foreseeable future, including high cost options like trucking supplies in to refill municipal water supplies.

ianai 8y ago

My votes for making a pipeline from the ocean inward. Power could maybe be supplied by wind or solar, hopefully. The sun could also do the desalination. It would cost a lot. But the US did just dump over 2T into the Middle East.