[Sky High Arch]

I've mentioned here in the past that the U.S. south-west (areas like California and Arizona, among others) are facing acute water shortages in the years ahead.

Well, we're there.

From this piece in the LA Times:

Essential California: 'We're out of time' on the Colorado River crisis

Lake Powell and Lake Mead have been drained to just 27% of their capacity. For years, scientists repeatedly warned that dangerously low levels could be coming.

www.latimes.com

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The kind of cuts in consumption that are about to be necessary will be hugely impactful on that area of the U.S. and that will have ramifications for Canada.

Agricultural production will be one of the most obvious cut backs with water-intensive crops and any crops in the areas where water is sparsest having to come out.

But it will also mean some relocation of water-intensive industries and may impact population levels in some areas due to both lifestyle impacts (no more lawns/fewer pools) but also
substantially more expensive water.

This Guy shows some good shots of lake mead and how much it has gone down. Ive been watching for some time now.

 

[Northern Light]

This Guy shows some good shots of lake mead and how much it has gone down. Ive been watching for some time now.

The threat of lifestyle change and economic impact has been looming for a long time now. Reports and data have been piling up, but each time that a drought ended and the 'emergency' subsided, things went back towards 'normal' for the most part.

A few areas cut back in Almond or Avocado production (water intensive crops); and some areas limited lawns in new development; but mostly the problem was kicked down the road.

Not likely this time. This one is gonna sting.

 

[Sky High Arch]

The threat of lifestyle change and economic impact has been looming for a long time now. Reports and data have been piling up, but each time that a drought ended and the 'emergency' subsided, things went back towards 'normal' for the most part.

A few areas cut back in Almond or Avocado production (water intensive crops); and some areas limited lawns in new development; but mostly the problem was kicked down the road.

Not likely this time. This one is gonna sting.

Full pool is 1229 above sea level
currently at 1040
The hover dam experts expect to be below 1020 by end of year. the are always wrong and its usually lower
the Hover dam cant send water down at 895. No water to California and Mexico
no water to Arizona, Nevada, at 865

lake mead lowest point is 697 above sea level

 

[Northern Light]

Full pool is 1229 above sea level
currently at 1040
The hover dam experts expect to be below 1020 by end of year. the are always wrong and its usually lower
the Hover dam cant send water down at 895. No water to California and Mexico
no water to Arizona, Nevada, at 865

lake mead lowest point is 697 above sea level

Interesting longer term question, could this be the beginning of the end of the Hoover Dam? That's lots of electricity production there. That absence would sting, and offsetting it, never mind the cost of removing the dam would be enormous.

But truthfully it probably should never have been built.

With certainty the water diversion to California should not have been, watering a desert in one place, and essentially creating/enlarging a desert in another is not a wise thing.

The water sent considerable distances to sustain otherwise unsustainable cities such as Vegas was also an incredibly foolish idea.

Par for the course for our species, spend billions or more to achieve something that is of low to no benefit or short-term benefit, in order to spend tens of of billions un-doing it and mitigating the resulting harm.

 

[Johnny Au]

Hoover Dam and Lake Mead behind it are what makes Vegas Vegas:

 

[ShonTron]

The only question I have in regards to the southwest US water crisis is whether desalination can ever be a viable option, at least for California. Is there a way to reduce the energy costs of making that work?

 

[Northern Light]

The only question I have in regards to the southwest US water crisis is whether desalination can ever be a viable option, at least for California. Is there a way to reduce the energy costs of making that work?

It can work for drinking water, albeit it at higher water costs than Californian's are used to; but it can't effectively replace the agricultural water supply, or cheap-industrial water supply; at least not based on current tech/price points.

There are currently 12 desalination plants in California already; and 4 more are proposed:

Ocean Plan Requirements for Seawater Desalination Facilities | California State Water Resources Control Board

www.waterboards.ca.gov

 

[Richard White]

It can work for drinking water, albeit it at higher water costs than Californian's are used to; but it can't effectively replace the agricultural water supply, or cheap-industrial water supply; at least not based on current tech/price points.

Honestly, based on the global drought situation I can see desalination becoming more mainstream. That would eventually cut costs.

There is plenty of water in the oceans but we cannot utilize the resource without desalination. I doubt anyone would go without water if desalination is an option even at a higher cost.

Sooner rather than later you will likely see water tankers on seas moreso than oil tankers. Water is about to be a lucrative commodity in the coming decades.

 

[Northern Light]

Honestly, based on the global drought situation I can see desalination becoming more mainstream. That would eventually cut costs.

Possibly.

There is plenty of water in the oceans but we cannot utilize the resource without desalination.

There are serious environmental issues around desalination. Follow the link I posted for a discussion of those. There are practical limits to the scale of that.

I doubt anyone would go without water if desalination is an option even at a higher cost.

People will not go w/o water; at least in developed nations; but when the cost of water drives away employment or drives up the cost of food/taxes etc.; people may choose to relocate.

Sooner rather than later you will likely see water tankers on seas moreso than oil tankers. Water is about to be a lucrative commodity in the coming decades.

I very much doubt that. Bulk water exports would generally be wildly unpopular with the people in the region doing the exporting; and in any event, its not particularly cost-effective and very subject to disruption and timing issues.

 

[afransen]

The only question I have in regards to the southwest US water crisis is whether desalination can ever be a viable option, at least for California. Is there a way to reduce the energy costs of making that work?

Desalination technology is improving but the costs are orders of magnitude off of making water intensive crops like almonds viable. California has to reckon with water use in a more mature way than it has thus far.

Indoor farming (greenhouses, vertical farms) are far, far more water efficient and can be an option for water stressed areas like California. Israel has pioneered many techniques for making the most of limited water for crop irrigation.

 

[kEiThZ]

US officially in a recession.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

US officially in a recession.

Better now than next year.

AoD

 

[Northern Light]

The Globe and Mail has an opinion piece discussing the emerging water crisis in the south-west U.S. and asking if Canada should consider bulk fresh water diversion to the U.S. (the answer is no, say I ).....

Article link here: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-us-canada-freshwater-crisis/

I will only extract one bit from the article, (which is paywalled); a statement of note:

The Metropolitan Water District (MWD) of Southern California is now aiming to cut back water use by an unprecedented 35 per cent. “We have now not had the availability to satisfy the conventional calls for what we have now,” stated MWD common supervisor Adel Hagekhalil, “

 

[Richard White]

The Globe and Mail has an opinion piece discussing the emerging water crisis in the south-west U.S. and asking if Canada should consider bulk fresh water diversion to the U.S. (the answer is no, say I ).....

Article link here: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-us-canada-freshwater-crisis/

I will only extract one bit from the article, (which is paywalled); a statement of note:

The Metropolitan Water District (MWD) of Southern California is now aiming to cut back water use by an unprecedented 35 per cent. “We have now not had the availability to satisfy the conventional calls for what we have now,” stated MWD common supervisor Adel Hagekhalil, “

I give it roughly 10 years before the Southwestern along with the sunbelt are uninhabitable.

 

[JasonParis]

If I could afford a property beyond my own in Toronto, I'd buy something in Buffalo. I've always believed that the (U.S.) Great Lakes are the past, but are also the future.