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Throd

(7,208 posts)

73. I make no claims to be a water policy expert.

Fri Feb 13, 2015, 05:42 PM

Feb 2015

Along with desalinization research, additional storage needs to be built as well. I live 1/4 mile from Folsom Lake and it will be really sad to watch the water level dwindle as the year goes by.

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Do folks here understand the expense and energy use associated with desalination plants? [View all] CreekDog Feb 2015 OP

That's well argued el_bryanto Feb 2015 #1

Fusion reactors were supposed to supply the power bhikkhu Feb 2015 #121

Wave technology, perhaps, coupled with wind and solar? nt MADem Feb 2015 #128

i don't know why there's all this insistence on using and moving as much water as we do CreekDog Feb 2015 #145

But why not? MADem Feb 2015 #151

Yes. We have drought-resistant gardens and use gray water in California. JDPriestly Feb 2015 #161

I say fire up a plant or two and see how it goes--if it works, if it's affordable, if they MADem Feb 2015 #176

if you're advocating desalination as a means to support agribusiness CreekDog Feb 2015 #163

Depends on the cost of the system. MADem Feb 2015 #175

Why Oh why CreekDog do you dog us with the facts? TexasProgresive Feb 2015 #2

passively.move sea water to the farmland, heat it with sun/mirrors/glass.The condinsation is fresh Sunlei Feb 2015 #3

you can't passively move seawater uphill CreekDog Feb 2015 #5

How friendly! FSogol Feb 2015 #6

Hydraulic ram pumps? Erich Bloodaxe BSN Feb 2015 #7

How is that going to get water hundreds of miles inland and hundreds of feet above sea level? CreekDog Feb 2015 #9

Didn't know how far you were talking. Erich Bloodaxe BSN Feb 2015 #10

If someone is suggesting desalination and doesn't know how far the water is expected CreekDog Feb 2015 #13

Actually it was different people. Erich Bloodaxe BSN Feb 2015 #15

I know you weren't suggesting it, sorry, I didn't mean it towards you CreekDog Feb 2015 #18

Whoa. SammyWinstonJack Feb 2015 #20

siphons and lift pumps & some dug channels/reservoirs.Also a benefit to groundwater replenishment Sunlei Feb 2015 #81

The Dutch have been doing this for centuries with windmills. JDDavis Feb 2015 #89

The Netherlands are a very small area compared with California, & they are wet. California is DRY Hekate Feb 2015 #125

I recall a windmill on my grandfather's farm. My mother does not remember it but says it was JDPriestly Feb 2015 #166

With solar power, why cant you?-nt Anansi1171 Feb 2015 #102

because you'd need pumps along the way CreekDog Feb 2015 #104

Actually my idea is to use Solar-powered pumps for hundreds of miles... Anansi1171 Feb 2015 #142

Wind and solar energy could maybe do this bit...? nt MADem Feb 2015 #129

Have you ever heard of the Roman aquaducts? JDPriestly Feb 2015 #164

Why did you write all that? CreekDog Feb 2015 #167

Another reason to desalinate water is the increasing quantity of water in the oceans -- salinated JDPriestly Feb 2015 #171

California is an enormous state bisected by immensely tall mountain ranges.Geology will not allow... Hekate Feb 2015 #124

Israel Desalination Shows California Not to Fear Drought JDDavis Feb 2015 #4

Good article. TY /nt think Feb 2015 #85

Nice article. abelenkpe Feb 2015 #88

Israel is even smaller than the Netherlands, but it still offers some hope for some coastal cities Hekate Feb 2015 #126

Is all of California in a drought situation, or just part of it? MADem Feb 2015 #133

ALL of California is having the worst drought ever. 2013 was the driest in history. Hekate Feb 2015 #137

Here's hoping for some much-needed rain...! nt MADem Feb 2015 #141

but it's even easier than all that CreekDog Feb 2015 #147

I don't think there's anybody left who doesn't have a low-flow shower and toilet already Hekate Feb 2015 #150

I lived in northern CA in the late eighties for a time and I had "all of the above." MADem Feb 2015 #153

desalination is not necessary for most of our urban areas CreekDog Feb 2015 #146

Well, I'm not sure I agree with you. MADem Feb 2015 #155

I didn't say conservation alone CreekDog Feb 2015 #162

Well, it's not so far down the list that they aren't building a plant and have plans for more. MADem Feb 2015 #177

From article using the same graphic:"Almost every discussion... begins and ends with cost" Gormy Cuss Feb 2015 #185

And from that same link, in response to the criticisms of someone not directing the process: MADem Feb 2015 #188

It's going to happen in Carlsbad. Whether other plants are built in SoCal (or improbably, NorCal) Gormy Cuss Feb 2015 #189

Since the Carlsbad one is a trial run, of sorts, if it is successful, I could see the MADem Feb 2015 #190

I don't know any of the facts but... yuiyoshida Feb 2015 #8

because it takes energy to run these plants CreekDog Feb 2015 #11

As for energy we have it... yuiyoshida Feb 2015 #14

yuiyoshida, what do the experts say about this? CreekDog Feb 2015 #23

Well as far as I know... yuiyoshida Feb 2015 #25

I asked what the experts think of the desalination plans you're recommending CreekDog Feb 2015 #26

Creekdog This is my opinion... yuiyoshida Feb 2015 #28

I know it is, but how valid is it if you don't know what the experts say about desalination? CreekDog Feb 2015 #30

You make it sound like its a Nuclear Power plant... yuiyoshida Feb 2015 #33

Why are you insisting on your idea without knowing some basics about the desalination issue here? CreekDog Feb 2015 #34

well you are so smart, why don't you lay it out... yuiyoshida Feb 2015 #44

I said the idea you supported required energy, money and space, but I DON'T support that idea CreekDog Feb 2015 #49

Geeze... unbelievable... yuiyoshida Feb 2015 #60

What I'm saying is because you lack the knowledge of the topic CreekDog Feb 2015 #63

again let me state the obvious yuiyoshida Feb 2015 #65

Yes, you are obviously not a scientist, or an engineer, which is more germain to MarshallS Feb 2015 #122

Good post. Add to that info the appalling articles this week in the LA Times about fracking Hekate Feb 2015 #130

Message auto-removed Name removed Feb 2015 #182

great post CreekDog Feb 2015 #152

Message auto-removed Name removed Feb 2015 #183

Welcome to DU Hekate Feb 2015 #192

which KGO host is saying to desalinate for agriculture? CreekDog Feb 2015 #149

"Those Artichokes you eat..." greiner3 Feb 2015 #71

omg, i love them... yuiyoshida Feb 2015 #72

Yes! zappaman Feb 2015 #111

Those artichokes are irrigated with reclaimed sewage water. hunter Feb 2015 #106

Which is why its a good idea yuiyoshida Feb 2015 #112

Because that's what we do The2ndWheel Feb 2015 #22

I think building a desalination Plant yuiyoshida Feb 2015 #29

if you build all the desalination plants that you propose CreekDog Feb 2015 #36

SO you want Nuclear power in California... yuiyoshida Feb 2015 #39

No, I don't want nuclear power in California, go to Advanced Search and you'll see my opposition CreekDog Feb 2015 #43

Hello, I DON'T KNOW HOW yuiyoshida Feb 2015 #50

Please, I'm begging you to study the desalination issue in California before making a decision CreekDog Feb 2015 #55

HELLO>??? yuiyoshida Feb 2015 #62

you seem to think our only choice is desalination CreekDog Feb 2015 #64

FINE! yuiyoshida Feb 2015 #68

here are the alternatives: CreekDog Feb 2015 #92

Everything should be explored, including desalinization still_one Feb 2015 #79

This! yuiyoshida Feb 2015 #82

I don't have any problem with exploring or studying the ideas CreekDog Feb 2015 #93

Pretzels! Erich Bloodaxe BSN Feb 2015 #12

well, ours gets stuck in our soils in the Central Valley CreekDog Feb 2015 #16

Am I sure? No, because I haven't suggested Erich Bloodaxe BSN Feb 2015 #17

I was answering rhetorically CreekDog Feb 2015 #19

okie doke. nt Erich Bloodaxe BSN Feb 2015 #21

Salt is in huge demand thelordofhell Feb 2015 #24

I am sure California would be happy yuiyoshida Feb 2015 #31

Maybe some genius will come up with an engine that runs on salt! MADem Feb 2015 #135

not in San Francisco or Los Angeles CreekDog Feb 2015 #32

Space? yuiyoshida Feb 2015 #35

we don't have any stadiums on the ocean CreekDog Feb 2015 #37

HOW ABOUT on the BAY.... yuiyoshida Feb 2015 #40

you're recommending we drink water from the San Francisco Bay? CreekDog Feb 2015 #45

I AM saying the bay is salt water too yuiyoshida Feb 2015 #54

but how do you know it's a good idea? CreekDog Feb 2015 #75

YOU KEEP SAYING that... yuiyoshida Feb 2015 #80

I am in San Francisco right now and I was born here CreekDog Feb 2015 #94

Better water usage by agriculture would go a long way towards addressing water shortages. Gormy Cuss Feb 2015 #100

People who live in the SF BAY AREA yuiyoshida Feb 2015 #109

Seeing dead grass isn't a reliable indicator of drought. Gormy Cuss Feb 2015 #179

Desalinization is expensive as all fuck. Jamastiene Feb 2015 #27

thanks CreekDog Feb 2015 #38

Because people don't like the options available JVS Feb 2015 #46

People don't know the options available CreekDog Feb 2015 #51

It always will be, because DU's collective IQ is in the toilet now. Jamastiene Feb 2015 #47

and some of the collective IQ here has been displaced by the bricks put in the toilet CreekDog Feb 2015 #95

What I said to Jamastienne Hekate Feb 2015 #132

LOL Hekate Feb 2015 #131

So you are USING sim City as a measuring stick? yuiyoshida Feb 2015 #41

A sense of humor wouldn't hurt you. Jamastiene Feb 2015 #48

oh right, like you know me. yuiyoshida Feb 2015 #57

No need to know you. BeanMusical Feb 2015 #115

well thank you JUDGE bean... yuiyoshida Feb 2015 #117

You're welcome. BeanMusical Feb 2015 #119

Hateful? Really? She's not being "hateful" at all. MADem Feb 2015 #136

Eyesore is too kind of a description GP6971 Feb 2015 #103

Exactly. Jamastiene Feb 2015 #187

the plants do require large amounts of energy. Adam051188 Feb 2015 #42

California's topography includes the highest portions o/t Sierra Nevada & Cascade mountain ranges Hekate Feb 2015 #134

The population is going to go down if they have to pay for this out of their taxes. And it will not jwirr Feb 2015 #52

Technology never improves to become more efficient and cost effective. Nope, not ever. Throd Feb 2015 #53

so we should build desalination plants on a mass scale right now? CreekDog Feb 2015 #58

Right now right now? No. Throd Feb 2015 #61

where would you use desalinated water in California? CreekDog Feb 2015 #70

I make no claims to be a water policy expert. Throd Feb 2015 #73

why not just use less water? CreekDog Feb 2015 #83

Everyone is using less water anyway and will conserve more in the future. Throd Feb 2015 #90

actually it only needs to go so far CreekDog Feb 2015 #96

Yes, but AgingAmerican Feb 2015 #76

At least your idea has some logic to it, BUT, the urban areas tend to have their own supplies CreekDog Feb 2015 #86

Actually they don't AgingAmerican Feb 2015 #138

LA doesn't get drinking water from the Colorado River CreekDog Feb 2015 #154

Yes they do AgingAmerican Feb 2015 #181

LA City proper gets it's water from the Eastern Sierra and local groundwater. hunter Feb 2015 #184

Thank you for the common sense. They said the same about solar as little as 3 years ago. Exultant Democracy Feb 2015 #69

I'm 100% right that we should not desalinate water at the coast to grow cotton in the Central Valley CreekDog Feb 2015 #98

You can be right on unsustainable Californian farming while wrong about desalinization Exultant Democracy Feb 2015 #105

Why would they freak out? A lot of the produce I eat comes from that acreage. Throd Feb 2015 #116

Oil pumps in the middle of every field pumping away, it's very disturbing. Exultant Democracy Feb 2015 #127

I guess I'm just used to it. Throd Feb 2015 #180

Producing enough for agriculture is cost prohibitive. Warpy Feb 2015 #56

Or simply producing food from methods that require far less water Major Nikon Feb 2015 #191

Could they be solar-powered? KamaAina Feb 2015 #59

Creative people need not apply? GeorgeGist Feb 2015 #66

creativity should be tapped to solve problems CreekDog Feb 2015 #156

What is your solution? n/t Gore1FL Feb 2015 #67

Not making the problem worse is the basic theme CreekDog Feb 2015 #99

Are there reclaimation options? Gore1FL Feb 2015 #120

it's the "quick fix" syndrome: the panacea looks so good they feel compelled to post it MisterP Feb 2015 #74

Your post should be its own OP CreekDog Feb 2015 #87

Do you have any idea what the drought is costing farmers, and if this still_one Feb 2015 #77

Agribusiness needs to stop overhead irrigation, period, and go to drip. Gray water & reclaimed water Hekate Feb 2015 #140

Water projects are like freeways. hunter Feb 2015 #78

Desalination could be used for the coastal areas to reduce export water haele Feb 2015 #84

Informative and well-said. Thanks, haele. nt Hekate Feb 2015 #143

People don't want the real answers of protecting our freshwater, giving back to the desert, and TheKentuckian Feb 2015 #91

What is the cost of shutting down California farms? One_Life_To_Give Feb 2015 #97

You're talking about greatly increasing the carbon footprint of every piece of produce. n/t cherokeeprogressive Feb 2015 #101

California, by itself, is one of the world's largest economies. MADem Feb 2015 #139

Something seems untoward about this commentary. Trajan Feb 2015 #107

If people were literally at risk of dying from thirst, I'd support anything to avoid that CreekDog Feb 2015 #108

The world's largest solar powered desalination plant is being built in Saudi Arabia. Kaleva Feb 2015 #110

yes and California gets many times the rain amounts that Saudi Arabia does CreekDog Feb 2015 #158

California doesn't have a uniform enviroment and climate thoughout the state. Kaleva Feb 2015 #186

Nearly all of California is wetter than most of Saudi Arabia CreekDog Feb 2015 #193

In the UAE, they build desalinization plants that work in conjunction with generating stations JCMach1 Feb 2015 #113

Is anyone using sound vibration or deep ocean layers of temp,pressure, and salinity CK_John Feb 2015 #114

The reason why they couple the desalinization with electric generation is that it uses the excess JCMach1 Feb 2015 #178

Much of the rest of the world would disagree nationalize the fed Feb 2015 #118

those places would not be desalinating on a large scale if they were California CreekDog Feb 2015 #159

The promise of desalination comes with a host of endemic problems and concerns . . . Journeyman Feb 2015 #123

Ah, science. Thanks for this, Journeyman. nt Hekate Feb 2015 #144

Thank you for your post CreekDog Feb 2015 #160

Desalinization at low pressures Turbineguy Feb 2015 #148

"Creek"dog says it all. JDPriestly Feb 2015 #157

While you say that we can make supply the energy to desalinate easily in the future CreekDog Feb 2015 #165

The Romans moved water downhill. We just have to make uphill, downhill. JDPriestly Feb 2015 #168

We do move it uphill at great cost CreekDog Feb 2015 #169

tell us the tax increase in thousands of dollars per year you're willing to pay for this alone CreekDog Feb 2015 #170

The aquaducts weren't cheap either. JDPriestly Feb 2015 #172

you're saying we won't have any water unless we desalinate? CreekDog Feb 2015 #173

We could find water somewhere else, but at this time, where would that be? JDPriestly Feb 2015 #174