Spring Weather

[roadwarrior]

 

 

                                                                

[Jig Man]

We are having some of that stuff here.

[Bird]

We're heading straight back into winter for the next week, 2 days of snow ❄️ forecasted.........and I just recently started catching fish ?

[casts_by_fly]

I mean, we’re not going to refreeze but none of that is telling me the water is going over 40-42 degrees any time soon. And there’s enough wind for days so I’m glad I got out for the day I did. 
 

[NorcalBassin]

We just had a once a decade series of storms that dropped nearly 4ft of snow on us with 20+ feet in the high country, and now it's being followed by an atmospheric river that is supposed to drop 7-10" of rain on top of our snow these next few days. Going to be an absolute mess.

[MN Fisher]

Just now, NorcalBassin said:

We just had a once a decade series of storms that dropped nearly 4ft of snow on us with 20+ feet in the high country, and now it's being followed by an atmospheric river that is supposed to drop 7-10" of rain on top of our snow these next few days. Going to be an absolute mess.

You should have put in some cisterns for the next drought...you guys are getting way over-wet.

[NorcalBassin]

6 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

You should have put in some cisterns for the next drought...you guys are getting way over-wet.

Yeah, if .gov would stop needlessly dumping all of the water out of our reservoirs to send into the ocean it'd be great. We have more of a water management problem than a drought problem, but fortunately even with gross mismanagement we should be set for a while.

[Darth-Baiter]

12 hours ago, NorcalBassin said:

Yeah, if .gov would stop needlessly dumping all of the water out of our reservoirs to send into the ocean it'd be great. We have more of a water management problem than a drought problem, but fortunately even with gross mismanagement we should be set for a while.

i have been talking the the Army corp guys.  they said they are making some changes, but really it is about not blowing out our dams.  they have to let water out in anticipation of water to come.  and cities that are flooding are kinda at the oceans edge.  short of bull dozing all the homes and building bad ass bass lakes, there is no other options.  CA is made up of 7 (i remember 7)distinct water sheds.  every watershed has one massive reservior in it, some have multiple.  these came about in the 1950's when engineer hoisted the CA water act(i cant remember the exact name, but it was lame).  funded the entire program.  they even put a canal to move water from one end of the state to the other, with a massive mountain range in between.  BIG money.  i dont think any other state has taken on such a thing.

 

back to the "gross mismanagement".  they have 5 or six reserviors under a pilot program.  they typically have a calendar date where they release water.  now?  they are basing those release dates on actual rain and snow.  still risky, since a quick thaw can over burden the dams.  they hope they can react in time.  

 

i would love to hear some other ideas from some of you all.  especially from the non CA guys sitting in armchairs wearing their water district football jerseys.  ahhaha ....love you guys, but dangg..the army corp of engineers are no joke.  nobody knows dams better. 

This year is a good test for the Army Corp.  they better sharpen their pencils.  rain has been epic.  i think this is the second or first year for that pilot program.  Lake Medocino near my home is one of the lakes and it is bulging full.  bulging.

 

i had a long commute this morning.  woke up, looked outside and said, "NERP!".  i am now working from home in house slippers.

 

you know who is our biggest water consumer?  the nut (walnut, no almonds?) industry.  huge lobby groups..private companies.  nobody looks at them, and they love it.  keep us thinking about more reservoirs.  i dont even like walnuts or almonds.  well, i like almond milk.  dang!!

[TnRiver46]

1 hour ago, Darth-Baiter said:

ahhaha ....love you guys, but dangg..the army corp of engineers are no joke.  nobody knows dams better. 

 

That could be argued……….

 

but our dams are for the exact opposite purpose of yours, we have too much rain 100% of the time and the goal is to control flooding. Never been a drought here 

[DaubsNU1]

Army Corp on the upper Missouri river system could use some adjustments.

 

Like @TnRiver46 our dams were originally built for flood control.

 

Record snow fall in 2011, and mis-management by the Corps lead to record flooding.

 

Mother Nature is relentless...and just when you think you have her figured out, patterned, or under control...she unleashes her fury!

[TnRiver46]

Can I get an engineer to hold my beer, please? 
Damming rivers since the corps was only a twinkle in its mother’s eye

 

but seriously I think tva is the champion of dams, it’s nothing short of a miracle none have collapsed 

[gim]

I see this problem as no different than the problem plaguing the entire western half of the country.  Too many people and not enough fresh water.  Sure, right now it doesn't seem that way along the west coast, but I can assure you that drought will return.  Better infrastructure will be needed when water continues to fall from the sky because in the near future that faucet is going to shut off.  Stop watering your freaking golf courses in a desert.  We've built a city like Phoenix, the 5th largest city in the entire country by population, right in the middle of the desert.

[Darth-Baiter]

1 hour ago, DaubsNU1 said:

Army Corp on the upper Missouri river system could use some adjustments.

 

Like @TnRiver46 our dams were originally built for flood control.

 

Record snow fall in 2011, and mis-management by the Corps lead to record flooding.

 

Mother Nature is relentless...and just when you think you have her figured out, patterned, or under control...she unleashes her fury!

I 

do love me some beaver.  Wait, that came out wrong. 

2 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

That could be argued……….

 

but our dams are for the exact opposite purpose of yours, we have too much rain 100% of the time and the goal is to control flooding. Never been a drought here 

Makes total sense. You all get rain regularly. my local lake is for flood control.  It dampens surges.  

18 minutes ago, gimruis said:

I see this problem as no different than the problem plaguing the entire western half of the country.  Too many people and not enough fresh water.  Sure, right now it doesn't seem that way along the west coast, but I can assure you that drought will return.  Better infrastructure will be needed when water continues to fall from the sky because in the near future that faucet is going to shut off.  Stop watering your freaking golf courses in a desert.  We've built a city like Phoenix, the 5th largest city in the entire country by population, right in the middle of the desert.

Golf courses are brutal.  
 

Las Vegas is gonna dry up Mead. 

[gim]

2 minutes ago, Darth-Baiter said:

Golf courses are brutal.  
 

Las Vegas is gonna dry up Mead. 

Seriously, what's more important, growing produce/food or growing grass to play pasture pool?  When it comes right down to it, everyone should have the same answer.

 

Vegas recycles the vast majority of their water but yes that's another good example of another lavish city built right in the middle of the desert.

[Darth-Baiter]

1 minute ago, gimruis said:

Seriously, what's more important, growing produce/food or growing grass to play pasture pool?  When it comes right down to it, everyone should have the same answer.

 

Vegas recycles the vast majority of their water but yes that's another good example of another lavish city built right in the middle of the desert.

I know the tunneling crew that bored under lake Mead and essentially installed a drain hole.  Vegas got weary of the existing outfall going high/dry. It will my ever be to droughty to not pull water from Mead again. 

[DaubsNU1]

So interesting to listen to stories from around the nation (and the world).

 

Here in Nebraska, I live just outside of Omaha, on 3 acres.

 

I have my own fresh water well on property...as much water as I need or want from the Ogallala Aquifer. Just pay for the electricity to run the pump. Water is tested regularly, no odor, tastes good.

 

Here is a screen shot of Google maps, south central Nebraska.

 

Each circle represents a center-pivot irrigation sitting on top of a fresh water well. Growing lots of corn, soybeans, milo, etc. County roads are laid out every mile...so 4 center pivots per mile, roughly.

 

[gim]

11 minutes ago, DaubsNU1 said:

Ogallala Aquifer

Only a matter of time before that sucker dries up too.  Way too much ground water pumping is happening before it can be replenished.

 

New drought monitor released today.  Central CA is completely out of drought.

 

Is that where you are @Darth-Baiter?

 

https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/

[TnRiver46]

1 hour ago, gimruis said:

I see this problem as no different than the problem plaguing the entire western half of the country.  Too many people and not enough fresh water.  Sure, right now it doesn't seem that way along the west coast, but I can assure you that drought will return.  Better infrastructure will be needed when water continues to fall from the sky because in the near future that faucet is going to shut off.  Stop watering your freaking golf courses in a desert.  We've built a city like Phoenix, the 5th largest city in the entire country by population, right in the middle of the desert.

#2 Los Angeles also in a desert. “I can’t believe it’s so dry out here, who would have thought 50 million people couldn’t survive in a desert” 

 

Here’s your sign……

 

Atlanta sometimes runs low on water and wants to tap into the TN river. Nobody ever blames the urban planners that let developers build as many houses as they want 

 

[gim]

17 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Nobody ever blames the urban planners that let developers build as many houses as they want 

That is exactly what is beginning to occur in parts of Utah now.  Houses can no longer built because there is not enough long-term safe freshwater supply.  Well now these cities in Utah are upset because its limiting urban growth, and thus, more property taxes.  Utah is a senior water rights holder of the Colorado River and is hesitant to cut their usage for this reason.  You can't keep building houses if there isn't any water for them, its simple physics.

[TnRiver46]

We have lots of corps of engineer dams, they mostly stay broken 

[roadwarrior]

Hmm...

 

California wastes more money than most states receive in total revenues. 

There is a very simple solution to water issues if you change a few priorities.

Water desalination  plants are expensive, but the core resource is unlimited.

The Pacific Ocean will never run dry!

[Darth-Baiter]

3 minutes ago, roadwarrior said:

Hmm...

 

California wastes more money than most states receive in total revenues. 

There is a very simple solution to water issues if you change a few priorities.

Water desalination  plants are expensive, but the core resource is unlimited.

The Pacific Ocean will never run dry!

until we look at the giant mountians of by product..salt.  and we put the salt back into the ocean, and turn them extra salty.  nothing like a big giant dead sea to provide foods.   that cant be good.

6 minutes ago, roadwarrior said:

Hmm...

 

California wastes more money than most states receive in total revenues. 

There is a very simple solution to water issues if you change a few priorities.

Water desalination  plants are expensive, but the core resource is unlimited.

The Pacific Ocean will never run dry!

most states comsume more revenues.  CA is a payer.  most states are spenders.  

 

we send more money out to taxes.  stop that and we could buy water from other planets. (i exaggerate of course..for fun)

[Deleted account]

30 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

#2 Los Angeles also in a desert. “I can’t believe it’s so dry out here,

 

LA and San Diego,(and Vegas, and other places that control $$$) are gonna be ok, all the other places that have cropped up (pun intended) out west, not so much.

 

 

 

 

[gim]

23 minutes ago, roadwarrior said:

Water desalination  plants are expensive, but the core resource is unlimited.

Desalination plants are what modern, first world countries use in the middle east for supply of freshwater.  Israel is in the middle of the Arabian desert and supplies themselves with water from the sea, pushing it through membranes with reverse-osmosis.  Yes, its very expensive because its requires a lot of energy to complete, but when you live in a desert climate, you don't have a choice.  Adapt or die.

[Darth-Baiter]

1 minute ago, gimruis said:

Desalination plants are what modern, first world countries use in the middle east for supply of freshwater.  Israel is in the middle of the Arabian desert and supplies themselves with water from the sea, pushing it through membranes with reverse-osmosis.  Yes, its very expensive because its requires a lot of energy to complete, but when you live in a desert climate, you don't have a choice.  Adapt or die.

what do they do with the salt byproduct?