As far as my anxieties go, the California drought has Ukraine beat

[Auggie]

Yeah, I know: World War III and all. But that seems less likely than a wildfire that could level my neighborhood.

Anyone else?

[Nictuku]

1. This wind isn't helping any!

Man oh man, I woke up to 40mph gusts. It has been windy for weeks here. It dries everything up. The hills are turning brown already and it isn't even spring! We need Rain!!! (I have been evacuated twice now for fires that were near me)

Please Mother Goddess, give us some Rain!

[usonian]

2. There's actually something you can do about this.

When I bought my home in the Sierra Foothills, my very first visitor was CalFire on an inspection tour. (I mean, the next day!)

I had to clean up a lot of brush in my defensible zone. After a nasty bought with poison oak, I hired a crew to finish the job

Since then, I've been clearing more brush (carefully). Chainsaw at the ready. I may do some more today. Mainly, clearing as much as I can under six feet (or 15% of a small tree) and making firebreaks.

https://www.readyforwildfire.org/
CalFire advice.

I am grateful to the original owner for putting my power line from the street underground. Two or three times, a dead tree has fallen over it (harmlessly) and the rest of one old tree is ready to do it again.

Crews are in the area cutting down trees adjacent to power lines. I don't mind the noise. (That giant chipper makes a racket!)

When silent, I can hear a constant buzzing of bees around manzanitas, which are blooming en-masse. And there are hundreds here. So beautiful.

Strangely enough, the predominant chipper here is made by Vermeer. My Dad was an artist and this messes with my mind.


CalFire does amazing work to protect homes.
Definite heroes.
Wildfire is a constant threat in the foothills.
Stay safe.

[dutch777]

3. Long term your concern is very valid. Is the state making progress in improving water management?

Last thing I read said there are still numerous agencies that allocate water usage and distribution with competing interests and constituencies and no overall comprehensive strategy. My son lives in Livermore and he keeps hoping his decision to live and work there vis a vis the water situation was not a mistake.

[Auggie]

4. No

Too much special interest and too much greed IMO.

One positive thing some of our Land Trusts are doing (related to fire management, not water supply) is creating firebreaks by cleaning out sections or forests and employing goats and sheep to clear shrubs and grasses. These actions have helped give firefighters an upper hand and saved a lot of acreage in past fires. Unfortunately, this can't be accomplished on private land.

As far as water management goes, I advocate creating more storage capacity, some desalination in coastal cities, paying farmers NOT to grow water-intensive crops, and as much conservation as possible (plus whatever else the water geniuses can dream up).

[hunter]

5. More storage won't matter if there is no rain and snow to fill it.

Look at the Colorado River: ALL the water in that watershed is captured and still the dams won't fill.

Signs that say "Pray for Rain" won't save us.

The farmers who think that water is "wasted" flowing into the sea can go fuck themselves. We destroyed the Colorado River ecosystem for what? Depressing car-culture suburbs, cheap milk, and ground beef. All of it unsustainable.

ALL wells should be metered and their production limited to sustainable rates. Farms that have the worst environmental impacts, for example those with excessive salt drainage or unsustainable groundwater draws, should be bought out entirely and restored to something resembling a natural state. Farmers who still live on their grandparent's land could be part of that restoration process. The whining and pleas of giant corporate farmers who would use the land up, ruin the aquifers, and then abandon the land to the alkali dust should be ignored.

Burning natural gas to desalinate water is insane. Fossil fuels are the root cause of this drought, burning more natural gas makes drought worse.

Desalinating sea water requires a continuous source of energy. The only carbon-free energy source capable of that is nuclear power.

Pumping water uphill can be done when electricity is abundant, during off-peak hours or when solar and wind energy exceeds demand. California is unique because we pump a lot of water up hill and generate a lot of electricity as it flows down hill. But this system is dependent on ample water supplies. Adding desalinated water to the mix would make this water too expensive for most types of farming.

I don't hide my antipathy towards the factory farm meat and dairy industry. These industrial "farms" use huge amounts of water, contaminate the water that drains off them, and produce products that are not necessities. I look forward to a future where an actual beef hamburger is the more expensive option at fast food places and cows milk isn't served in schools.

If we managed our water wisely California rivers that historically flowed into the sea all year round wouldn't dry up, our aquifers wouldn't be failing, and there would be abundant wetlands for birds and other wildlife.