It may sound like another Federal 'massage,' but the United States Geological Survey seems to be the one Federal entity taking the looming groundwater depletion problem seriously.
Still, I've just began looking at the info contained hereat the USGS California Water Science Center.
Be sure and look at:
USGS Professional Paper 1766, Groundwater Availability of the Central Valley Aquifer, California
Sorry to make you download this and read it offline, the USGS decided to password protect the PDF and Scribd wouldn't accept it.
Bummer.
For those who aren't geologically astute or fascinated by arcane and obscure scientific terms, I'll post a review of this paper as soon as I'm finished reading and digesting it.
As I'd announced as far & wide as I possibly could, we attended the Hannity Show's Water Broadcast from way out in the formerly green fields of southwestern NObama (Fresno) County. It was great to get out that way, but sobering to see literally thousands of acres of fields barren, and hard to keep back tears at the grim faces that surrounded us in the uprooted almond orchard that served as our soapbox.
Our thanks to all who came out, it was a great success!
The immediate reaction from Washington was to try and defuse our efforts by "de-focusing" and diffusing the debate into a "drinking water for over 20 million people" debate.
We know that it's just not that simple, and that isn't what's truly happening.
Be prepared to be called "selfish Farmers" for demanding water. Reply with "What about the environment of Yosemite?" and "Is it sane and sustainable to build a 200 mile long tunnel through countless earthquake faults to drain Yosemite's water, when literally less than 20 miles away you have an endless supply of sustainable water, waiting for you to use current technology to tap into it?"
Question whether it's ethical and moral to take water from hundreds of miles away, from a priceless natural wonder, over geologically unsound ground and through the Bay itself? And is it wise to rely on this water to put out a blazing San Francisco in the case of earthquake?
As in my earlier post on desalination plants, the simple, sustainable and SANE answer is to install sea based, nuclear (Navy design) powered desalination plants. This will assure a steady, safe supply of water for the needs of the entire region, and further advance the cause of true Conservation. Of course, the Nuclear Power aspect is a non-starter in San Francisco. So go with an offshore Wind or Solar or Tidal Energy ... After all, they're all about Green, remember?
The present course, as championed by Sen. Feinstein, Sen. Ma'am Boxer, Reps. George Miller & Nancy Pilosi, will only further chain the San Francisco region to remote water supplies, supplies that would almost certainly fail in the inevitable "Big One."
Here's a hopeful statement that ignores the true power of Nature:
"All the experts tell us that within the next 30 years, there is a 63 percent chance of having a major earthquake in the Bay Area," said Ed Harrington, general manager of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, which is in charge of the project.
"By building extra tunnels and strengthening our pipelines, it means we have much greater assurance that we'll have water after the next earthquake."
By building a 14 foot tall tunnel through sand, mud and acrossTHE major "strike-slip" fault UNDER the Bay???
The politicians & people of San Francisco seem to forget immediately the lessons that Nature keeps trying to teach them, and seem to be much happier taking the water from those they heretofore relied upon for their very sustenance, rather than relying on their neighboring oceanic abundance.
Perhaps they would be wise to remember the "antiquated" parables of History. They are many, from the Bible (see Joseph) to the Roman Empire. As the Priest at the parish I attended when I lived in San Francisco was fond of saying, "Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it."
And will we be happy to give the "profligate ants" the money they will demand to rebuild their "Babylon by the Bay" when Nature once again destroys it?
For at this rate, they will surely be coming with outstretched hands for what little we have left.
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