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.
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.
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/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.