“The conditions are like a third-world country,” said Andrew Lockman, a manager at the Office of Emergency Services in Tulare County, in the heart of the state’s agricultural Central Valley about 175 miles (282 kilometers) north of Los Angeles.
As California enters the fourth year of a record drought, its residents and $43 billion agriculture industry have drawn groundwater so low that it’s beyond the reach of existing wells. That’s left thousands with dry taps and pushed farmers to dig deeper as Governor Jerry Brown, a 77-year-old Democrat, orders the first mandatory water rationing in state history.
“The demand we’re placing on the aquifer and the deep bedrock drilling, which is going on at an alarmingly fast pace, is really scary,” said Tricia Blattler, executive director of the Tulare County Farm Bureau. “Folks are really concerned we’re not going to be able find water in the groundwater system much longer. We are tapping it way too quickly.”
Nowhere has lack of rain been felt more than in Tulare County, in a valley dotted with dairy farms and walnut orchards at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains. With 458,000 residents, it’s home to 1,013 dry wells, accounting for more than half of those that have failed in the state since January 2014.
Tulare Dust
Outside Porterville, in a dusty, unincorporated hamlet populated by many Latino citrus-farm workers, some residents use donated bottled water to drink and cook. About 40 people a day wash in the 26 showers set up in trailers next to the parking lot of Iglesia Emmanuel church. They lug nonpotable water home from county tanks for their toilets.
Annette Clonts began bathing at friends’ homes or sneaking middle-of-the-night showers at Lake Success’s recreation area after the well near her trailer ran low two years ago. When the lake showers started sputtering in November, she turned to those at the church.
“When you’re 400 yards from the lake and you have no water, you’re in trouble,” said Clonts, a 57-year-old retired cook.
The family of Angelica Gallegos, a 39-year-old Porterville resident, loads two barrels in a truck and drives to a fire station twice a week to stock up on water from a county tank. That keeps the toilet running at her mobile home.
Her expenses are up from buying paper plates, cups, wipes and napkins, said Gallegos, a supervisor at an orange-packing facility.
“We’ve got to find a way to survive, to hold on,” said Gallegos, who lives with her husband and two daughters. “Right now, we don’t have the money to drill a deeper well. You’re talking about $15,000.”
Digging Deeper
That’s the starting price for residential wells, which range from 30 to 150 feet (9 to 46 meters) and can cost as much as $45,000, said Blattler, the official with the county’s farm bureau. Agricultural wells, which are about 1,000 to 1,800 feet, run $250,000 to $750,000, she said. There are so many customers, they’ll have to wait as long as two years.
On top of the failed wells, for the second year in a row the federal government isn’t supplying Tulare and Fresno counties with their typical share from the network of dams, reservoirs and canals spanning the state. That usually covers more than 50 percent of the water used by small towns and farmers, Blattler said.
Buying water from farmers who have rights to tap rivers is becoming more expensive as supplies run low, making wells the only source for many farms.
Tulare County issued 1,400 construction permits for wells last year, almost triple the 501 issued in 2013, according to county data. Permits doubled last year in neighboring Fresno County.
Local drillers and pump installers are being inundated with calls, creating lengthy wait lists. Business has doubled since 2012 at Kaweah Pump Inc., a well-drilling company in the Tulare County city of Visalia, said owner Bill Gargan, who’s had to hire 12 more people to keep up with demand. The company has a list with 42 drilling and about 200 pump jobs, he said. Gargan said his business has been operating 12 to 18-hour days, sometimes seven days a week.
“It will probably take us six months to get all those finished,” Gargan said. “They keep coming every day.”
Eric Borba, a 53-year-old dairy farmer in Porterville, said he’s been waiting since November to have a pump installed in a well he put in last year. Six of about 30 wells on his property aren’t pumping.
He said he may have to close the farm, which his grandfather started almost a century ago.
“At some point we don’t have an option,” Borba said. “With no water, you can’t do anything.”
Lawfish1964 on Tue, 21st Apr 2015 7:15 am
Farming in a desert. What could possibly go wrong?
I think we’re going to see a mass migration out of California over the next couple years. The big question is where will those people go?
Rodster on Tue, 21st Apr 2015 7:36 am
Infinite growth in a finite world. The finite world ALWAYS WINS. But hey at least Nestle’s and the fracking companies are not affected by the mandatory restrictions. Sometimes you just can’t make this stuff up. 😛
Rodster on Tue, 21st Apr 2015 7:39 am
Dane Wigington from geoengineering.org thinks these droughts were done on purpose.
http://sgtreport.com/2015/04/geoengineering-and-biosphere-collapse-dane-wigington/
clueless on Tue, 21st Apr 2015 7:54 am
Lawfish. Walmart(s)? LOL
Davy on Tue, 21st Apr 2015 8:05 am
This same last ditch efforts are being made in India, China, and Brazil. Our modern agriculture is soon going to have massive water stress hit that has so far been only a marginal problem. We have had salinization and desertification in many areas that has been mitigated by ground water. Ground water has been a traditional modern practice since the advent of the electric, diesel, and propane pumps. As ground water sources are over used and deplete and fossil fuels deplete we are looking at a double whammy to food productivity. We already have the other soil and water issues. WE still have development eating up prime farmland in ludicrous deal done for profit not sustainable development.
How the hell is our population going to expand 1BIL or 2BIL in the next years as projected? Are these population projections based on food productivity projections just more of the same slop in slop out of the modern BAU phony academics, NG-hosers, and stink-tanks. BAUtopian technological hopium for predicament problem solving is alive and well still. Of course predicaments can’t be solved only made worse by attempted problem solving.
Instead of facing reality and reading the writing on the wall people are still believing either the weather will change or technology will save us. How many idiots from California have come on this site and barked pipelines from the Great lakes and desalinization to the rescue when we have California discussions. These ideas are stupidity in action. These California proposed water solutions cannot scale and they do not address the underlying issues of the end of growth and the end of technological progress as a problem solver because of diminishing returns to energy intensity and complexity.
It is over folks. If you are in the southwestern US get the hell out or figure a way to gather water in any way shape or form. Find a location not overrun by development and over population per carrying capacity. The southwest will have to dump population significantly especially when we are in a food insecurity situation and liquid fuel shortages. Get the hell out of Las Vegas if you were stupid enough to move to that hell hole land of entropic decay at the maximum of poor choices.
Kenz300 on Tue, 21st Apr 2015 8:14 am
Too many people and too few resources……..
Endless population growth is not sustainable.
BobInget on Tue, 21st Apr 2015 10:23 am
Civilizations before the industrial revolution had to leave drought stricken lands.
Today, we need to look at priorities.
There are modern ‘fixes’ unavailable to historic Mayans.
http://www.ranker.com/list/the-worst-droughts-and-famines-in-history/drake-bird
Should spending money on moving water from
areas with surplus be more important then sending thousands of men, ships, aircraft and weapons to aid Saudi Arabia in their power struggle against another branch of Islam?
Drought in California won’t lead to famine in the wide US. Drought will drive up prices of fruits and veggies making healthier food unavailable
for the poor.
Explain how it’s more important for the US to have free access to Saudi OIL then adequate
AG water. I doubt one in a hundred could make that connection, however tenuous.
Plantagenet on Tue, 21st Apr 2015 11:08 am
Global Warming is producing drought. These climate-related problems are just going to get worse.
WelshFarmer on Tue, 21st Apr 2015 12:02 pm
Many times in the past, when a civilization had exhausted a local resource, like water, forest or soil, the people just migrated to a better place. The people of California should keep calm and follow the historical precedent. No need to get into all that doom and gloom.
With apologies to all you brainy people. I have been told my IQ isn’t very high.
Davy on Tue, 21st Apr 2015 12:21 pm
Welch, I am not convinced IQ means brainy or smart. I think it donates impaired quotient IOW numb nut.
Apneaman on Tue, 21st Apr 2015 12:37 pm
Were just getting started.
////////////////////////////////////////
Carbon Dioxide Hits a New Peak this Spring: 404 ppm
http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=2962
MikeW on Tue, 21st Apr 2015 1:00 pm
I suggest a four-pronged approach which would provide all the water the state needs, but there would have to be a more centrist (vs. Liberal) approach to California’s governance. And we wouldn’t have to continue hurting the state’s agricultural industry.
1) The Federal Government needs to back off its ill-advised over-protection of the Delta Smelt and allow it to be re-located. And CA needs to add more canals to send more water to Central and Southern CA from the Sacramento River/San Joaquin River Delta so that less of this precious resource goes straight to the ocean.
2) And maybe with cheaper energy CA could afford to increase its number of desalinization plants. That would also require the Environmentalists to back off their emotional hatred of nuclear energy, off-shore drilling, fracking, and having more refineries. The pendulum needs to swing back from the extreme environmentalism to a balance with the needs of the people of CA, including both its farmers and its consuming citizens.
3) Since 70% of CA’s rainfall ends up flowing into the ocean, they need to build dams, reservoirs and cisterns. But this will require the Environmentalists and white water enthusiasts to back off their anti-dam propaganda and lawsuits.
4) Lastly, if CA could acquire the courage to reduce the benefits for illegal aliens, then more of them would self deport and far fewer would enter the state. A conservative reduction of 10% of the population could create nearly half of their water usage reduction goal.
Apneaman on Tue, 21st Apr 2015 1:01 pm
Wildfires in California spew greenhouse gas
http://www.futurity.org/wildfires-california-greenhouse-gas-902082/
Nacho on Tue, 21st Apr 2015 1:32 pm
How many building permits did Tulare County issue in 2013 and 2014? How many have they issued thus far in 2015?
Apneaman on Tue, 21st Apr 2015 1:48 pm
MikeW, so California’s environmental problems are the fault of a tiny minority of environmentalists and not overpopulation and overdevelopment – overshoot? Who can you blame the loss of 98% of the snowpack on mike? The Mexican Popsicle cartel?
Perk Earl on Tue, 21st Apr 2015 1:51 pm
“CA needs to add more canals to send more water to Central and Southern CA from the Sacramento River/San Joaquin River Delta so that less of this precious resource goes straight to the ocean.”
Think you’re a bit off on this one MikeW. Ever seen the aquaducts that transport water to So. CA? It’s a massive canal with water pumps as needed to pump the water uphill on its southern trek. At the time it was built it was the biggest manmade project up to that point in time. Some called it the 8th wonder of the world. There is no money now to build anything like that, but it’s also not necessary because there is a carefully determined amount of fresh water that must feed into the Delta or salt water migrates up the Sac. River into farmland, ruining the soil with salt. The current aquaduct system is more than sufficient for what fresh water is available (which is much lower than normal) to be transported south.
To someone in another state the articles conjures up the idea we’re in a dust bowl–this is it, we’re down for the count. But it’s really only certain areas that are hardest hit. Many areas are still green and doing just fine. If this is the beginning of a permanent drought, it will be bad but after living here for 50 years, there have been other droughts and times it rained so hard people prayed for it to stop because of all the landslides.
Davy on Tue, 21st Apr 2015 1:51 pm
Mike, desal is dead in the water because no money and won’t scale. Dams are dead in the water because no money, environmentally stupid, and no time. Good idea on illegals because carrying capacity has been breeched. You might add a significant proportion of the rest of your population needs to depopulate.
Mike pretty much your population needs to drop per peak water and peak oil by 3/4ths. Did you read that right? Yes you did 3/4ths if you didn’t see that correctly. Did you know in 1900 there were 2MIL people in California? California should have a max of 10MIL in the descent hitting 5MIL eventually. That ain’t liberal, conservative, or environmentalist that’s just life in a mean and cruel world.
Apneaman on Tue, 21st Apr 2015 2:14 pm
mike, your such an original thinker – not. Your shit comes directly from Carly’s propaganda machine and you try to pass it off as your own. Looks like Reagan was at fault. Fucking republicans;). Why anyone would turn to a failed tech CEO for a multi faceted and complex environmental/resource issue is beyond me.
Fact Checker
Carly Fiorina’s claim that California’s drought is a ‘man-made’ disaster
“One key decision in 1973 by then-California Gov. Ronald Reagan (R) designated the Eel River in the California Wild and Scenic Rivers System. The law prevented construction of a major reservoir that would have flooded water supplies, according to “Managing California’s Water.” It was one of the first projects to be blocked off through legislation.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/wp/2015/04/21/carly-fiorinas-claim-that-californias-drought-is-a-man-made-disaster/
Plantagenet on Tue, 21st Apr 2015 2:26 pm
Apneaman
If Reagan hadn’t set the Eel River aside to be preserved and had allowed the Eel to be destroyed by a dam, as you wish, it would’ve made no difference in this drought. The reservoirs in California are almost all empty—-the problem isn’t lack of dams and reservoirs—the problem is lack of rain and too much heat from global warming.
Cheers!
drwater on Tue, 21st Apr 2015 2:29 pm
Peak Earl – Thanks for clearing those points up for Mike.
Desal is not dead, it is actually happening but only in a few spots. Desal is very energy intensive and expensive.
The mandatory cutbacks issued by Gov. Brown only affect municipalities, which only use 20% of the water in the state. They do not apply to ag, which continues to plant new almond orchards like there is no tomorrow. Brown’s mandatory cutbacks are also probably not legal because they don’t follow California water law priorities. It will be interesting if his mandates get challenged in court.
The big problems are in the portions of the San Joaquin Valley which have been overpumping groundwater for decades and are also getting slammed the hardest by climate change induced drought. Some of the fights over groundwater are probably going to get ugly unless the state firmly establishes groundwater rights priorities. The recent groundwater legislation is too vague to resolve the coming conflicts.
Overall, this is a good example of Limits to Growth playing out, at least at the margins.
Apneaman on Tue, 21st Apr 2015 2:31 pm
That’s right planty, that was my main wish back in 1973 when I was 6 years old living in the Canadian Rockies. It’s all I ever thought about. My only wish.
Apneaman on Tue, 21st Apr 2015 2:36 pm
So it’s the Mexicans a handful of environmentalists AND these and only these 5 evil corporations and no one else shares in the responsibility. Oh and Reagan in 1973, but that’s all. OK and the smelt – that’s the last one I promise.
5 Corporations Sucking California Dry During the Drought
http://theantimedia.org/5-corporations-sucking-california-dry-during-the-drought/
Plantagenet on Tue, 21st Apr 2015 2:54 pm
Why not face facts? Ronald Reagan has nothing to do with the current California drought.
Reagan’s actions in protecting the Eel River from development did not cause the drought or make the drought worse
Mexicans and environmentalists and evil corporations did ‘t cause the drought.
Global Warming is causing the drought.
Apneaman on Tue, 21st Apr 2015 3:03 pm
“Fucking republicans;)” you really need to work on your emoticon comprehension skills planty.
Davy on Tue, 21st Apr 2015 3:07 pm
Planter, this is more than AGW alone it is also a natural climate cycle. California has had serious droughts before but this time we also have the beginnings of climate change influences.
steve on Tue, 21st Apr 2015 3:27 pm
Look the basic fact… is CA is fu*** which really sucks for the rest of us because they will be heading our way!! I hope they don’t like the cold…
steve on Tue, 21st Apr 2015 3:28 pm
Two years from now it will all be about coastlines flooding…you were warned…
onlooker on Tue, 21st Apr 2015 5:00 pm
Wake up people as per the post by Davy, this is a deep rooted predicament based upon limits to growth. We have a huge population we are stressing our life support systems and now we have bearing down on us the menacing tandem of peak oil and Global Warming. We better get used to the term “die off” because this century it will become more and more used.
Dredd on Tue, 21st Apr 2015 7:13 pm
The Stuff Mother wanes (A Song Of Despair).
DMyers on Tue, 21st Apr 2015 7:14 pm
The following is how I would prefer to see this handled.
POTUS: My fellow Americans, I’m speaking to you by radio tonight, because our government now wants to encourage everyone to stop watching television. I’ll have much more to say about that in coming days, but this evening, I want to talk to you about the terrible drought in California.
Folks, we made a big mistake by settling in California the way we did. This is simply not going to work, as we work into the longer term prognosis. California has had the water to sustain its population for many years now, but it is reverting back to its normal state. Much of it is a desert.
This is not an area that can continue to sustain large population and agriculture. It was never an area that should have been candidate to anything like modern civilization. California has a history of long and deadly droughts. This was the case long before Westerners invaded America.
Now, all we can do is recognize our mistake and begin an orderly depopulation of California. It was a doomed ambition from the start, no matter how long it has taken us to realize it. Think of this as a Journey to the East.
Please join me now, my fellow Americans, in a collective, “yes you can”, admission, that about California, we were wrong.
Thank you! (((((Yes, you can!)))))
Makati1 on Tue, 21st Apr 2015 8:10 pm
Do some research on America’s Dust Bowl and see what is coming. Only, this time it may be much much worse as the drought moves East. We shall see.
Makati1 on Tue, 21st Apr 2015 10:53 pm
I’m picking up some new seeds for the farm on this trip to the States: almonds, pistachios, cashews and black walnuts. The walnuts may not do well, but the others will and will add variety to our food forest in a few years.