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The nut industry around Sacramento is a true tragedy of the commons. Billions of wallstreet speculative dollars to pump water out of the ground as fast as poss
by ngold 6y ago
The nut industry around Sacramento is a true tragedy of the commons.
Billions of wallstreet speculative dollars to pump water out of the ground as fast as possible.
No one wins, but a percentage gain on a balance sheet.
- jeffbee 6y agoInteresting perspective. I always viewed the Sacramento Valley rice and nut crops to be some of the less objectionable activities, seeing as how that valley is knee-deep in water much of the year, and the depth to ground water in many places is less than a meter. But I'm sure every form of industrialized agriculture falls apart under enough scrutiny.
- jessaustin 6y agoSeveral cities consider every drop in California and several surrounding states to be rightfully theirs.
- carapace 6y agoFWIW, there's an infamous photo showing how the Central Valley has literally sunk over the years from over-use of the aquifer. https://ca.water.usgs.gov/projects/central-valley/images/subsidencePole.jpg https://ca.water.usgs.gov/projects/central-valley/images/sub... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Valley_land_subsidence https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Valley_land_subsidence
- jeffbee 6y agoJust note, for those not familiar with the territory, that the San Joaquin valley and the Sacramento Valley, although often combined as "Central Valley", are two very different hydrological systems.
- dhd7r7eu3 6y agoCan't taxes from those gains just be used to buy water from elsewhere though? If water from elsewhere is cheap why not use local water to make money instead?