Posted by Jack
California restricts water as snowpack survey finds ‘no snow whatsoever’
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The governor of California has ordered unprecedented and mandatory water restrictions in the state as officials conducted a regular measurement of the Sierra Nevada snowpack and found “no snow whatsoever” amid the state’s ongoing drought.
“This was the first time in 75 years of early-April measurements at the Phillips snow course that no snow was found there,” the California Department of Water Resources said in a statement on Wednesday at the conclusion of a survey attended by the Governor Jerry Brown. It said readings from Thursday put the state’s level of water content at just 5% of the historical average for the date.
“Today’s survey underscores the severity of California’s drought,” said DWR director DWR Director Mark Cowin. “Water conservation must become a way of life during the worst drought in most Californians’ lifetimes.”
Brown on Wednesday ordered the State Water Resources Control Board to reduce statewide water use by 25%. The action – the first time ever state officials have imposed mandatory water restrictions – is expected to save 1.5m acre-feet of water by the year’s end.
The 25% reduction called for Gov. Brown’s executive order announced today will be implemented by CA 400 water utility companies.
1. Start now.
The drought is no joke. With overall water resources expected to diminish significantly in the future, the country must find better ways to cooperate, Obama said during a recent meeting with agricultural and community leaders in California.
2. Get those leaks fixed. Fast.
Whether your showerhead or the faucet in your kitchen sink is trickling, each could be wasting more than 20 gallons of water per day.
3. Trade your showerhead for a greener one.
Conservation-friendly faucets will save water while still providing you with a hot, relaxing shower.
4. Opt for a shorter shower.
If you decrease the length of your shower by just a minute, you’ll save 2.5 gallons of water. Assuming you shower every day, that means 750 gallons less water used a month.
5. If it’s yellow, let it mellow.
This goes double if you live alone: there’s really no reason not to. Each toilet flush eats up between 3.5 and 7 gallons of water – or up to three minutes of showertime. Wouldn’t you rather save that water instead of literally flushing it down the toilet?
6. If you’re going to use the dishwasher, fill the drawers all the way to get the most bang for your buck.
And for the most effective use of your county’s water.
7. Only wash a full load in your washing machine.
If yours offers a water-saving setting, always choose that. If not, be sure to at least do a full load every time.
8. Consider installing a higher-efficiency washing machine that does offer a setting that uses less water.
You’ll save about 25 gallons of water with every load.
9. Don’t hose down your driveway.
Sweep it instead. Same goes for the sidewalk. There’s no need to waste so much water when a broom can do all the work.
10. Water lawns only twice a week.
Install efficient sprinkler heads and don’t allow water to sheet off the lawn and run into the gutter.
11. Use the car wash whenever possible - they recycle their water.
All Moonbeam had to do is take a look at AZ to find out how they handle water due to year-round desert conditions. Responsible folks are already doing these things, just to save on the water bill.
Perhaps instead of the expen$ive LA/SF rail system that will result in HUGE cost overruns and bankrupt the state, da gov should be looking at desalination plants.
I’m sacrificing my front lawns to keep all of my plants and garden alive. Will save to redo it next year with a low water landscape.
Off topic again sorry, but this just set me off.
This is from the below article.
“A State Department official said the “family reunification” program will be entirely funded by taxpayers, but claimed to have no clue how much the program will cost.
The only cost to the applicants is a DNA test to assure the child is theirs, but they will be reimbursed if the result of the test validates their claim.”
State Department To Fly Central American Children Into US:
http://dailycaller.com/2015/04/01/state-department-to-fly-central-american-children-into-us/
Peggy, there are days when I am convinced we’re stuck on stupid. How can we afford to do this junk?
I started conserving months ago. I am about to say forget it. Why should I conserve when the oil industry is using more than 2 million gallons a day in in dangerous extraction techniques such as fracking, acidizing, and cyclic steam injection?
When The Morongo tribe is allowing Estelle to suck up water off their reservation to bottle and make us pay for it?
I will conserve no more until these issues are dealt with. The drought will move to other states. But lets not talk about it?
I will move when the water is gone. I am done with the conservatives not addressing any real issues or solutions in this area.
Enjoy you drought and corrupt industry privatizing away our planet to destroy it.
Georgia I’m sorry to hear that Maryland (where you live) is in a severe draught like we are in California. Gee… that doesn’t right, Maryland is in a draught? Let me check on that. (1 minute later) I just checked the weather news and there is NO draught in Maryland! Georgia are trying to fool us again? Now that’s not very honest, but it seems your dishonesty doesn’t stop there. You said, “When the Morongo tribe is allowing Estelle to suck up water off their reservation to bottle and make us pay for it?” No they are not, that’s completely false, read on.
What limited fracking there is in CA exists under tight state oversight that monitor for pollution. According to our experts, two-thirds of all the ground water used was recycled back into the aquifers from which it came or was used to produce more oil through drilling techniques including steam flooding and cyclic steam injection. It was not wasted nor was it poisoned. The remaining third was put back using underground injection, evaporated (recycled) in surface ponds, or was used for other environmentally safe and beneficial use. No taxpayer money was used in drilling or clean water recycling.
You might want to consult with the San Ardo, Cawelo, and Arvin water districts to get the facts before you make rash and irresponsible statements about fracking.
In 2013, California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signed a law requiring disclosure of chemicals used in fracking and setting up monitoring for air and water quality near unconventional drilling sites.
In 2014 a state environmental group released a report they were hoping would show pollution from fracking, but when the results were in they were disappointed. They couldn’t prove their case, no pollution found.
California’s fracking disclosure law made it very clear, there was no detectible pollution! OMG how could this be, you might wonder? Well, lets keep in mind (CA) requires comprehensive chemical testing of drilling wastes and public disclosure of the results for one. The drilling industry has also been using the latest and most safe drilling and recycling techniques to avoid heavy fines and a bad rap. If there was pollution CA regulators and environmental wackos would sure love to find it – but, there wasn’t any to be found.
California’s aquifers used for drinking water have not been contaminated by fracking wastewater, the study concluded, can you believe that Georgia? No, of course you can’t, but it doesn’t make it wrong. But, rest assured CA and those environmental wacko lobby will continue to monitor. The wackos believe with all their hearts that fracking is bad and they are heavily invested in building a case against the oil industry they hate. So, stay tuned for more spin while they try to prove pollution.
Now, I can’t speak for conditions in other states, but that’s the story here in CA. But, CA water remains clean. Please spare us citing crackpots that claim pollution and waste. We require you to cite only State of California approved fracking reports, because you have been shown to be untrustworthy.
That’s nestle sucking up our water to resell to us BTW.
Hey Jack, it’s hard to believe we were once the state that had Ronald Reagan as our governor. Then the progressives moved in and it went to hell in a hand basket.
I heard today that those who let their lawns die will be able to get $5k from the state to redo them with eco friendly landscape. Have to look into seeing first if it is true and how I get me some of that Jerry Brown/Obama money. Hopefully, I’ll be able to stipulate that it’s only taken from progressive tax payers who voted for the democrat controlled state legislator and ole Brown twice. New definition of democrats, idiots.
Here’s a really good article.
An Engineered Drought:
“Shortsighted coastal elites bear most of the blame for California’s water woes.”
http://www.city-journal.org/2015/cjc0402vdh.html
Hmmm… a nice cold draught sounds pretty good right now. Think I will go pour a Guinness.
Ummm, that title should read Gov. Brown Declares ***Drought*** Emergency.
A draught is a current of air, a pulling of a load, or a nice cool keg pulled beer.
Peggy:
“Hey Jack, it’s hard to believe we were once the state that had Ronald Reagan as our governor. Then the progressives moved in and it went to hell in a hand basket.”
…Except that Reagan was a progressive governor, at least under the modern definition of “progressive.”
From the LA Times:
As governor, Reagan was the biggest California spender of the last half century. Under him, state spending leaped 177%. And as president, he spent like the proverbial drunken sailor to expand the Navy and the nuclear missile arsenal while winning the Cold War. He left Washington with a then-record national debt.
His first year as governor, Reagan raised taxes equal to 30% of the state general fund, still a modern record. And as president, he increased taxes several times, although conservatives pretend to remember only the one big tax cut.
As governor, Reagan protected the spectacular John Muir Trail in the Sierra from highway builders and Central Valley business interests. He blocked dam building on the Eel and Feather rivers. He and Republican Gov. Paul Laxalt of Nevada set aside their aversion to centralized, intrusive government and created a bi-state agency to control growth at Lake Tahoe.
Reagan signed legislation creating the California Air Resources Board, leading to the nation’s first tailpipe emissions standards.
Now Republicans Whitman and Poizner advocate postponing implementation of a law to control greenhouse gas emissions.
Today, Reagan would be tagged by his party as an environmental extremist.
The list goes on.
As governor, Reagan signed the nation’s then most liberal abortion rights bill. (He later called it a mistake.) He opposed a ballot initiative that would have permitted the firing of teachers for being gay.
President Reagan signed a bill granting amnesty to illegal immigrants.
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jun/06/local/la-me-cap-20100607
If Reagan ran today he would be denounced as a RINO at best. Republicans say they want to find the next Reagan, but they keep mistaking the man for a far right idealogue instead of the moderate compromiser he was. You remember him more for what he said than what he actually did. I think Reagan did some great things, but if you have such a lopsided view of what he did then you’ll never be able to find someone to match his achievments.
Chris, we live in very different times now than then. One could easily make the same argument about JFK. He did say, “Ask not what your country can do for you..” Not a current reflection of todays progressive Democrats, but more inline with the conservative right. He also lowered taxes to stimulate the economy.
From Wikipedia.
Revenue Act of 1964:
“The United States Revenue Act of 1964 (Pub.L. 88–272), also known as the Tax Reduction Act, was a bipartisan tax cut bill signed by President Lyndon Johnson on February 26, 1964. Individual income tax rates were cut across the board by approximately 20%. In addition to individual income tax cuts, the act slightly reduced corporate tax rates and introduced a minimum standard deduction.[1]
Summary of provisions[edit]
The Office of Tax Analysis of the United States Department of the Treasury summarized the tax changes as follows:[2]
reduced top marginal rate from 91% to 70%
reduced corporate tax rate from 52% to 48%
phased-in acceleration of corporate estimated tax payments (through 1970)
created minimum standard deduction of $300 + $100/exemption (total $1,000 max)
History and effects[edit]
President John F. Kennedy brought up the issue of tax reduction in his 1963 State of the Union address. His initial plan called for a $13.5 billion tax cut through a reduction of the top income tax rate from 91% to 65%, reduction of the bottom rate from 20% to 14%, and a reduction in the corporate tax rate from 52% to 47%. The first attempt at passing the tax cuts was rejected by Congress in 1963.[3]
Kennedy was assassinated in November 1963, and was succeeded by Lyndon Johnson. Johnson was able to achieve Kennedy’s goal of a tax cut in exchange for promising a budget not to exceed $100 billion in 1965. The Revenue Act of 1964 emerged from Congress and was signed by Johnson on February 26, 1964.[1][4]
The stated goal of the tax cuts were to raise personal incomes, increase consumption, and increase capital investments. Evidence shows that these goals were met to some degree by the tax cut.[4] Unemployment fell from 5.2% in 1964 to 4.5% in 1965, and fell to 3.8% in 1966.[4][5] Initial estimates predicted a loss of revenue as a result of the tax cuts, however, tax revenue increased in 1964 and 1965.[4][6]”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revenue_Act_of_1964
If McCain was running against JFK today, I’d probably vote for JFK, because I believe McCain is a progressive RINO.
Re #9 “Hmmm… a nice cold draught sounds pretty good right now. Think I will go pour a Guinness”
Sierra Nevada’s stout is superior to Guinness.
Aha, now that sounds like a taste test challenge. I’m all about beer taste tests. ; )
Re #4 & #5: Evidently Dewey had a sex change operation.
Carly Fiorina gets it —
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/apr/6/carly-fiorina-blames-liberal-environmentalists-for/
Peggy, you are right about things being very different today. Your links say this about JFK’s tax cuts:
“His initial plan called for a $13.5 billion tax cut through a reduction of the top income tax rate from 91% to 65%, reduction of the bottom rate from 20% to 14%, and a reduction in the corporate tax rate from 52% to 47%”
JFK’s support for lowering taxes in the top bracket all the way down to 65% doesn’t tell us much about whether or not he’d think today’s historically low taxes should be lowered.
Oh but Chris, during another time under Carter I was paying a 12% mortgage rate and a 23% second to get my business going. I also sat at gas stations in long lines on days designated by the odd or even number on my license plate, because gas was rationed.
Cherry picking doesn’t work, because all of the other factors have to be considered. Paying for never ending wars, those declared and not, will come out of our pockets with high taxes or yours and your kid’s to pay off the borrowed money from other countries we are now racking up. You have noticed every time a rumor comes out that Yellen is even thinking of raising the interest rates the stock markets takes a dive.
Big money will go where it can make more big money, which leaves less for the mom and pop businesses and the average Joe and Jane. With interest rates so low the big banks are buying stocks not making many home or small business loans.
Case in point. It’s tax time. Four or five years ago I didn’t have to pay additional taxes for either the feds or the state. Then I had to pay a couple of hundred dollars four times a year in estimated taxes, in addition to what they already took out of my pension and soc. sec. The next year it double and then it double again. This year I will be paying $2,000 more in estimated taxes. Now, my income has not changed other than the minimal COLA since 2009.
My question is where did that additional $2,000 go? I know it’s not a lot of money, but for me it could have paid for several things I needed or even wanted. Now, what did the feds do with it and three trillion more they will collect this year? We’re borrowing a million dollars a minute. So, did it go to China or did it go to help support those thousands of illegal immigrants crossing our borders? All I know is I don’t have it to spend here in my own community to help those with jobs and those without. Those in DC took it and decided how to spend it instead of me. With all of the executive orders done by this administration my elected representatives don’t even have a say as to how it’s being spent.
Back to the point. No matter what the tax rate is then or now this administration will collect a record breaking amount from income taxes. Yet, they’re spending over a trillion more than they collect. That’s insane! An $18 trillion debt to leave to your kids is fiscal child abuse. I would not want to be you when your kids ask you why you screwed up their lives when they get hit with the 70+% taxes.
And history will once again repeat itself because we didn’t learn from our past mistakes.
Check out this gov’t link and the header links to see how much of our money is being collected.
http://www.usgovernmentrevenue.com/current_revenue