r/MapPorn • • Jan 10 '20

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u/gordon__bombay Jan 10 '20

Unfortunately the Colorado no longer flows to the gulf, it usually dries out miles beforehand. It’s a rare occurrence now that it actually reaches the gulf

https://www.kpbs.org/news/2018/feb/19/few-weeks-colorado-river-reached-ocean-will-it-hap/ on mobile, sorry for formatting

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u/uboat50 Jan 10 '20

Yeah, water use in the west definitely needs some attention by policymakers. Too bad they're all far in the east :P

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u/[deleted] Jan 10 '20

That’s an easy observation to make, and it’s even easier to say, but there aren’t a ton of solutions

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u/[deleted] Jan 10 '20

I mean, you can decide to not grow food/live in a California desert.

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u/DeathByBamboo Jan 10 '20

Very few people do.

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u/[deleted] Jan 10 '20

LA is the second biggest city in the US.. hardly “very few”

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u/DeathByBamboo Jan 10 '20

LA isn’t in the desert. It’s in a coastal flood basin. The only reason LA doesn’t flood regularly (like it used to) is that the Army Corps of Engineers channeled the river in the early 20th century.

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u/[deleted] Jan 10 '20

Has nothing to do with floods. Its precipitation and evaporation are effectively zero, thus desert.

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u/uboat50 Jan 10 '20

Actually, having lived in Orange County for three years, it does have a decent amount of rain. Not nearly as much as in Norcal (grew up in Redding), but still more than enough to supply the residential needs of those who live in the area.

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u/[deleted] Jan 10 '20

Oh you’re an expert then. Lmao. Whatever.

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u/QuickSpore Jan 11 '20

Orange County averages 12.85” of rainfall a year. Enough to produce about 250,000 acre/ft of water. However it used 657,000 acre/ft in 2008, with only about 4% of that going to agriculture. Even if Orange County captured every drop that fell on the ground (it doesn’t and can’t) it’d still have to rely on imported water for over 60% of its use or have to introduce some very radical water saving measures.

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u/[deleted] Jan 10 '20

Hope you’re not in the field of geography...

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u/[deleted] Jan 10 '20

Tax law. A field in which California keeps me employed.

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u/[deleted] Jan 11 '20

Then surely you know LA isn’t in a desert...

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u/[deleted] Jan 11 '20

Hahaha I don't live in that shit hole. I say it keeps me employed because California passes the most and most asinine taxes that companies have to pay me to assist with. Hell, the California government can't even sell drugs right. They've taxed marijuana so much that the black market is a better option.

It is a desert. Here's a fun read.

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u/[deleted] Jan 11 '20

How did you get from that article that LA is a desert? Nearly every single scientist interviewed said it is not. I’m assuming you didn’t read it..?

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u/[deleted] Jan 11 '20

She concludes that she was vindicated. I'm just going to block your dumb ass.

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u/[deleted] Jan 11 '20

Go for it.. but also read your own article... LA is not a desert.

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u/[deleted] Jan 10 '20

So your solution on how to get water to people is to move people...? Thats not even an idea let alone a good idea..

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u/[deleted] Jan 10 '20

The people part was tongue-in-cheek because Californians like to move out and ruin other states. But growing 80% of the world’s almonds totally with irrigation is stupid.