Kind of ironic that what is essentially a desert is one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world. I'll have to check out that book.
I worked in our hydroelectric division for a lot of years and really gone into the history of it and much of what California has grown into is still dependent on the water systems that were put in in the gold rush. I live in the heart of the original motherlode and the mines and evidence of the hydraulic mining are all still present. The diversions that were put in to capture water for mining are now used for electricity, domestic uses and agriculture. Story goes that as much of the water started to be diverted to agriculture, the most powerful guy in the state wasn't the guvernator or the banksters, it was the water master. I'm on a decent well but I get irrigation water from the local Irrigation District, remains to be seen what they will do. Thank <deity> for the 10+ inches or rain we got last weekend but it's still really pretty dire. From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Frank Ress Sent: Friday, February 14, 2014 9:16 AM To: [email protected] Subject: RE: [NTSysADM] OT: Western drought I hesitate to contribute to this thread on a technical forum, but it's been tagged as OT, so... If you're living in the American west (or if you're just interested in historical info), I'd highly recommend Marc Reisner's "Cadillac Desert". It's both a book and a 4-hr PBS miniseries from about 15 years ago. The book a few years older. Fascinating, and highly recommended. I was out at the Grand Canyon 10 years ago, listening to an evening Ranger talk. The Colorado reservoirs were way down, even back then (Lake Powell at less than 50% of capacity). He mentioned that the Southwestern drought was in its 7th year (then), and that, historically, droughts in the Southwest had lasted as long as 50 years. Many believe that Powell will never be full again. Specifically for the California folk, Reisner also wrote a book about the earthquake possibilities. Haven't read it, but I do have an Amazon credit I may use it on. If you live out that way, what's happening now may be the new normal. Tough love, for Valentine's Day? Frank Ress (Finding some advantages to living in the rust belt. We do get tornados, but they limit the destruction to relatively small areas.) From: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Richard McClary Sent: Friday, February 14, 2014 9:59 AM To: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> Subject: RE: [NTSysADM] OT: NE snow UGLY! I can't help but wonder if a "Central Valley vs Los Angeles" fight will break out, "Chinatown"-like, over access to water -- richard ________________________________ This communication is for the use of the intended recipient only. It may contain information that is privileged and confidential. If you are not the intended recipient of this communication, the disclosure, copying, distribution or use hereof is prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please advise me by return e-mail or by telephone and then delete it immediately. PG&E is committed to protecting our customers' privacy. To learn more, please visit http://www.pge.com/about/company/privacy/customer/
