California water levels this year?

Slugz

Veteran member
Oct 12, 2014
3,664
2,340
55
Casper, Wyoming
1488612201453.jpg

Saw this today in the International New York Times. Is this year one of the greenest ever or is it spotty? I lived in Lemoore a few years and was just wondering.
 

labahertd

Member
May 31, 2016
80
0
Northern California
I live about 35 min south of Lake Oroville. Right now we are sitting around 27 inches of rain. State wide I think most of all the reservoirs are at capacity and the snow melt is still to come.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

sneakypete

Veteran member
Aug 9, 2011
2,821
275
Oakdale Ca.
I live about 30 miles from New Melones reservoir and it's 78' from from being full. It was down over 220', so with more rain and snow runoff it should fill up! :)
 

Huntinguy0120

Member
May 29, 2012
85
0
Northern CA
I live in a high spot down in the valley and oh man the water debate is HOT right now. Last summer, most resovoirs were reported to be at 15-20% capacity, and now each one is opening up emergency gates to shed water. DWR came out and said that CA isn't out of the drought yet and people aren't happy about it.

It was worse back in 97, but the animals here will be fine.. hoping for the best for those deer and elk out of state.
 

kidoggy

Veteran member
Apr 23, 2016
9,847
10,860
58
idaho
californians have to claim the drought ain't over.
to say otherwise does not fit their global warming scenario
 

B&C Blacktails

Active Member
Mar 1, 2015
237
0
The AG industry has been pumping ground water for years with no rain water leeching down to fill our aquifers some areas of the state have dropped dozens of feet in elevation due to over pumping, some cities in the central valley had to truck in drinking water because their wells had gone dry. Just because we have had the wettest year in decades, It still takes many years for the water to leech down and refill our aquifers. We need to have many wet years in a row to make up for what has been taken.

That being said where I live in coastal northern California we have had 70" or more of rain since October. There is no drought up here and there hasn't been for years. Our dams are full so hopefully now our salmon and steelhead will have plenty of water to get back into the upper reaches of our tributaries.
 

kidoggy

Veteran member
Apr 23, 2016
9,847
10,860
58
idaho
funny how easy it is to convince folks of a water shortage on a planet that is 2/3rds water.lol.
 

Never in Doubt

Active Member
Jul 9, 2012
304
0
It's been a very good rainfall year, and the snowpack is very high. Just what all the hunters want. It's going to be a great hunting season! Last couple years the high country has been a tad dry, but many springs still had water if you know where to look.
 

kidoggy

Veteran member
Apr 23, 2016
9,847
10,860
58
idaho
lol. so you think in this day and age we don't have the technology to filter water???

I understand the cost factor but it only costs alot because we don't do it on a major scale.
why don't we ? because people say it can't be done. circle of life.
 
Last edited:

dustin ray

Veteran member
Oct 23, 2011
1,256
1,049
Alta Loma CA
Its less expensive to build more reservoirs than desalination plants but will that happen in CA ? And The aquifer has to be replenished threw gravel based reservoirs where the water will seep into the aquifer the over pumping of water from wells without replenishment of fresh water has serious concusses like pollution and sea water entering the aquifer. How much fresh water is being dumped into the ocean daily and wasted.
 

Gr8bawana

Veteran member
Aug 14, 2014
2,670
604
Nevada
lol. so you think in this day and age we don't have the technology to filter water???

I understand the cost factor but it only costs alot because we don't do it on a major scale.
why don't we ? because people say it can't be done. circle of life.
You are clueless.:(
Simply google desalination plants and you will see just how incredibly expensive it is. The $1 billion desalination plant near San Diego supplies around 110,000 people.
The population of CA as of 2010 was over 37 million so just how much do you think it would cost to supply the entire population, not to mention the need for agricultural water.
 

SunnyInCO

Member
Oct 20, 2015
101
2
Highlands Ranch, Colorado
You are clueless.:(
Simply google desalination plants and you will see just how incredibly expensive it is. The $1 billion desalination plant near San Diego supplies around 110,000 people.
The population of CA as of 2010 was over 37 million so just how much do you think it would cost to supply the entire population, not to mention the need for agricultural water.
Not to even mention what to do with the salt. Its not like it just evaporates.
 

kidoggy

Veteran member
Apr 23, 2016
9,847
10,860
58
idaho
You are clueless.:(
Simply google desalination plants and you will see just how incredibly expensive it is. The $1 billion desalination plant near San Diego supplies around 110,000 people.
The population of CA as of 2010 was over 37 million so just how much do you think it would cost to supply the entire population, not to mention the need for agricultural water.
no . not clueless. just willing to entertain an idea that could help instead of just whine about a water shortage.
I actually did google it and that site claimed it cost about 1-2 dollars per gallon of water to desalinate , compared to 20-30 cents per gallon , for water coming out of aquifer

1st. you do not need to supply enough for 37 million. you need only supply enough to take up the slack so aquifers can recharge.
2. no one is suggesting that is the only answer, just one of many.if more dams will help then build them also.

3.as with most manufactured goods the more you do it the less expensive it gets.not to mention advances in technology that can make something fiscally not worth doing , profitable eventually. is that not the california greenies stance on green energy??? lol.

4. I get that it is expensive. but let me ask you this , is the problem going to magically go away???is it going to get cheaper by waiting with hands tied and doing nothing? what has a higher cost, desalination plants, or just sitting back crying the sky is falling till it falls?

5.if the land the population is living on cannot sustain the population. perhaps that population should consider moving to a place that will.

6.seems to me it will come down to a simple choice in the future. choose to pay more and live, move away or just die.
I can say with complete honesty that I do not much care which choice is made since I don't live there and care nothing about those who do. but if I did, I would choose to survive no matter the cost. I would think most others would also.
 

kidoggy

Veteran member
Apr 23, 2016
9,847
10,860
58
idaho
Not to even mention what to do with the salt. Its not like it just evaporates.

that is funny.

somehow ,I think we will easily find a use for the salt. could be we could even sell it and get another benefit from the whole process. there are many uses for salt. take salting the ice from roads and driveways for instance, as just one example
 

B&C Blacktails

Active Member
Mar 1, 2015
237
0
All of the freshwater that is dumping into the ocean from the San Joaquin and Sacramento rivers is actually keeping the saltwater from flowing inland. It is literally sea level for a hundred miles or more upstream from the Golden Gate. If that freshwater flowing out was not there to keep the saltwater at bay the entire Delta ecosystem would be destroyed forever, it would also poison hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland. The Army Corp of Engineers builds temporary dams every year in the delta to prevent this from happening. Why, because we are already keeping too much water from flowing into the ocean. Also the rivers provide essential food and nutrients that flow into the ocean for numerous fish and invertebrates our commercial fisheries depend on let alone our greedy stomaches.

We have exhausted every river system in CA to build dams on there is literally not enough water to support our needs. Storage reservoirs are an option when we have water years like this one but what good would it do to build a dam that costs hundreds of millions of dollars and displace countless farms and families that would hold water once or twice a decade. We already have had a hard enough time keeping our dams partially full.

On a side note there is plenty of drinking water for everyone in the state and then some, residential houses only use 25-30% of California's drinking water the other 75% goes to agriculture. I am sure most of you have heard by now it takes a gallon to grow a single almond, how much almonds does an almond tree produce??? It takes five Gallons to produce a walnut! Lets look at beef, 1,847 gallons per pound to raise beef and no that is not a typo.