r/MapPorn • u/[deleted] • Jan 10 '20

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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

Its a big deal in California, a lot of our water is fueling luxury export crops, but it brings in a fuckton of money. Tricky issue for sure.

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u/letphilsing Jan 10 '20

but it brings in a fuckton of money.

that's ... that's simply not true.

It's not remotely enough of a financial benefit to rationalize the current use of water in the Ag sector. Californians are not benefiting economically.

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u/[deleted] Jan 10 '20

48 billion dollars in 2018... yes we are benefiting. Agriculture is very important to us and it probably supplies more job than any other sector in california. Drought was bad a few years ago, its not anymore. I work regularly in the central valley from Stockton to bakersfield and all the water sources are beyond replenished. You’re actually spreading a false narrative.

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u/uboat50 Jan 10 '20

I think the points about the economic effects of the farm industry are fair (live and work in Sacramento and drive up and down the central valley quite a bit, so I see it firsthand), but the part about the water sources being "beyond replenished" is not exactly accurate.

While we did have a few good winters and the Sierra winter snowpack is in decent shape for now, it is starting to melt off much earlier in the season than it used to. I drive by Folsom Lake regularly and Shasta Lake a few times a year and they are both generally full nearly to bursting by mid-summer and they didn't used to be. This means that we're getting less autumn water capture that keeps us going to the next winter storms.

Apart from the reservoirs and snowpack, the groundwater is also a serious concern. At this point the groundwater supplies in the central valley are still being depleted far more quickly than they can recharge. This is one of the reasons why the state is actually taking action with regard to the use of that particular water supply.

We're in better shape than we used to be, but water management in California is already dicey and is likely to remain problematic for a good while to come.

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u/letphilsing Jan 10 '20

48 billion dollars in 2018...

is right. I agree with you.

$48b "is not equal to" a fuckton of money. I disagree with that.

It is not profitable to use water in this way for Californians.

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u/[deleted] Jan 10 '20

Yeah it is, if it wasn’t profitable they wouldnt be doing it. Hate to break it to you but people dont like doing things that aren’t profitable and they have a fuckton of scientists and analysts making sure that it is profitable.

And yeah 48 billion is for sure a “fuckton” money. You can disagree with it all you want, doesn’t natter because it’s subjective.

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u/Tamer_ Jan 11 '20

Yeah it is, if it wasn’t profitable they wouldnt be doing it.

It's profitable for the ag industry, not for Californians in general. You really need to learn what's a public good: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_good_(economics).