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Water wars: View from the delta
One at a time. Perhaps others will help . . .— August 7, 2015 8:33 p.m.
Water wars: View from the delta
By multi-year, I suspect you need to mean only one more? How much of the deficit would the "worst" El Nino (sic) year (record precipitation) compensate for?— August 7, 2015 1:56 p.m.
Water wars: View from the delta
Bill, the amount of time irrigation water is applied is not necessarily related to irrigation efficiency. Depending upon soil conditions, irrigation system design and operation (specifics upon request), it might be more efficient to irrigate longer than, say, five minutes a day. If, for example, one is irrigating in heavy soil, the maximum efficiency might be achieved by irrigating for an hour or two at times, but perhaps by turning sprinklers on, say, at midnight for one minute at intervals long enough for the soil water to reach field capacity, then irrigating for another minute, and repeating the process long enough to bring the entire root zone to field capacity, whatever that takes (it might take such sequences more than one day, and the amount of evaporation and transpiration loss during intervening days might or might not have to be supplemented with shorter or longer periods to continue to accomplish this, to maintain the root zone, which should be as deep as possible, at field capacity). This results in what is termed "luxury consumption." That means that the plants are never stressed. When it rains, this level is exceeded, and the rain drains beyond the root system where the roots can't get it. Subsequent rains can be treated like irrigation events, but they are often ignored. Few controllers are even set to account for rain, and many are just left at the same settings year 'round. Two five-minute irrigations per week could never accomplish this, and would make the grass system more susceptible to drought. Five minutes might even be too long. The probable origin of this silly rule is probably rooted in the fear of runoff and waste. While that concern is perhaps justified (context is everything), runoff might occur after, say, two minutes, or might not occur for ten or twenty minutes. (Most runoff is caused by overspray anyway--runoff from saturation is usually the result of too high an application rate, another oft-ignored, but crucially important factor.) Five minutes of irrigation would usually result in shallow penetration, causing shallow root development, causing the grass stand to be highly susceptible to drought stress. Short, widely-spaced applications increase evaporative losses, which is waste. Sprinklers also cause evaporative losses by the very nature of their design (atomizing the water into dry air). Sorry if I lapsed too far into somewhat technical stuff. I'll be glad to elaborate or clarify upon request. Twister PS: Since Torrey Pines golf course is on a sharply stratified geological formation, water that percolates below the root zone will lubricate the interface between the more permeable stratum of the root zone and the relatively impermeable formation below it, increasing the potential for cliff collapse. Consequences of error, often masked by a good in terms of immediate goals, often makes a mockery of the "no-brainer" concept.— August 7, 2015 1:45 p.m.
Water wars: View from the delta
The role and consequences of irrigation and other uses of "reclaimed" waste water would make an excellent subject for a feature article. What, exactly, IS "reclaimed" wastewater? What does it cost to do the "reclamation?" Exactly how is it distributed? What was/is/will be the cost of distribution hardware? What plans are in the works to extend "reclaimed" wastewater, at what cost to the end consumer and to all taxpayers? What does it cost to distribute it? Why can't we drink it? What are the health and safety dimensions to this seeming "no-brainer?" Do potable water treatment and distribution systems ever fail or have "glitches" such that the promised water quality standards might be compromised? What systems and procedures are in place to maintain potable water quality, and have they ever failed, and what were the consequences of such failure? How do "reclaimed" systems compare in reliability and cost? What do end-users pay for "reclaimed" water? Are end-users subsidized in any way, directly or indirectly? Twister— August 7, 2015 1:01 p.m.
Judge spanks Edison for unreported meetings
True, but at least you're noticing . . .— August 7, 2015 12:38 a.m.
Judge spanks Edison for unreported meetings
EVERYBODY: Charles Langley, who blew the whistle and got a fifty percent pay cut and is losing his house, is starting a more comprehensive watchdog organization. Get his phone number from Aguirre's website and call him and offer support.— August 7, 2015 12:36 a.m.
Judge spanks Edison for unreported meetings
But will they be slapped enough to not only compensate but to pay fines and damages, get some disbarred and/or sent to prison, and stimulate legislation that at least requires such fiefdoms to be composed of elected citizens who can attend every meeting and read all the detail they want on a website?— August 7, 2015 12:32 a.m.
Water wars: View from the delta
Re: Don Bauder Aug. 6, 2015 @ 2:39 p.m. Twister: Turning off beach showers may seem like a small step, but when the state is hit with orders to cut back water usage by 25 percent, every little bit helps. Best, Don Bauder Don, Bill et y'all: Yes, every little bit helps A LITTLE, but when the California Bank and Trust skyscraper in University City/San Diego maintains over an acre of the lushest green grass you've ever seen, it is poetic injustice to ask all us poor schmucks to let our lawns go dry while our children cry. So every BIG sacrifice of grass that no one plays on helps A LOT. Get it? The devil still is in the details.— August 7, 2015 12:27 a.m.
Water wars: View from the delta
Supposedly, the cricket powder goes for forty bucks a pound, but present producers feed them soy meal (and maybe other cropped material). The UCSB students think they can produce it for a dollar by feeding them garbage. A kind of "sustainability" thing.— August 6, 2015 8:16 p.m.
Judge spanks Edison for unreported meetings
L.I.P. Jon Stewart.— August 6, 2015 6:33 p.m.