[ RadSafe ] USA Drought

[Brennan, Mike (DOH)]

CA problems are indeed self-inflicted, but keeping the fisheries from completely collapsing isn't what did the damage.  

The first problem is that much of CA is desert or nearly so, and living like there is all the water you can want is a problem.  CA should have been building and landscaping with reality in mind.  This includes building houses and buildings that don't burn (yes, I know that is more expensive than stick-built, unless fire happens). 

Water infrastructure should have been a constant top priority, to stop leakage and decrease evaporation.  There should be a continuous program of upgrading everything that uses water to make it use water more effectively.  

Agriculture needs to change its focus from growing the most dollars' worth of plants per acre with nearly free water to growing food in a cost and water effective manner.  There should be a National policy aimed at moving much of the food production out of CA and decentralizing it to closer to where it is consumed.  There are sound economic, energy use, and national security reasons for this.

Anyone who talks about building desalination plants to let CA continue to live beyond their water-means needs to talk about where the energy will come from.  I doubt building dozens of nuclear reactors so that Californians can flush their toilets with potable water is the right answer.    

-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu [mailto:radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu] On Behalf Of Dixon, John E. (CDC/ONDIEH/NCEH)
Sent: Tuesday, September 15, 2015 5:55 AM
To: 'The International Radiation Protection (Health Physics) Mailing List'
Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] USA Drought

CA's problems may in fact be self- inflicted. 40 years of not building and utilizing storage reservoirs to save a smelt fish might be one reason...

John

-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu [mailto:radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu] On Behalf Of S L Gawarecki
Sent: Monday, August 24, 2015 2:25 AM
To: RadSafe <radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu>
Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] USA Drought

There is plenty of moisture available in the atmosphere whether icecaps are freezing or not (and they are currently melting). The California drought is a result of at least a couple of problems.

   1. Changing storm tracks - in recent years a persistent high pressure
   system has developed in the Gulf of Alaska (normally under the influence of
   the Aleutian Low), which has diverted the jet stream, and this causes
   Pacific cyclones to bear northwards away from California then dip
   southwards in the mid-continent. Coincidentally, the Gulf of Alaska has
   warmed as much as 5 degrees above its normal seasonal averages.

   2. Winter temperatures in the Sierra Nevada are warmer, so that rain is
   increasing in proportion to snow. Snow pack is what feeds the reservoirs
   into late summer, and consequently the water distribution systems.

Climatologists are hopeful that a strong El Nino predicted for this year will restore normal storm tracks and bring more rain to California. I say "prepare for mudslide season."

Regards,
*Susan Gawarecki*

ph: 865-494-0102
cell:  865-604-3724
SLGawarecki at gmail.com
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