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2011-01-03 Science & Technology

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Posted by Bobby 2011-01-03 05:55|| || Front Page|| [6 views ] Top

#1 As Southern California's traditional water supplies diminish under a variety of pressures,...

Nature's invisible hand saying 'You got too many people in one place'.

Posted by P2kontheroad 2011-01-03 08:20|| 2011-01-03 08:20|| Front Page Top

#2 Our city council (in typical Democratic fashion) should stop tackling our most pressing problems and simply issue a decree that from now on all rain must fall uphill.

Actually after 2 wet years in a row, our reservoirs are at 160% of normal, and the snowpack in the Sierras is over 20 ft.
And we're barely into January.

But our city fathers (who always seem to know what's best for us) still tell us we're in a drought.
I guess they have failed to study past weather patterns that show a rough balance between the wet & dry years. Ebb & flow as it were.

Actually LA is one of the least dense large cities in the world.
LA City (by itself) covers about 500 square miles, with a population of about 3.5 million.

Posted by Mikey Hunt 2011-01-03 10:16|| 2011-01-03 10:16|| Front Page Top

#3 According to geologists, California frequently (relatively speaking) gets droughts that last for hundreds of years.

The most practical long term solution is to set up an offshore desalinization submersible, that uses water pressure and a series of filters, eventually a nanotube filter, to produce fresh water that is then electrically pumped to shore. The brine is returned to the ocean, so it doesn't mess up the salinity for the critters.

Posted by Anonymoose 2011-01-03 10:43|| 2011-01-03 10:43|| Front Page Top

#4 Hyper-expensive 3rd world solutions to a faltering 1st world economy breaking down because no one in public policy positions for the last 40 years has increased the water storage system in California. Same for the agricultural catastrophy of the central valley, now a dustbowl-like mosaic of unemployment and poverty like that of central America. This is Democrat leadership at its finest folks.......

Posted by NoMoreBS 2011-01-03 11:28|| 2011-01-03 11:28|| Front Page Top

#5 unintended irony: rain water supported by Noah.....

Posted by USN, Ret. 2011-01-03 14:04|| 2011-01-03 14:04|| Front Page Top

#6 DRUDGEREPORT has an Artic that claims that up to 50 artificial rainstorms were created by NT in ABU DHABI.

INDIRETCLY, IMO another indicator that the Perts expect GLOBAL WARMING = SOLAR ACTIVITY TO INTENSIFY come "2012" + during this new decade.

Posted by JosephMendiola 2011-01-03 18:48|| na 2011-01-03 18:48|| Front Page Top

#7 (on soap box, and very prolix today)

Elephants can be as stupid as donkeys sometimes, especially in Calif. All of Calif. is oink-headed about water use, no matter what political party they belong to. The golf courses of Palm Springs are an obscenity. In June, temp is 115 degrees and my cousin is watering her lawn from sprinklers 24/7. You can imagine how much the 25 golf courses guzzle. Xeriscaping, anyone?

Damming the Colorado River has reduced it to a trickle at its mouth, and is screwing up the ecology of the entire lower Colorado and the Gulf of California.

TW's observations are useful, as usual. The suburbs in Switzerland use the pierced concrete blocks too. Looks a bit shabby sometimes but it works.

Posted by mom 2011-01-03 18:59|| 2011-01-03 18:59|| Front Page Top

#8 Bermuda does it. Been doing it for years. It actually works out pretty well.

A unique feature of Bermuda roofs has been their role in water supply. Until the 1930s, rain water provided the only source of potable water. Water was collected on roofs, where wedge-shaped limestone "glides" were laid to form sloping gutters on the roof surface, diverting rain water into vertical leaders and thence into storage tanks.

Early storage tanks were rum puncheons or cisterns made of cedar. Others were formed by excavation into rock and made tight with mortar. Prior to the 20th century, tanks were located at the outside rear of dwellings, partly or entirely above ground. Water was removed from tanks by bucket or hand pump and carried indoors. In some later systems, hand pumps transferred water to elevated indoor storage tanks. Current systems include storage tanks under buildings with electric pumps and pneumatic tanks.

Posted by tu3031 2011-01-03 21:03|| 2011-01-03 21:03|| Front Page Top

#9 nothing wrong (and most things right) with home rainwater detention. Trouble is, some local governments are claiming rainfall in the jurisdiction that fell on your house is public water and should either be turned over or subject to a tax. Nice way to screw you coming and going when you try to do the right thing

Posted by Frank G 2011-01-03 22:10|| 2011-01-03 22:10|| Front Page Top

#10 Trouble is, some local governments are claiming rainfall in the jurisdiction that fell on your house is public water

~~Some local governments are doo-doo heads.~~ Clearly they're desperate to find additional sources of funding that require no up-front investment on their part.

Posted by trailing wife 2011-01-04 00:01|| 2011-01-04 00:01|| Front Page Top

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