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California Pours Mega-Millions Into Desalination Tech
http://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/parched-california-pours-mega-millions-desalination-tech-n28066
"..... recent technological advances in membrane materials and energy recovery systems have about halved the energy requirements for desalination, giving the once cost-prohibitive technology a fresh appeal in a state gripped with fear that it may be in the early stages of a decades-long mega-drought.
"I think it will turn out that it is very affordable compared to not having the water here in Southern California......"
Um, yeah.
"..... Calif.-based Surfrider Foundation, which has opposed several desalination projects, including Carlsbad, on environmental grounds. For example, sucking up large amounts of seawater can kill fish and other creatures as water passes through intake screens.
"Our general position is there is just a lot more that can be done on both the conservation side and the water recycling side before you get to [desalination] and we feel, in a lot of cases, that we haven't really explored all of those options," Rick Wilson, the organization's coastal management coordinator, told NBC News."
Right. 'Cause we've had such resounding success getting people to stop filling pools and watering lawns in S. California.
"..... recent technological advances in membrane materials and energy recovery systems have about halved the energy requirements for desalination, giving the once cost-prohibitive technology a fresh appeal in a state gripped with fear that it may be in the early stages of a decades-long mega-drought.
"I think it will turn out that it is very affordable compared to not having the water here in Southern California......"
Um, yeah.
"..... Calif.-based Surfrider Foundation, which has opposed several desalination projects, including Carlsbad, on environmental grounds. For example, sucking up large amounts of seawater can kill fish and other creatures as water passes through intake screens.
"Our general position is there is just a lot more that can be done on both the conservation side and the water recycling side before you get to [desalination] and we feel, in a lot of cases, that we haven't really explored all of those options," Rick Wilson, the organization's coastal management coordinator, told NBC News."
Right. 'Cause we've had such resounding success getting people to stop filling pools and watering lawns in S. California.
Feds: No Water For Drought-Hit California Farmers
http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/california-drought/feds-no-water-drought-hit-california-farmers-n35646
"A federal agency said California farmers hit hard by a withering drought will receive no irrigation water this year from a sprawling system of rivers, canals and reservoirs across the parched state.
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation said Friday there simply isn't enough water in the Central Valley Project, which provides irrigation and municipal water to wide swaths of California's midsection. A third of the country's fruits and vegetables are produced in the region.
Last year, Central Valley farmers received 20 percent of their normal water allowance — but that figure has sunk to zero percent amid an environmental crisis that has threatened to decimate the $44.7 billion agriculture business in the country's top farming state and put countless jobs on the line.
Gov. Jerry Brown last month declared a drought emergency. President Barack Obama this month pledged millions of dollars in federal assistance to California during a visit to Fresno.
State officials who oversee the State Water Project — California's other chief water system — have already announced they won't be allocating any water for farmers. The decision marks a first in the system's 54-year history.
Federal officials also said Friday that water used by communities will also be subject to severe cuts."
http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/california-drought/feds-no-water-drought-hit-california-farmers-n35646
"A federal agency said California farmers hit hard by a withering drought will receive no irrigation water this year from a sprawling system of rivers, canals and reservoirs across the parched state.
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation said Friday there simply isn't enough water in the Central Valley Project, which provides irrigation and municipal water to wide swaths of California's midsection. A third of the country's fruits and vegetables are produced in the region.
Last year, Central Valley farmers received 20 percent of their normal water allowance — but that figure has sunk to zero percent amid an environmental crisis that has threatened to decimate the $44.7 billion agriculture business in the country's top farming state and put countless jobs on the line.
Gov. Jerry Brown last month declared a drought emergency. President Barack Obama this month pledged millions of dollars in federal assistance to California during a visit to Fresno.
State officials who oversee the State Water Project — California's other chief water system — have already announced they won't be allocating any water for farmers. The decision marks a first in the system's 54-year history.
Federal officials also said Friday that water used by communities will also be subject to severe cuts."
Yeah, since our area is pretty much a retirement area, we have the people who want their grass green year 'round (most of them came from up north and should be used to brown lawns in the winter), so there's a lot of lawn sprinkling going on. The lawns are pretty, but at what cost to the area as a whole, when it comes to water supply.
In FL, each public water system is permitted for a certain amount of gallonage/day and if they exceed that, they can be fined, though most aren't.
A lot of our larger waste treatment systems are now being permitted to very high standards and that treated water is being used to irrigate golf courses, parks, and other public lands. Of course, the waste treatment facilities must constantly monitor certain parameters and any time one goes out of range, the water can't be released for irrigation until parameters are brought back into compliance.
Once waste water is treated, it goes back into the soil, anyway, and eventually, becomes drinking water again, so it might as well be used for irrigation before being put back into the ground. The biggest problem with that is the fertilizers and other chemicals that go into the ground and "mingle" with our drinking water.
In FL, each public water system is permitted for a certain amount of gallonage/day and if they exceed that, they can be fined, though most aren't.
A lot of our larger waste treatment systems are now being permitted to very high standards and that treated water is being used to irrigate golf courses, parks, and other public lands. Of course, the waste treatment facilities must constantly monitor certain parameters and any time one goes out of range, the water can't be released for irrigation until parameters are brought back into compliance.
Once waste water is treated, it goes back into the soil, anyway, and eventually, becomes drinking water again, so it might as well be used for irrigation before being put back into the ground. The biggest problem with that is the fertilizers and other chemicals that go into the ground and "mingle" with our drinking water.
Good point.
While we are experiencing a horrible drought there is no word of water conservation.
People are still watering lawns, washing their cars etc.
And then there are the automatic sprinkler systems at summer vacation homes. I called the water department on one that was broke and the water was just pouring into the road and down the drain.
While we are experiencing a horrible drought there is no word of water conservation.
People are still watering lawns, washing their cars etc.
And then there are the automatic sprinkler systems at summer vacation homes. I called the water department on one that was broke and the water was just pouring into the road and down the drain.
Can't help wonder why they don't use reclaimed wastewater for watering lawns and properly treated, it could actually be used for swimming pools, because of the heavy chlorination required in pools.
Our area uses a good bit of reclaimed wastewater for irrigating golf courses, etc.
There's also been a desalination plant in Tampa for a number of years. Haven't looked at the figures lately, but when I was keeping up with it, it provided a pretty fair amount of water.
Our area uses a good bit of reclaimed wastewater for irrigating golf courses, etc.
There's also been a desalination plant in Tampa for a number of years. Haven't looked at the figures lately, but when I was keeping up with it, it provided a pretty fair amount of water.
We'll see how that goes. They've got to do something there.
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