Drought? Now? Gimmie a break. (Huntsville, Madison: 2015, how much, live)

[harry chickpea]

Mandatory water cutbacks in place for western Lauderdale County | WHNT.com

"LAUDERDALE COUNTY, Ala. – The West Lauderdale County Water Board says water resources are low, and it’s putting mandatory cutbacks in place for customers."


Water resources are NOT low. The water system and sources are insufficient for demand. BIG difference. I've seen this BS before when the water managers in south Florida drained Lake Okeechobee just before the dry season and then declared a water crisis.

Lemmie put it this way, April 1 a man drowned due to high water at a creek crossing in the area. If there isn't enough water now, someone wasn't paying attention.

[NoleFanHSV]

I'm not sure I quite understand your complaint. I lived in North Florida and there were restrictions almost every other summer when we got a month behind on rain and it was extremely hot. Whether its a resource capacity issue or a demand issue, it sounds like they can't keep up.

April 1 was almost 2 and a half months ago. On paper it looks good when there is a lot of rain in a short period of time. But it does nothing for continual replenishing of water resources, when much of that rain just washes down stream or becomes inaccessible in a deep aquifer. How many months of stored water should any municipality have?

[harry chickpea]

Considering that the Tennessee River runs full almost constantly, actual stored resources aren't as much an issue as in Florida. A glance around their website didn't show their sources of water but I suspect that the real problem isn't that or storage anyway, but undersized piping and pumps that may not be keeping up with demand. Storage needs simply shouldn't be an issue here, since the storm systems from the gulf regularly replenish things. On a very local level, I know that I have had to empty water out of my trash barrel every single week from March until this past week, with some weeks having as many as 5 inches of rainwater in it. I find it hard to believe that a few dozen miles west is desert, especially since many farmers have huge irrigation cranes that have been sitting idle and crop planting was delayed in many areas due to muddy conditions.

[harry chickpea]

Originally Posted by selfieTaker

Well said. I think some people waste water and take it for granted. The ones that complain about restrictions are most likely the ones with the hose running on the ground while they wash their car.

regards
selfieTaker

It wouldn't make a lick of difference for me, except a slightly higher power bill. My water comes out of a creek, goes back into the ground in a septic tank and then right back into the creek or the area landscape. Closed system.

Wanna know what the real "problem" is here in my closed system? "a large oak tree can transpire 40,000 gallons (151,000 liters) per year." Source or, averaged out, about 100 gallons per day year round. Since the van gets washed about twice a year, and any spillage water also goes back into the ground and creek, the couple hundred oaks around my place would be prime culprits in any real lack of water.

The issue with water restrictions is that they hit innocent people because of the laziness of enforcement authorities and over-reach of the laws. In south Florida I had my own irrigation well. The water level in the ground was easily verified, because the entire area is criss-crossed with drainage canals to prevent flooding during extended downpours. At the same time the water level was visibly less than three feet from the ground surface fifteen miles inland, the water district imposed watering bans with huge fines because the rich landowners on the beach were concerned about salt water intrusion in their wells. If you build on a sandy ocean beach, I'm sorry, you ARE going to have to deal with salt water spray and some intrusion. These same self-centered jerks would probably colonize the moon and impose a restriction on breathing on the earth so that they could be shipped more air.

Don't take eco-nonsense promoted by the media and government at face value. It is ALL about increasing control, restricting freedoms, making money by enforced selling the basics of life at inflated rates, and making people scared.

[NoleFanHSV]

Originally Posted by harry chickpea

Considering that the Tennessee River runs full almost constantly, actual stored resources aren't as much an issue as in Florida. A glance around their website didn't show their sources of water but I suspect that the real problem isn't that or storage anyway, but undersized piping and pumps that may not be keeping up with demand. Storage needs simply shouldn't be an issue here, since the storm systems from the gulf regularly replenish things. On a very local level, I know that I have had to empty water out of my trash barrel every single week from March until this past week, with some weeks having as many as 5 inches of rainwater in it. I find it hard to believe that a few dozen miles west is desert, especially since many farmers have huge irrigation cranes that have been sitting idle and crop planting was delayed in many areas due to muddy conditions.

I know Huntsville gets much of its water from the TN river. Our water up here in Meridianville actually comes out of an aquifer in TN somewhere, yet we are still on the Madison County Water grid. Other areas of North and Central Alabama get their water from some of the watersheds in Georgia which are sucked up by Atlanta and N. Georgia and run dry even during the rainy season.

I have seen the TN river on several occasions lower than usual levels. Like I said in my previous posts, even if there is alot of rain, the rivers and creeks will overflow, but then recede to "normal" levels within a day or two. Too much water in a short period of time where rivers recede quickly is just wasted water for consumption unless the water is stored, and I doubt local communities store that much water. So storage really is an issue unless tanks are made to hold the water.

The other variable is that the TVA controls the throughput of the watersheds in this area, and releases water during the rainy season, but can leave shortages during the dry season. I remember just a few summers ago when we were in fact in drought conditions.

In North Florida, most of the water was supplied by the aquifer. The good thing about the florida aquifer is that lots of rain in a short period of time can be saved naturally in the aquifer and used during the drier months.

For reference about how much rain we've gotten:

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/ridge2/RFC_Precip/

Barely an inch of rain has fallen in the last two weeks in North Alabama. The 30 day totals show a different story, but much of that rain is long gone.

[NoleFanHSV]

Originally Posted by harry chickpea

Don't take eco-nonsense promoted by the media and government at face value. It is ALL about increasing control, restricting freedoms, making money by enforced selling the basics of life at inflated rates, and making people scared.

And now we get to the real gripe.

I honestly don't think the officials really care about any of the things you just posted. What they care about is what is best for the citizens in their county, as they are looking at current stored water levels, future rainfall chances, current heat indexes, and current and future demand.

[Dirt Grinder]

Originally Posted by NoleFanHSV

And now we get to the real gripe.

Well, like it or not - water IS politics.

[ashpelham]

Politicians using any excuse they can for their lack of judgment and decision making, which they were elected for in the first place.

In truth, CA as a state probably suffers from too much wasted water, it's natural history as an arid place, and too many gaw-dam people.

[harry chickpea]

Originally Posted by NoleFanHSV

And now we get to the real gripe.

I honestly don't think the officials really care about any of the things you just posted. What they care about is what is best for the citizens in their county, as they are looking at current stored water levels, future rainfall chances, current heat indexes, and current and future demand.

To paraphrase a quote "The only purpose of government is to support the government." If money to expand a fiefdom can be had by asking for a grant, a grant will happen. If money can be had by creating a false crisis, a crisis will happen.

What politicians approve is predicated upon what those who elect them and those who influence them and those who provide them jobs after office want. If there is population growth, expect more need for water. If a water system adds customers, expect that it will need new pipes and new wells.

A major issue is that the big engineering feats of the 1930s are effectively banned now due to environmental concerns. Remember that for years the Colorado River never made it to the sea. Now it makes it to the sea, and there are periodic flushings of the river bed which are great ecologically but only exacerbate other long standing problems.

Both the political cycles and the stock market demands in the country are set up to favor short term profit at the expense of prudence and long term planning. I can flat out guarantee that anyone proposing a water impoundment dam these days is going to be viciously attacked by those wanting to return all rivers back to a wild state.

There is plenty of water here for a tiny rural water district. The shortage is one of brains and gumption.

[NoleFanHSV]

And you have some proof that there isn't a shortage?