Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
"Looking at the "raw threats" to people's water security - the "natural" picture - much of western Europe and North America appears to be under high stress."
The good news:
"However, when the impact of the infrastructure that distributes and conserves water is added in - the "managed" picture - most of the serious threat disappears from these regions."
So if you are confident water resources are being managed correctly in your area, things aren't as bad as they seem after all. For the foreseeable future, anyway...
According to their map, our state is in the green band even without any water management
And, for those whose water supply is dependent on Lake Mead, an eye-opening article about possible mandated conservation measures becoming necessary:
"A once-unthinkable day is looming on the Colorado River.
Barring a sudden end to the Southwest’s 11-year drought, the distribution of the river’s dwindling bounty is likely to be reordered as early as next year because the flow of water cannot keep pace with the region’s demands.
For the first time, federal estimates issued in August indicate that Lake Mead, the heart of the lower Colorado basin’s water system — irrigating lettuce, onions and wheat in reclaimed corners of the Sonoran Desert, and lawns and golf courses from Las Vegas to Los Angeles — could drop below a crucial demarcation line of 1,075 feet."
A trip to Glacier National Park back in the Eighties was a wonderful experience for me, with breathtaking memories of the large fields of blue crystal ice set in some of the most spectacular scenery in America. So this series of photo contrasts of the Park's glaciers "Then and Now" was a real eye-opener:
The USGS listed some effects of glacier loss in the Intermountain West:
Mountain snowpacks hold less water and have begun to melt at least two weeks earlier in the spring. This impacts regional water supplies, wildlife, agriculture, and fire management.
Loss of alpine meadows will put some high-elevation species at risk as habitats become greatly diminished or eliminated.
Mountain pine beetle infestation will likely spread further, causing areas of forests to die which will impact wildlife and stream habitat, wildfire risk, and recreation use.
Fire frequency and burned area may be increased as fire season expands with earlier snowpack melt out and increasing number of hot days. Large fires may greatly impact regional air quality, increase risk to people and property, and negatively affect tourism.
Just because Oregon was not listed in that report does not mean ya' all should be movin' to Oregon. Ha, all jokes aside, we are having some water problems again brought on by the local Indian tribes, and others who want the dams on Klamath River taken out. If you remember, the city of Klamath Falls, which is located about twenty miles above the OR/CA border was in the national news a few years back because of a water crisis and the Federal Government shutting off the water to the farmers. We are still having these same problems. Some of the farmers have been put out of business, all to save some damn sucker fish.
"The maps use a common measure, the Palmer Drought Severity Index, which assigns positive numbers when conditions are unusually wet for a particular region, and negative numbers when conditions are unusually dry. A reading of -4 or below is considered extreme drought. Regions that are blue or green will likely be at lower risk of drought, while those in the red and purple spectrum could face more unusually extreme drought conditions."
Survival Acres Blog (http://survivalacres.com/wordpress/ - broken link)
Yes, these are simply PROJECTIONS, but I never thought to see the phrase "extreme drought" used in the same sentence as "western Washington."
"The maps use a common measure, the Palmer Drought Severity Index, which assigns positive numbers when conditions are unusually wet for a particular region, and negative numbers when conditions are unusually dry. A reading of -4 or below is considered extreme drought. Regions that are blue or green will likely be at lower risk of drought, while those in the red and purple spectrum could face more unusually extreme drought conditions."
Survival Acres Blog (http://survivalacres.com/wordpress/ - broken link)
Yes, these are simply PROJECTIONS, but I never thought to see the phrase "extreme drought" used in the same sentence as "western Washington."
Color me skeptical but this website article looks like another attempt at man-made global warming fear-mongering.
from the linked article:Future drought. These four maps illustrate the potential for future drought worldwide over the decades indicated, based on current projections of future greenhouse gas emissions. These maps are not intended as forecasts, since the actual course of projected greenhouse gas emissions as well as natural climate variations could alter the drought patterns.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Privatizing Water Supplies Makes Me Very Uneasy...
