Future Of Water In The US West: A Bleak Projection Of Climate Consequence
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 10. 8.07
As lawmakers in Sacramento consider how to provide an adequate water supply for California in the coming decades, at a little-publicized state water summit this week scientists painted a bleak picture of a Western landscape devoid of forests, snow pack and surface water unless the world quickly reduces greenhouse gas emissions.The state is likely to become drier even if emissions are capped because levels of greenhouse gases already in the atmosphere will continue to warm the Earth for decades to come, said Norm Miller, University of California, Berkeley, Water Center associate director.
Under an intensive fossil fuel future examined by the panel, modeling shows that the Sierra snow pack likely would contain only 11 to 27 percent of the water to which Californians are accustomed, according to Miller who worked on the recent reports. Sea levels would rise between one and three feet, creating seawater intrusion into coastal freshwater aquifers and turning now freshwater areas of the San Francisco Bay Delta into brackish waterways.When storms do precipitate over the Sierra, they would bring more rain and less snow making the state’s rivers flood prone. Miller said that today’s 100-year flood is likely to occur as frequently as one out of ten years, or even one out of two years, by the end of the century under an intense fossil fuel future scenario.
This lack of snow pack and resulting surface water would force the San Joaquin Valley to pump more groundwater, causing aquifers there to fall by at least 200 feet in the decades ahead.
This is making the Life Belt (our term for the Great Lakes States) to look even better.
Via::California Energy Circuit, Little Known Confab Shows Bleak Water Supply With GHG - Click on Free Content to read story. Imge credit::Lawrence of Arabia, Movie Sound Newsletter
This is why I am so excited about my friend HP Michelet's groundbreaking desal technology. His company Energy Recovery Inc, based in California, won the Environmental Exporter of the Year Award last year. They developed a technology that makes it 98% energy efficient to make drinkable water out of sea water.
Lamarguerite
'The Hours of a Green Girl Wannabe'
http://lamarguerite.wordpress.com
Well, this is one facet of the future world. But a lot of offsetting climate effects will negate some of this prediction. The view is a little narrow. Warmer climate does not equal drier climate.
The real risk is the California farmers, and the world of people they feed. If drought doesn't thin them out, insects could, diseases could, air quality, temperature, a passing frost, etc.
Water for the urban areas will be limited by supply and demand. If people can't afford California water, they will stop moving there. Pathetic that an incredibly wealthy coastal state has water woes.
Anon:
Farming is an interesting point. Farmers are way, way too greedy with water. They use several times more water than the ordinary population.
Here's what's gonna happen. Meat production will drop permanently, because water prices will make the feed too expensive. This isn't a bad thing, though, as most adult Americans eat far too much animal protein anyway. Egg and milk production will replace some meat production, so affordable animal protein will remain available. However, livestock will be far too valuable to just slaughter for meat.
People will derive more calories from cereals, legume, and vegetables. Many people are already happier with that kind of diet anyway. It will be only be a real culture shock to people who are extremely culturally isolated and cut off from the mainstream.
Since everyone is agreeing it's inevitable, subsidies need to be switched NOW to encourage this less water-intensive form of agriculture.
You people miss the big picture!
It takes 10 gallons of fresh water make 1 gallon of oil. It takes one drop of oil to pollute 10 gallons of water.
It takes 10 quarts of water to sustain human life a day according to scientists.
Lake Superior has already been dubbed Lake Inferior due to severe droughts.
In Atlanta Georgia USA there is a major city about to impose mandatory drought measures due to two drying lakes and no rain.
You all are starting to live in a time of peak oil and peak water; also a reminder that nuclear power plants need water to produce power too, as well as coal fired plants.
lose water and it is lights out as cars become idle overpriced paper weights.
D~W
Peak water? We have the same amount as day one. Do you mean peak people?
I just heard about Georgia about a week ago. The water shortage and drying lakes is frightening. Yet it took until now to hear about it through the media. I did hear about J-Lo being pregnant and Britney Spears chld custody case about a thousand times however.
Today's LA Times has an item on water rates going up 10%. I'm sure you'll hear about it in the angry complaint segment of the press soon!