7 ms·

"Having" and "willing to use" are two things, right? The problem is that the US, for the most part, no longer has any appetite for projects that leave the land

"Having" and "willing to use" are two things, right? The problem is that the US, for the most part, no longer has any appetite for projects that leave the landscape scarred and the waters polluted. In California, we prefer to go through annual cycles of water rationing rather than build new dams. I'm sure the mindset would change if things get sufficiently dire, but that threshold might be farther than we assume.

SequoiaHope 1y ago
Certainly we could curb our water use. Do we even have enough sites to build dams which would solve the problem? Otherwise we should consider the relative merits of golf courses and agricultural production and allocate accordingly.
- nradov 1y ago
  Golf courses use a minuscule fraction of California's total water supply. Many of them are now irrigated by gray water. The major fresh water use is mostly agriculture. We need to eat, but on the other hand a lot of that water ends up getting used to grow alfalfa for export to Saudi Arabia: profitable for certain farmers, not great for the rest of us. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/in-drought-stricken-arizona-fresh-scrutiny-of-saudi-arabia-owned-farms-water-use https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/in-drought-stricken-ar...
- exoverito 1y ago
  If you're operating under the idea that we can't expand the supply of water, then you basically believe California is full. It would then follow that you would be against immigration, since more people would only exacerbate the problem.
  - mrtesthah 1y ago
    That makes no sense and derails the discussion (which is about mining of minerals -- not immigration), considering over 90% of the water is used by industrial agriculture -- not individuals. The fact that individuals are being asked to conserve water at all is a sham.
daedrdev 1y ago
Even building desalination plants is doomed by NIMBYs wielding environmental laws and the costal commission to block any project
- NewJazz 1y ago
  Have you tried building a subsurface well? Last project didn't want to build one even though the desal plant would otherwise have negatively impacted local wildlife, including marine animals in and around sensitive estuary habitat. That and brine are legitimate concerns. Also cost. The desal project in Huntington Beach was projected to increase local water prices.
  - diordiderot 1y ago
    > Have you tried building a subsurface well? Yes. And they're all being rapidly depleted
    - NewJazz 1y ago
      That's not what a subsurface well is. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B978012809240800006X https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B97801...

SequoiaHope 1y ago

Certainly we could curb our water use. Do we even have enough sites to build dams which would solve the problem? Otherwise we should consider the relative merits of golf courses and agricultural production and allocate accordingly.

nradov 1y ago
Golf courses use a minuscule fraction of California's total water supply. Many of them are now irrigated by gray water. The major fresh water use is mostly agriculture. We need to eat, but on the other hand a lot of that water ends up getting used to grow alfalfa for export to Saudi Arabia: profitable for certain farmers, not great for the rest of us. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/in-drought-stricken-arizona-fresh-scrutiny-of-saudi-arabia-owned-farms-water-use https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/in-drought-stricken-ar...
exoverito 1y ago
If you're operating under the idea that we can't expand the supply of water, then you basically believe California is full. It would then follow that you would be against immigration, since more people would only exacerbate the problem.
- mrtesthah 1y ago
  That makes no sense and derails the discussion (which is about mining of minerals -- not immigration), considering over 90% of the water is used by industrial agriculture -- not individuals. The fact that individuals are being asked to conserve water at all is a sham.

daedrdev 1y ago

Even building desalination plants is doomed by NIMBYs wielding environmental laws and the costal commission to block any project

NewJazz 1y ago
Have you tried building a subsurface well? Last project didn't want to build one even though the desal plant would otherwise have negatively impacted local wildlife, including marine animals in and around sensitive estuary habitat. That and brine are legitimate concerns. Also cost. The desal project in Huntington Beach was projected to increase local water prices.
- diordiderot 1y ago
  > Have you tried building a subsurface well? Yes. And they're all being rapidly depleted
  - NewJazz 1y ago
    That's not what a subsurface well is. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B978012809240800006X https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B97801...