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This is news? I remember reading about 20 years ago that it takes something like 30 years for rainwater to filter down to the water table.
Of course back then I probably read that on the MSM so there's no telling how much truth there was to that statement, but common sense will tell you that it's not an overnight thing.
Common sense will also tell you that thirty years is wrong. Lessee....groundwater is 1-300 feet deep. Anybody want to bet that water won't percolate down a foot per day? For those who do, remember that a standard septic perc test needs around 60 minutes per inch of drop; that is, the water level in the trench drops an inch an hour...or 2 feet per day. Nope, it ain't overnight (unless you live in Florida, all that sand y'know)...but it sure ain't 30 years, either.
ReplyDeleteAS I SAID: "Of course back then I probably read that on the MSM so there's no telling how much truth there was to that."
DeleteI'm not buying the foot a day bullshit in that area, either. If that was the case, irrigation wouldn't affect the water table the way it does. Maybe in other parts of the country, but not there. After all, it just goes right back into the ground, right? Now you can explain why all the almond orchards depleted the water table the way it did if it percolates down a foot a day.
I'm sure you're taking into consideration California's hardpan soil with granite and lava rock under that, right?
They flooding very large fields to assist in that percolation.
DeleteI thought they were also pumping water directly back into the ground in some area’s?
We can't even get water to irrigate our crops so I can assure you we're not flooding our fields to replenish the water table.
DeleteWhere I live there are percolating fields that ARE being flooded to help restore the local aquifer. There were also several cascading percolation ponds built that divert water from the river... when it flows... to do the same. Gee... I guess paving over the land and covering the rest with houses wasn't such a good idea...
DeleteAttn Gov. Newsom, Amazon's got Copper Dowsing rods for under $20
ReplyDeleteHe'd probably use them as sex toys...
Delete"Pumpers will have to get meters onto their wells, and they would be charged for the water they are extracting," Harter told CBS13.
ReplyDelete'Whiskey's for drinking, water's for fighting.'
And taxing you for the privilege of using until you give up and sell the farm.
And using as yet another cudgel with which to beat you into Climate Change submission.
If we had ten straight winters like what we're experiencing in California this winter this B.S. will never end. No matter what happens, they with distort the science to meet their objectives, total control being the primary objective.
Much agreed... There's not enough water for the citizens and legal residents in California, but there's enough for all the ILLEGAL ALIENS the likes of Newsom are inviting in! Once here, they get as much water as they want for free, and the rest of us pay the bill... I have YET to find anyone who voted for that butt pirate!
DeleteHere in the City of Fresno we're sitting on a 10,000 year groundwater supply. Nevertheless, we were forced to get meters at great expense and regularly deal with cutbacks, rationing and rising prices. Why? Even though we have this seemingly inexhaustible supply, the government ruled we had to sacrifice for "equality" with other drier California cities. I kid you not.
DeleteCompletely believable. 'Equity, Inclusion and Diversity' is much more important than is feeding the citizens of America. Kind of like it's much more important to fund the pensions of Ukrainian gov't employees than it is to help provide housing for homeless American veterans.
DeleteWelcome to the FUSA, 2023. Thanks, Dems.
I'm asking a question. I thought most of California's water came from the snow melt. Am I wrong on that? I know they have gotten rain but it doesn't seem the snow pack would be melting just yet. I also thought I read they had record snow in the mountains this year. On average I always heard a foot of snow equals about an inch of water. The question, when it melts won't that be an incredible amount of water going into the water table?
ReplyDeleteMost of California's surface irrigation water comes from snowmelt, yes. When the snow melts, it's trapped in the huge reservoirs up in the foothills and held there. Over the summer, it's released into smaller reservoirs down in the Valley, then it's distributed to farmers by the different irrigation districts.
DeleteAnd of course the State of California takes their sizeable cut and uses it to flush fish down to the ocean.
You also have to take into account the water that's sent to some of the larger coastal cities such as San Francisco to be used by the population and is flushed directly into the ocean.
Bright Eyes:
DeleteSacramento's average annual precipitation is around 20". In the Sierra foothills where I live 40" is a good year with records of 100"+ in the 1800s.
The snow survey taken March 3rd at Phillips, just west of Tahoe at around 7000' elevation (working from memory) showed a snowpack of 121" with a water content equaling 42" of rain. Granted, this is a record year, but it does show you the importance of the snowpack to the state's water supply.
Now there are concerns that the snowpack will melt earlier than it would have historically because the brainiacs determing forest policy have allowed millions of acres to burn and be defoliated. This is thanks to the clowns in Washington D.C. that are experts in the consequences of the mismanagement of Western forests.
An honorable mention should go to PG&E Corporation, who has done a wonderful job in starting many of these fires.
Rant over, and I hope this helps.
This is interesting. I had no idea. I just read rainwater can take years or even decades to get to the water table. As you initially said it takes a long time. Learn something every day.
ReplyDeleteIt gets worse when you consider how much political power the water districts have. Irrigation built that State and they never let you forget it.
DeleteSince 1989, my company has installed 500+ shallow water table (15-60' deep) groundwater monitoring wells. I've seen that table drop 5-7' during a drought, then recharge within a year. However, water supply wells are always 100+ feet deep, usually 200' plus. Naturally, a drop in that table takes longer to recharge and is dependent on local geology.
ReplyDeleteSo many people in here with valuable information. 'Tis a good site for sure. I must admit I keep thinking to myself, why didn't I know this?
ReplyDeleteWell, when you keep throwing rainwater into the ocean, shit happens.
ReplyDeleteThe "draught" will never end. Ever. It's too useful politically. The central valley in Kali could be under 20 feet of water from Sacramento to Bakersfield and the "draught" would still exist.
ReplyDelete