Drought, the Colorado River and the Fate of the West
August 31, 2022 10:04 AM Subscribe
As the Colorado River dries, the US teeters on the brink of a larger water crisis. A depressing but well written article featuring an in depth interview with climate scientist Jay Famiglietti.
As a small editorializing but I believe relevant point, I note that Jay Famiglietti used to live in Pasadena but has moved to British Columbia.
As a small editorializing but I believe relevant point, I note that Jay Famiglietti used to live in Pasadena but has moved to British Columbia.
Ha! I read it too, true, and this article really brought it to mind. Probably part of the reason I posted it, tbh.
posted by mygothlaundry at 10:13 AM on August 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by mygothlaundry at 10:13 AM on August 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
My fear is that groundwater will, as usual, be left out of the discussion — groundwater is mostly unprotected, and it’s going to be a real shit show.
I like this guy.
posted by Halloween Jack at 11:25 AM on August 31, 2022 [4 favorites]
I like this guy.
posted by Halloween Jack at 11:25 AM on August 31, 2022 [4 favorites]
agreed, The Water Knife is a great read if you have a high tolerance for very probable near future dystopian scenarios. I have not yet read this article but will be doing so as soon as possible, work and chores aside...
posted by supermedusa at 11:30 AM on August 31, 2022
posted by supermedusa at 11:30 AM on August 31, 2022
I like living in California, I find new ways to be stressed out every day!
posted by yueliang at 11:53 AM on August 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by yueliang at 11:53 AM on August 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
> I like living in California, I find new ways to be stressed out every day!
Laughs Cries in Arizonan
posted by Godspeed.You!Black.Emperor.Penguin at 12:06 PM on August 31, 2022 [9 favorites]
posted by Godspeed.You!Black.Emperor.Penguin at 12:06 PM on August 31, 2022 [9 favorites]
This is Not a ‘Drought’
It's much worse than that.
And it isn't going to stop.
posted by thecincinnatikid at 12:13 PM on August 31, 2022 [5 favorites]
It's much worse than that.
And it isn't going to stop.
posted by thecincinnatikid at 12:13 PM on August 31, 2022 [5 favorites]
This is Not a ‘Drought’
It's much worse than that.
And it isn't going to stop.
This article is less depressing than it seems--basically, the desert has always been a desert and without the past few decades of anomalously wet weather, it's going back to being a desert. And that this can be mitigated with less building development, better water reuse, etc.
But as long as humans insist on inhabiting areas of the planet that are hostile to human life--while relying on air conditioning and actual prayer--this is going to happen, right? It seems like the best way to proceed is to gradually phase out these communities in hot, arid areas and migrate elsewhere. Which is obviously almost too painful to contemplate. But it beats an alternative of starvation and violence and other kinds of non-optional suffering.
posted by knotty knots at 12:33 PM on August 31, 2022 [8 favorites]
It's much worse than that.
And it isn't going to stop.
This article is less depressing than it seems--basically, the desert has always been a desert and without the past few decades of anomalously wet weather, it's going back to being a desert. And that this can be mitigated with less building development, better water reuse, etc.
But as long as humans insist on inhabiting areas of the planet that are hostile to human life--while relying on air conditioning and actual prayer--this is going to happen, right? It seems like the best way to proceed is to gradually phase out these communities in hot, arid areas and migrate elsewhere. Which is obviously almost too painful to contemplate. But it beats an alternative of starvation and violence and other kinds of non-optional suffering.
posted by knotty knots at 12:33 PM on August 31, 2022 [8 favorites]
But as long as humans insist on inhabiting areas of the planet that are hostile to human life ....
Edward Abbey - and Wallace Stegner - were ringing this bell in the 50s-60s. Readers Digest condensed version: It's not wise to build vast cities or grow mass produce in the desert. Their words and warnings - along with those of millions of others - were dismissed by those in search of profits.
posted by thecincinnatikid at 1:00 PM on August 31, 2022 [6 favorites]
Edward Abbey - and Wallace Stegner - were ringing this bell in the 50s-60s. Readers Digest condensed version: It's not wise to build vast cities or grow mass produce in the desert. Their words and warnings - along with those of millions of others - were dismissed by those in search of profits.
posted by thecincinnatikid at 1:00 PM on August 31, 2022 [6 favorites]
Vox ran an interesting piece, "Americans keep moving to where the water isn’t."
posted by Marky at 1:07 PM on August 31, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by Marky at 1:07 PM on August 31, 2022 [5 favorites]
Rust Belt real estate in signatory states to the Great Lakes Compact is a good investment, I’ve always said.
posted by hwyengr at 1:31 PM on August 31, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by hwyengr at 1:31 PM on August 31, 2022 [3 favorites]
The water crisis in the west has been in several posts recently (1, 2), and not without good reason. I just can't get my head around just how bad this is going to get (and I moved to Utah so.....yeah hands up that I am part of the problem).
Also, on hyper-local associated Salt Lake environment news, in the last two weeks the Parleys Canyon mine was approved, with potential to cause significant more dust and water contamination in Salt Lake (as if we need more!), and then today Utah DOT announced they are going with the gondola option for Little Cottonwood Canyon.....which while normally I love me a gondola ride, is just depressing when a much less environmentally invasive option (improve the existing bus service!) was right there....and doesn't involve putting in 22 huge gondola towers in a stunningly beautiful canyon to basically only serve two for-profit ski resorts, and against significant local government preference/ local opinion. Ugh - Do better Utah.
posted by inflatablekiwi at 1:49 PM on August 31, 2022 [4 favorites]
Also, on hyper-local associated Salt Lake environment news, in the last two weeks the Parleys Canyon mine was approved, with potential to cause significant more dust and water contamination in Salt Lake (as if we need more!), and then today Utah DOT announced they are going with the gondola option for Little Cottonwood Canyon.....which while normally I love me a gondola ride, is just depressing when a much less environmentally invasive option (improve the existing bus service!) was right there....and doesn't involve putting in 22 huge gondola towers in a stunningly beautiful canyon to basically only serve two for-profit ski resorts, and against significant local government preference/ local opinion. Ugh - Do better Utah.
posted by inflatablekiwi at 1:49 PM on August 31, 2022 [4 favorites]
I just went to Vegas, Grand Canyon, and thereabouts for the first time. I knew Vegas was in the desert, but there's knowing and then there's knowing. I was honestly flabbergasted looking out the window of the plane that there was a city there. It makes no sense. To be honest, I'm still not over it.
posted by Mavri at 2:13 PM on August 31, 2022 [6 favorites]
posted by Mavri at 2:13 PM on August 31, 2022 [6 favorites]
Mavri the crazy thing about Las Vegas (hah) is that it did make sense. "Las Vegas" means "The Meadows" in Spanish. it was called that because of natural water meadows there, which were a popular stop over for migrating water fowl (its a mall now LOOOOOOL weep...)
posted by supermedusa at 2:34 PM on August 31, 2022 [9 favorites]
posted by supermedusa at 2:34 PM on August 31, 2022 [9 favorites]
Rust Belt real estate in signatory states to the Great Lakes Compact is a good investment, I’ve always said.
Maybe? People are still voting with their feet and they are choosing historical drought pre-dystopia over well-watered post-industrial wasteland.
posted by Dip Flash at 8:30 PM on August 31, 2022
Maybe? People are still voting with their feet and they are choosing historical drought pre-dystopia over well-watered post-industrial wasteland.
posted by Dip Flash at 8:30 PM on August 31, 2022
Marky, the article you linked notes that there's already a desal plant approved to build near San Diego. It's just this one project they are not approving, which isn't good but isn't "nope".
I live in Arizona, and it truly is absurd that there's a city the size of Phoenix in the hottest part of the country. Even more absurd is that there's cattle ranchers outside Maricopa that are in the San Juaquin valley area, and they seem to believe it's their god given right to have water that should be in the desert.
The whole situation is bonkers but more bonkers is that there's a gubernatorial candidate down here that won't even admit there's a crisis. I truly hope for the sake of what little water there is to go around that Kari Lake doesn't get elected - that and for many other reasons.
posted by thebotanyofsouls at 8:48 PM on August 31, 2022 [3 favorites]
I live in Arizona, and it truly is absurd that there's a city the size of Phoenix in the hottest part of the country. Even more absurd is that there's cattle ranchers outside Maricopa that are in the San Juaquin valley area, and they seem to believe it's their god given right to have water that should be in the desert.
The whole situation is bonkers but more bonkers is that there's a gubernatorial candidate down here that won't even admit there's a crisis. I truly hope for the sake of what little water there is to go around that Kari Lake doesn't get elected - that and for many other reasons.
posted by thebotanyofsouls at 8:48 PM on August 31, 2022 [3 favorites]
Another rec for near-contemporary related dystopia: Gold Fame Citrus. Hard reading, but evocative.
posted by cupcakeninja at 3:13 AM on September 1, 2022
posted by cupcakeninja at 3:13 AM on September 1, 2022
Another rec for near-contemporary related dystopia: Gold Fame Citrus. Hard reading, but evocative.
Looks interesting, and there's a review by Emily St. John Mandel (whose Station Eleven I really enjoyed). Going on the reading list. Thanks!
posted by fogovonslack at 11:00 AM on September 1, 2022 [2 favorites]
Looks interesting, and there's a review by Emily St. John Mandel (whose Station Eleven I really enjoyed). Going on the reading list. Thanks!
posted by fogovonslack at 11:00 AM on September 1, 2022 [2 favorites]
I live in Arizona, and it truly is absurd that there's a city the size of Phoenix in the hottest part of the country.
It is a bit absurd, but it's agriculture in the wrong places that really screws things up. City use only about 20% of what farming does.
From Cadillac Desert: "you need almost fifty thousand pounds of water to raise one pound of cow."
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 3:13 PM on September 1, 2022 [1 favorite]
I was honestly flabbergasted looking out the window of the plane that there was a city there. It makes no sense. To be honest, I'm still not over it.
Similar feels to driving a little ways out of L.A. and reading about Mulholland...
posted by credulous at 8:30 PM on September 1, 2022
Similar feels to driving a little ways out of L.A. and reading about Mulholland...
posted by credulous at 8:30 PM on September 1, 2022
We are so screwed
SLC, Ogden, Logan, Evanston, Vernal, and St George all had their hottest September day EVER today.
Tomorrow could be hotter…
It appears as if it got to 106° today in SLC. A reminder that before this past week, the hottest September temperature ever recorded had been 100°. Just shattering the records day after day!
posted by inflatablekiwi at 5:32 PM on September 6, 2022
SLC, Ogden, Logan, Evanston, Vernal, and St George all had their hottest September day EVER today.
Tomorrow could be hotter…
It appears as if it got to 106° today in SLC. A reminder that before this past week, the hottest September temperature ever recorded had been 100°. Just shattering the records day after day!
posted by inflatablekiwi at 5:32 PM on September 6, 2022
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I really enjoyed it, but it's A) depressing, and B) might make you have strange dreams where you're very very thirsty.
posted by true at 10:12 AM on August 31, 2022 [7 favorites]