California hit by 11th atmospheric river storm, bringing heavy rain and forcing evacuations
That’s the drought sorted for a bit then…..
California hit by 11th atmospheric river storm, bringing heavy rain and forcing evacuations
That’s the drought sorted for a bit then…..
“That’s the drought sorted for a bit then”: aye, assuming they keep their reservoirs in good repair and that they have enough of them. I wouldn’t bet on those myself.
It’s a Mediterranian type climate. Drought + downpours.
Nature has adapted over millions of years, California thinks taxes will fix it in ten.
Hubris.
Go search Google Trends for “atmospheric river.” It’s a term that was rarely used before the past couple of years. Yet another example of “experts” just making up shit and trying to sound smart about something that they don’t understand and can’t explain.
…caused by gorbal worming, natch.
Most of it will simply run into the ocean. Reservoirs, according to the leading Californian environmental experts, are icky.
Oh no! Drought panic is so useful to the government there that they say it is still a problem. Look to see drought restrictions to continue indefinitely because reasons.
Tut, tut Mohave. Surely there is already a colossal flood panic. California is about to be swamped.
All caused by global warming—–oops climate change (or do they call it something else these days.)
The British Isles being almost permanently wet won’t stop almost permanent drought problems in the south east. For similar reasons these uncommon downpours won’t give Californians much relief. The primary reasons being politicians, bureaucrats and demented ideologues.
Last reservoir built in England = 1992
Population of England 1992 = 57 million
Population of England 2022 = 67 million (yeah right, pass the Saxo…..)
Average water usage per person 2021 = 145 litres (three year average) = 1.4 trillion litres more than 1992.
Perhaps it’s not that there isn’t enough water……………
I wouldn’t pretend to be an expert, but do visit California on business pretty regularly and have done for years. The Drought Crisis!! has always seemed rather entertaining. Some random points:
– If it gets really bad, Cali could stop being a net exporter of water
– If that doesn’t work, stop constantly watering small strips of grass in public areas, such as car park verges. Is the grass really necessary?
– LA County residents are limited to 55 gallons each a day. Limited to?
You have to go there really
Isn’t CA one of the areas which pumps the bulk of its water needs from aquifers? Storms won’t replenish aquifers other than on multimillennial timescales and the last time I read anything about such things, they were emptying them out at a rate of knots – along with New Mexico, Arizona and others.
Dearieme,
I follow a blog by a Californian photographer (Lloyd Chambers), who frequents the wilder bits of the state. Couple of days ago he wrote:
Reservoirs are at very healthy levels, but the drought is not yet over according to “experts”—the same kind of duplicitous jackasses we’ve had to deal with in every other area of life for years now. When a May heat wave hits, that 600 to 800 inches of snowfall* (unprecedented in my lifetime?) will have reservoir spillways thundering, and might disappear many a roadway in some places. Or take out a dam here and there as almost happened at Oroville a few years back.
Last reservoir built in England = 1992
See Caroline Spelman DBE and the EU’s Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC for details…..
We are well rid of both of them.
From my intensive research through watching CHiPs and Terminator, I have concluded that in California they splurge out to build stuff, then never spend to maintain anything, evidenced by Cali’s roads all being a patchwork of snaking crack repairs compared to the UK where rolling repairs grind off the entire surface and relay the whole blacktop. I expect this extends to reservoirs, Jake.
. . . compared to the UK where rolling repairs grind off the entire surface and relay the whole blacktop.
Have you done much driving lately, jgh?
Interesting that in Oxfordshire, the County Council is preventing Thames Water from constructing a reservoir.
Reasons? Mostly that Oxfordshire should let other counties do the work. We have the politicians we deserve
https://news.oxfordshire.gov.uk/oxfordshire-county-council-calls-for-giant-reservoir-plan-to-be-scrapped-again/
– Mostly that Oxfordshire should let other counties do the work.
To be fair, their stated view (legitimate or not):
“It makes no sense at all to build a reservoir in Oxfordshire to cater for London and the South . . .”
is that Oxfordshire is doing the work for other counties.
.
Makes you wonder how the hard libertarians would deal with this sort of thing.
On another blog Californians we’re bragging about their “perfect” weather. I asked them how is perfect given the long drought. The response was that droughts are good because (1) no rain means they won’t get wet, and (2) no bugs. I concluded that besides being haughty elites, they’re wimps.
Pjf where exactly is there the space to build a reservoir that size in London?
Oxfordshire has the advantage of being empty, fairly flat and criss-crossed by numerous rivers and streams. The challenges in the home counties would be much greater, I think. Even on the anecdotal evidence of Clarkson’s farm, he has enough space to create a nature reserve rather than waste time trying to grow crops in an economically efficient way
Diogenes, Oxfordshire might reasonably ask why the lack of reservoir space in London should be their problem. Nearly a tenth of Rutland was flooded to make the Empingham Reservoir; it must be a great compensation to know the taps run clean in Gainsborough.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve seen the plans for this Abingdon reservoir and other than the construction period it’s very low impact. No villages or valleys drowned; a couple of solar farms removed, some businesses uprooted (not to discount their potential suffering) and a road rerouted. Very little natural habitat lost and a lot more added.
It’s clear that a national water supply needs to be planned above the granularity of county councils, but also we shouldn’t run England like China governed by the CCP. The shiny megaprojects look impressive but can be a little fascistic. Just ask the people in the way of HS2.