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Water Wars Officially Begin In California
A century of government meddling has turned the issue of water rights on its head, and further centralized control of waterways in local, state, and federal governments; and, as Acuweather reports, with the state of California mired in its fourth year of drought and a mandatory 25% reduction in water usage in place, reports of water theft are becoming increasingly common. With a stunning 46% of the state in 'exceptional' drought, and forecast to worsen, huge amounts of water are 'going missing' from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and a state investigation was launched. From illegally tapping into hydrants in order to fill up tanks to directly pumping from public canals, California continues to formulate new strategies to preserve as much water as possible and fight the new water wars that are emerging.
Homeowners in Modesto, California, were fined $1,500, as Accuweather reporrs, for allegedly taking water from a canal. In another instance, thieves in the town of North San Juan stole hundreds of gallons of water from a fire department tank.
In Madera County, District Attorney David Linn has instituted a water crime task force to combat the growing trend of water theft occurring throughout the state and to protect rightful property owners from having their valuable water stolen.
The task force will combat agriculture crime through education by instructing farmers how to prevent crime before it occurs, Linn said in a news release back in March.
"Since the business of Madera is agriculture, I intend to make its protection a top priority," he said.
Jennifer Allen, spokesperson for the Contra Costa Water District in Concord, about 45 minutes from San Francisco, said it's not uncommon for her agency to receive reports of water theft, but as the drought has continued, she said there has been an uptick in reports.
"I believe during drought times people's sensitivities are certainly raised to any instances of water theft going on and so probably that's where we've been contacted," Allen said. "We would assume that more people are feeling the need to report out anything they've witnessed of somebody stealing water from a hydrant or from a neighbor."
To deter thieves, Allen said the CCWD Board of Directors has increased the fine for first-time offenders from $25 to $250. For any following offenses, the fine goes up to $500.
Primarily the CCWD has received reports of people illegally tapping into hydrants in order to fill up a tank or another sort of receptacle to store water. Additionally, Allen said that some contractors have targeted water pipes laid for new developments that may not have a meter attached to them or found a way to circumvent the meter.
Other water agencies are ramping up enforcement against water crime as well. The East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD), headquartered in Oakland, has enacted a new ordinance that would allow them to "fine persons for stealing water or making unauthorized use of a public fire hydrant," according to its website. According to the EBMUD, violators would be fined $500 for the first offense and $1,000 for a second violation. But, as AP reported recently, the problems are far bigger (and deeper)...
As California struggles with a devastating drought, huge amounts of water are mysteriously vanishing from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta — and the prime suspects are farmers whose families have tilled fertile soil there for generations.
A state investigation was launched following complaints from two large agencies that supply water to arid farmland in the Central Valley and to millions of residents as far south as San Diego.
Delta farmers don't deny using as much water as they need. But they say they're not stealing it because their history of living at the water's edge gives them that right. Still, they have been asked to report how much water they're pumping and to prove their legal rights to it.
At issue is California's century-old water rights system that has been based on self-reporting and little oversight, historically giving senior water rights holders the ability to use as much water as they need, even in drought. Gov. Jerry Brown has said that if drought continues this system built into California's legal framework will probably need to be examined.
Delta farmer Rudy Mussi says he has senior water rights, putting him in line ahead of those with lower ranking, or junior, water rights.
"If there's surplus water, hey, I don't mind sharing it," Mussi said. "I don't want anybody with junior water rights leapfrogging my senior water rights just because they have more money and more political clout."
The fight pitting farmer against farmer is playing out in the Delta, the hub of the state's water system.
* * *
A century of government meddling has turned the issue of water rights on its head, and further centralized control of waterways in local, state, and federal governments. Just as the residents of Los Angeles fought over water with local farmers, the residents of Las Vegas will soon find themselves fighting with surrounding states over what’s left of Lake Mead. None of the power players seem to care that the current population settlements of the southwestern United States cannot last. One day the water will run out. The sooner this reality is confronted, the better.
Admittedly, the ownership of water and its various bodies is a difficult topic. Rivers and tributaries don’t flow by man’s commands. They can be directed, but never fully controlled. Privatization of water rights would be a good start for restoring sane usage of natural resources. Don’t expect as much to happen though. Government control is far too entrenched in the process to be removed easily.
* * *
Finally, some context, that old axiom that the earth is 75% water is wrong. In reality, water constitutes only 0.07% of the earth by mass, or 0.4% by volume.
This is how much we have, depicted graphically:
As we discussed previously, Water scarcity is, of course, not just a domestic issue. It is far more critical in other parts of the world than in the US. It will decide the fate of people and of nations. Worldwide, we are using potable water way faster than it can be replaced.
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Too dry to even drown in misery. Sukkas!
I'm not saying anyone should be free to use as much water as they want, but I generally take the opposite stance of Jerry Brown. It's served me pretty well to date.
The government can just print more water...
signed
Krugman
RIPS
Some are now calling the California Drought a Geoengineered False Flag Event
Wal-Mart buys California aquifer water for .99 cents for 784 gallons, resellers it for .88 cents per gallon in stores = 65,724% Profit
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-05-11/how-wal-mart-makes-instant-6572...
Meet the Billionaire Beverly Hills Jewish Power Couple Sucking Central Valley Dry Growing Clementines (Cuties), Oranges (Sunkist), Pomegranates & their juice (POM Wonderful), Fiji Water, Pistachios, Almonds (and Almond Milk) [Paramount Farms] using so much water from California's Central Valley aquifer that it is causing ground to sink 5 to 9 feet.
http://www.npr.org/2015/04/30/403283276/drought-in-calif-creates-water-w...
"GROSS: This is FRESH AIR, and if you're just joining us, we're talking about California's water wars in the light of this drought. And the water wars are the subject of a forthcoming book by my guest, Mark Arax. He's a journalist who has written for the LA Times, where he covered California's Central Valley. He's also the author of the book "West Of The West."
One of the families you profiled are - own big corporate farms. It's the Resnicks that I'm talking about. And they're best known for the Cutie clementine seedless tangerines, for growing pomegranates and for owning POM Wonderful. They're behind Fiji Water, the bottled water known as Fiji Water. They grow a lot of pistachios, which are highly advertised now. How much land do they control in California, and how much water do they use?
ARAX: The Resnicks, through Paramount Farms - their Paramount Farms - they control about 120,000 acres of farmland. This is the second - you know, they're the second-biggest farmers in the state by acreage. They're growing very high-dollar crops.
GROSS: How did they make their fortune that enabled them to buy up so much California farmland?..." [continued at link]
We are quickly sliding towards something very ugly folks...
http://galeinnes.blogspot.com/2015/05/imagine-tomorrow.html
I guess everyone forgot about all of the fracking going on out there, water is used to push up the gas & oil btw...
This is purely corporate terrorism on the 99%, enough said..
"Privatization of water rights would be a good start for restoring sane usage of natural resources."
Yeah, because privatization of public utilities has worked out so great for consumers. Fucking bullshit.
I'm not saying anyone should be free to use as much water as they want . . .
Why not? Where I live we have four gigantic inland freshwater seas surrounding our state so we have plenty of water - there is no such thing as "wasting" water here . . . . in Lake Superior you can go out a few miles and the water is so clean (and cold) you could drink it straight out of the lake.
Don't worry, Jerry has a plan to tax water from the skies
And California Wonders Why It’s Experiencing An Historic Earth-Cracking Drought
Contrary to popular political pronouncements, CA (government) has done Nothing with respect to water.
They cannot manufacture it, have not planned for storage, do not see any feasible means out of the drought's impacts other than badgering the consumer (Small percentage of total usage) and remain in denial that there is anything other than MOAR governmental intervention and rationing that is possible, all along refusing to accede that they re helpless in Nature and Nature's God's eyes.
What to do, what to do, what to do?
The only thing that can be done is.... declare a National Emergency because of Food Shortages (don't forget 40% of bee hives have died off this year, but that's because of something else) Federal Goobermenit intercedes, taxes the entire country to fund desal plants up and down the coast so that there is water for crops (Let alone the voters in LA so that they can wash their cars, water their lawns, fill their pools and have their wet tee shirt contests, called VOTES, V O T E S, votes)
I'm doing my patriotic part and freezing some lettuce and celery for you folks out east.
But...but...but...
When they shut off the water to consumers in Detroit for non-payment of the water bill, we were told that water was a HUMAN RIGHT!
It was on the TeeVee so it had to be true.
California just needs to install more faucets, that's all. They're simply facing a HYDRANT GAP. Nothing that Billions in new taxes won't cure, I'm sure of it.
CW
Hydrant Gap! Ha! Funniest comment I've read in a while!
This should get interesting as the years continue ...
This is where the war will start.
There was a show called Prophets of Doom on Disc/TLC or something. They had 4 guys on talking about what would cause the next war or planetary wipe out. One said an asteroid (not a matter of if but when) another though it would be AI. The guy who started talking about water though....he was coming up with some spooky shit and was most likely the most accurate of the batch from a probability point of view.
I thought that was on Home & Garden channel, funded by the Endless Pool Company and those adorable Scott's fertilizer adds where the tipsy little Irishman chides the black gardener to work harder..
Fuck Commiefornia (present company excepted...in the CD).
Used to live there back the late 80's - loved it, wonderful life style. But it is a one party dictatorship that is ultimately controlled by publix zector unions and several quasi private/publix ones.
There is no conception of responsible government to the taxpayers - in fact rate payers are on the bottom of the ladder. It is government unions by and for government unions - plus some assorted fruit and nuts eco outfits masqarading as Mother Natures' defenders who themselves are sucking the state dry.
Under normal circumstances you would have had a historic dry cycle, but this Code Red No Water shit would have not happened under even minimal preparation.
We dehydrated some folks
Prophets Of Doom (2011) Full Documentary - History Channel
On youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rE3ROkFoVMM
A fantastic book called: "Resource Wars," by Michael Klare has a big section about water. Check it out - it will f'n curl your toes.
Resource limitations are one reason to hate the bankers. Their grow, grOW, GROW! system is at odds with reality, but they're getting theirs while we're going to get fucked.
Yeah, I saw that. Basically oil and water were the big things. Water and oil are likely to be the root cause of any global conflagration. I can see China going to war over fresh water. Locally, if food prices double or triple over night, it could lead to some serious shit going down here.
Oh, and FYI, Albuquerque purchases water from the Animas River every year and pipes it over to the Rio Grande. The Animas is a tributary to the Colorado River. It sure is nice being upstream of California. Their senior vs junior water rights are meaningless in the face of that.
The look on the AI guys face when he finally got Ruppert and Kunstler's points regarding water and oil scarcity was priceless.
Yes, it was. And in the end, he concluded that maybe we won't make it far enough to face his problem. IMO, we would need a different kind of computer technology to make it that far anyway, as there are quantum mechanics limits to how small you can build a transistor.
Quantum Computers are in the pipeline.
One big server farm, all the bots connected. No need for much processing power at the individual unit level.
I can see China going to war over fresh water . . .
Those fuckers have been coming into the Great Lakes for years and filling up tanker ships with fresh water. I'm not sure how they are getting away with this but knowing how our politicians work there has got to be some shady deal behind it. Also, this practice has led to quite a few alien species taking over the Great Lakes - something like the Asian Goby fish comes to mind . . . .
It's called ballast. Ships can't sail across the ocean completely empty or they'll be unstable. Now if they somehow manage to bottle that Great Lakes water rather than release it into the ocean at their home port, then you might have a case...
Prophets Of Doom (2011) Full Documentary - History Channel
On youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rE3ROkFoVMM
sorry dub
Let them drink fracking fluid......
No worries, Obuttfuck has a tax for that
If the elites get what they want and the population is reduced to 500 million water won't be a propblem.
We (and by we, I mean a shitload of people who are not me) should all make a pact to die in their water supply then.......
Or we hang the oligarchs, and let nature take its course.
Ban water balloons
Farmers are always at fault. Just ask Stalin.
With the use of advanced genomics, Californians will evolve almost overnight and be able to consume ocean water with no ill effects except for a slight neon green glow in the early evenings.
theres far more water in the crust and mantle of the earth than is ever admitted.
water did not come from asteroids. it came from the earth, it is trapped in the pourous and molten rock underneath our feet.
every year more and more geological research supports this reality. for whatever reason water sinks a lot deeper into our earth than just the surface, most likely because its behavior changes dramatically under different physical circumstances.
. . . and the Earth came from where/what?
Besides - who gives a fuck how much water is in the Earth's crust diffused in porus rock? The better question is how much water can you economically recover and safely drink or water your crops with.
Abiogenic water, bitchez.
Google "starwater" for a interesting theory.
theres far more water in the crust and mantle of the earth than is ever admitted.
I read an article a few months ago that said there is about three times more water locked up in the Earth's mantle than all of the oceans combined. The hypothesis was/is that this is where the water in the oceans originally came from. Unfortunately it's not going to help California's, or anyone elses, water shortage problem . . . .
There's always chemical reactions going on all throughout the crust that can produce water as a byproduct. All you need is compounds with Hydrogen and Oxygen to react due to thermal or electrical energies and water is often a byproduct. But there is likely an equilibrium in place. Any changes to the ratio or recovery to a ratio probably has a very large time constant.
yes the unfortunate reality is we will never know the early asteroid/comet composition of the solar system. the late heavy bombardment or whatever other bullshit theories that astronomers have come up with that have truly veyr little evidence of events claimed to have occured billions of years ago.
and the deep earth is very very difficult to study. she does not give up her secrets easily. remote observation by way of vibrations and particles and energy travelling through and emanating from the earth are the only real time information we have from the inner earth, while surface rocks which are plentiful and deep drilled rock which is basically a shit show of minimal evidence are what we have to go on.
the best evidence astronomers know dick about the early solar system and early sources of water are from the past 10 years of extra solar planetary astronomy revealing that there is a huge spectrum of different solar system planteary and gas dynamics than we ever thought possible. who would have thought that basic observations would overturn theories that were based on an extremely limited sample set?
yes , that's sarcasm.
occams razor says that given our current knowledge, we are to assume all major quantities of major elements (oxygen silicon hydrogen etc..) on the earth now, came from the earths initial conditions , or very early conditions, meaning from any major events in the earths history viz-a-viz the sun or other major astronomical bodies such as the possible mars size body that hit proto earth early in its formation.
a bunch of fucking asteroids aint gonna do it mate.
I won't believe it's bad till Al Gore says it's bad!!!
More laws, we need more laws. That will stop people from using water, evil sonsabitches.
And taxes. Lots moar taxes. Taxes make it rain.......
Yes, taxes make it rain, but tears are kind of salty, so you can't water your crops with that rain.
Keep cutting down trees Mother Fackers.... green is so last century's color...
But "owning a house" is every 'Muricans God given right, and lumber make housing moar affordable than building houses to stand the tests of time and environment.
What liberal governments bring you: Detroit, Chicago, Baltimore and now Kalifornia.
Somehow I wound up sitting on some crazy inter-government county board in CA.
For reasons still unknown, at the start of 2015, somebody decides the county MUST have a "green" board to deploy all these federal and state "stealth agenda 21" plans.
Soft law.
Anywho, so I'm sitting at the first couple meetings, which are being hijacked by two hateful humps from the Sierra Club. (They don't even live in the county.) All their Inquisition is about "What will YOU do to combat climate change?" No ideas. No plans to bounce off of people. Just Bullies.
You ask these guys a question and they only answer with another question. Pure Change Agent 101.
So.
Meeting three.
I run these guys' names and do an asset search. Sure 'nuff. These guys own multiple houses, swimming pools. Don't even drive a Prius. Yet they insist everything is a crisis. Everything must be controlled. We must ask for THEIR permission to plant a garden or drive to work. Yet they are just a little bit more equal than everyone else. Textbook hypocrite Animal Farm.
What gets me the most in all of this, is this is the same political krew that insists families of four should live in high density housing on 900 sqft and drink their own urine to save the planet because we are running out of resources. Yet these same star spangled morons insist on throwing open the immigration flood gates and encouraging every anchor baby to go into student loan debt, buy 2 cars, be a compliant consumer and otherwise obey the state in perpetuity.
You can's insist on endless corporate consumption AND resource austerity.
The country is truly lost.
Kalifornia needs more illegals , more infrastructure spending, more welfare to fix this water issue.
By weight, the average human adult male is approximately 65% water, per wiki, so you really need all the mexicans you can get to stop this drought.
/s
dry land wars to start soon in texas rofl
your food prices will go up at the end of the summer
Privatization my ass...Nestle...WhaleMart.
Herd 'em up, move 'em out.
Agenda 21 at your service.
Fracking squanders the most. Governor Moonbeam takes it out on Joe Sixpack and Sally Housecoat for washing their caror watering their lawn
Government, being nothing more than a criminal syndicate of theft and violence, can only produce four things: poverty, misery, death, and lies.
Any indicator otherwise is temporary and unicorns.
Liberty is a demand. Tyranny is submission.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UchewNIi_zA
I love your comments. Cynical realism is all we have left after 6 and a half years of Hope n Change
Thanks.
Besides trying to iron out ideas and learn how to write and communicate better, my primary goal is trying to learn how to induce people to think.
It really is shocking what I experience here, and especially out, "face-to-face," in the world. People have been training/indoctrinated to be reactionary for or against any and all ideas. Thinking has been made taboo. Scary.
I am always having to tell people to think, not agree, but think; Just think.
All they need to do is think and then follow that person in the mirror.
Liberty is a demand. Tyranny is submission.
We cannot drill into the water table. We don't have a union to tap taxpayers yet.
We here is Washington State know it is just a matter of (a small amount of) time before they build a pipeline from our rainforests to water their lawns in Berkely or Beverely Hills.
Pipeline for water = good. Pipeline for oil = bad.
sschu
Not if we have another snow year like this one.
There will be blood if they try.
The only way that's gonna happen is if Californians start paying your property taxes... lol
Big Government began with water. From Mesopotamia to Imperial America, government is all about control of water and control of those who need it. At first this may be part of progress but there is always a nasty end. See Cadillac Desert for one reference.
The catastrophe that is inevitable is man made. We will not be able to blame Mother Nature. A fix may be possible, but only by our own actions. Government will not be an ally.
Not quite sure why the Sierra Nevada mountains have never been "reservoired".
This is done in the Alps in Europe. Huge water reserves come from spring thaw. Best tasting water - ever!!
you know what desert means? it's mean no water, only sand.
Why sahara have never been "reservoired"????
Why sahara have never been "reservoired"????
It is a natural reservoir aka aquifer, but, the rate of resupply does not meet or exceed water demand, which poses long-term water challenges for the future.
link: http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/3102/20130722/vast-fossil-aquife...
To be sure California needs high-speed rail more than spring thaw water.
Otherwise, scarcity invites control by your betters.
Stupidest fucking post today
Ever heard of Hetch Hetchy?
might impact the breeding ground of an endangered mosquito
The Sierra Nevada is having its own problems...and they will only get worse. So scratch that one.
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=82910
Initial search shows approx. 1400 reservoirs and 1300 dams in CA, reservoir ing enough for you dumb ass?
Not a snarky question
Have they banned home swimming pools?
Or is it the Leona Helmsley: only the little people have to conserve water
Too bad Jerry and his voters didn't see this coming....
Go long Detroit real estate or what?
I heard this was a marketing stunt for Mad Max.
I told my husband back in the 1980's that the key issues in the 21st century will be access to natural resources, e.g. water, and personal privacy. Should've named me Cassandra. I live in San Diego now, temporarily, since we will apparently have no water next year. Glad for that home in NC!
Mi casa es su casa, but... my water is my water.
Local farmer have right to take as much water as they want for farming if they border a river. Because there water draw rights are unlimited there has never been a reason to measure how much they take. Now there is drought and state government is looking for a reason to extend its power. this is not new in the area the local agencies in charge of water will do everything in there power to screw other holders of water right at the drop of a hat.
There is no stealing of water happening here just atempt by state government to expand its power. They did the same thing with aquifers last year.
Zerohedge shouldn't report government propaganda when any examination would show the charge of water stealing is false.
Look. In California they can't even get a photo without rain clouds in the sky. Posed to rain again this week. Its been raining for over 1 month now. Ok not much but once a week which is more than it has rained in many years.
Technicaly, California has planty of sun. So put solar panels, desalination stations along the coast and grub water from the ocean. But it is to difficalt to do, I guess, if you look to point fingers and not to solve the problem.
Just about all the experts agree that desalination is way too expensive to afford at this time. In San Diego, they have the Carlsbad plant that is to begin operation soon. It cost around $1Bn (and then you would also have to build a solar plant for each under your scenario) and will furnish only about 7% of Sandiego's needs. How many plants would be required to furnish 100% of their needs? Blows the mind. And that is just one city. How many homes and businesses does California have? Desalination is probably the most expensive solution possible right now. Good luck with that solution - just ain't gonna happen.
just love the 'head-up-my-ass' comments from the 'say-it-isn't-so' california dreamers lmao
Water thieves beware.
We are loaded for bear.