Drought in the Southwest: watch how Lake Mead has shrunk in recent decades

[Brad]

> condenser

What are they using for cooling the coils?  seems like a bad environmental tradeoff to have more machines slowly leaking ozone layer depleting chemicals.

[rcjordan]

California records driest year in a century | Macon Telegraph
https://www.macon.com/news/nation-world/national/article255091242.html

>condenser

I occasionally see various non-condenser "from thin air" collectors touted for Ethiopia, etc.  They never seem to make it beyond testing.

[Brad]

> collectors

I saw net type collectors being reintroduced in the Nazca Plain area on some TV documentary.  Apparently, that was how the ancient indigenous peoples collected water.  I don't know if the modern incarnation ever took off or not. 

[rcjordan]

Like this;

Warka Water Tower

https://www.engineeringforchange.org/solutions/product/warka-water-tower

[ergophobe]

>>seems like a bad environmental tradeoff

For whom?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tragedy_of_the_commons

[ergophobe]

>>Why Some Californians are Buying Machines That Make Water Out of Air

California's Marin County could run out of water next summer as climate shifts drought patterns

Welcome to the future in Marin County, one where a $2 million house with an ocean view doesn't necessarily come with a reliable water supply.

"There used to be at least 10 years in between droughts in California, which was time enough for water ecosystems to recover." No longer. The last California drought, which persisted six years, ended in 2017. The current one began three years later and poses an existential threat to places like Marin County, which rely on local water sources for most or all of their supply. The past year has been the second driest on record in California.

https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/California-s-Marin-County-could-run-out-of-water-16554942.php

Bolinas, which is in Marin but has its own water system, limits water use to 125 gallons per household per day. That seems lavish for someone living alone in an apartment, but draconian for a family like Littleman's...

https://www.marinij.com/2021/02/25/bolinas-approves-mandatory-water-rationing-plan/

Daily dashboard of usage:
https://bcpud.org/

The Marin Water district struck a deal with Flume to provide the devices to its customers at a 75% discount. It provides real-time monitoring
https://flumewater.com/

[rcjordan]

related:

Flo by Moen 3/4" Smart Home Water Monitoring And Leak Detection System
https://www.moen.com/products/900-001

AFAIK, Flo requires the cloud.  The hubitat community has been trying to integrate it via the Flo api, but I'm not sure if it was successful. Still wouldn't be local.

There is a local zwave water flow meter for which you can write your own app ....
https://www.fortrezz.com/shop/flow-meter


I'm not closely following any of these flow meters but I did install leak detectors and a water main shutoff.

[rcjordan]

Lake Mead water level to be bolstered by $100M plan | Las Vegas Review-Journal
https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/politics-and-government/100m-plan-in-the-works-to-leave-more-water-in-lake-mead-2476569/

[rcjordan]

California water districts to get 0% of requested supplies in unprecedented decision | California drought | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/dec/02/california-water-districts-zero-water-requested-supplies

[rcjordan]

+

It's December, it hasn't snowed in Denver and records are falling - CNN
https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/02/weather/colorado-snow-drought-denver/index.html


BTW, North Carolina is now in a fairly deep drought, even up here in our region ...which usually gets better rainfall.  Winter wheat is looking stunted and starting to tinge with yellow.

++
Severe Drought Impacting Carolinas After Third Driest November for State on Record
https://www.wccbcharlotte.com/2021/12/02/severe-drought-impacting-carolinas-after-third-driest-november-for-state-on-record/

[DrCool]

It was 60 degrees here the last couple days. The normal high temps here around this time of year are in the mid-30s. Local ski resorts have had to close down over the last few days.

[rcjordan]

fewer crops in a region that supplies a quarter of the nation's food

Citing drought, feds won't give water to California farmers - ABC News
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/citing-drought-feds-give-water-california-farmers-83069693

[ergophobe]

Lake Mead approaches critical threshold

https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/03/us/lake-powell-water-colorado-river-climate/index.html

[Drastic]

Sent from mr mf mackin today:

https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/27/us/water-intake-exposed-lake-mead-drought-climate/index.html

[ergophobe]

We're anxiously awaiting the May 1 snow survey, the most important one of the year. The April 1 survey was 41% of normal in the Merced and Tuolumne River watersheds. This might rise a bit because we've had colder, wetter April.

Still, the 1.5 feet that fell on Thursday night is gone, so it won't change it much. Also, "normal" is a moving target. I assume that snowpack is like temperature in that it is a 30-year moving average. So 41% of normal in 2022 is not the same as 41% of normal in 1922.

Related:
As Climate Fears Mount, Some Are Relocating Within the US
https://www.wired.com/story/as-climate-fears-mount-some-are-relocating-within-the-us

Top destinations: New England and Southern Appalachia. They (we) are coming your way.