I have such a hard time listening to the plague of drought that is decimating California. I have a hard time, not just because it is happening, but because it has happened for centuries. California has experienced devastating droughts historically that at times lasted decades. We know this. It is common knowledge. And yet, the real problem is that they have never done one lick to anticipate and fix the ongoing issue. Nothing.
Is it the fault of the people, the homeowners, the farmers? No! They do what they can under the guidance and supervision of – the government. Do they use too much water? Maybe. Is water usage inefficient? Yes – a resounding yes! But it is the JOB of the government to regulate and anticipate and do what is necessary to protect the state and the people from a disaster. They want this job, they get paid for this job – now do it!
California has a history of droughts dating back to 850 A.D. (the earliest recording) in which two droughts lasted 180 and 240 years respectively! Given their were not fossil fuels or ozone depletion or carbon releasing industries polluting the atmosphere during these historical times, it is safe to say these droughts were persistent without blaming ‘climate change’. And in the last 1000 years, 10-20 year droughts have been documented as rather ‘typical’ of the state/area.
And that’s the true problem. Droughts have gone on and on and governors have ignored them – for centuries. Have they built more storage? No. More underground reservoirs? No. Have they built desalinization plants? No. Do they still allocate water to farms that grow nothing? Yes. Do they require lawns to be drought tolerant or rock gardens? No. Half of individual water use is for lawns. But 80% of the water is used for agriculture. For rice paddies in desert land. For growing water absorbing Alfalfa which is mostly exported to China. Almond trees consume 10% of ALL water use – that’s NUTS! And yet they are preserving these cash crops – for hopes of greater $$$ – to the decimation of lower crop values like vegetables. Add to the fray that 60% of almonds are an export crop, its just not practical. Its not about what is best or right – it is about what is going to make me the most money in the quickest time and allow me to high-tail it outa here jack mentality!
So what are farmers doing to make it better? They’re digging deeper and deeper wells, more and more wells, sapping up every last dribble of water that they can without concern for the longer term consequences. And no one is stopping them. In some over-pumped areas, the ground has actually sunk a few dozen feet.
And now California’s government is running around like Chicken Little claiming the sky is falling – when in fact, it already fell. And they have done – nothing!
They take water from Colorado, and run garden hoses to clean debris from their driveway! Grab a broom people! Interesting that Hollywood is silent. How are their expansive gardens doing? Their manicured, lush green? Not a word. So I took the opportunity to see the homes of some of Hollywood’s most famous via ‘google earth’ and was completely – not shocked – to find that they are lush and green. Swimming pools were filled, and lawns were pristine.
So while livelihoods are decimated, Hollywood is immune. In fact, they would seem to believe that they are ‘above’ the plights of the commoner peasant, and they can do whatever they want despite the devastating predicament. Some of the more flagrant decriers of self importance include: Lopez, Kardashian, Streisand, Hefner and West. They would appear to be of the mind that the drought simply does not apply to them and the fine is too ludicrously low to dent their importance. Where are the Hollywood environmentalists; DiCaprio, Redford, Theron, Hanks, Pitt? Well their homes look pretty fine according to Google Earth.
In fact, one water district, Las Virgenes Municipal Water District, which includes many celebrity palaces, states that 70% of their allotment goes to watering just 100 of the posh estates. And while Kardashian gushes that she is a conservationist washing her hair only every five days, she is using thousands of gallons for everything else… Hello?
So where is the Hollywood agenda? The outcry? The action to resolve and create a new, better California equipped to handle any drought that will again wreak havoc in the future? They are silent, because their hypocritical agenda is about talking – not ‘acting’.
The weather media is now claiming that an el-nino will affect California this coming winter with heavy rains. Do you think the folks will simply forget and the government will continue non-business as usual? Of course, always worked in the past. And if the rains come this winter, well the entire drought will be forgotten and archived. Until the next time…