The Shortage of Water in the Southwest

[DGS49]

What am I missing here?

Millions and millions of people have chosen to live in a vast desert, which even in the best of times could barely support the water needs of the population, and now that we have climate change - for the worse - it looks nearly hopeless. It's just a matter of a few years when many municipalities will have to conclude that they just can't sustain their population.

Then what happens? A vast migration north and east? Can seawater desalination be grown to an extent that it could be a solution? I doubt it.

Where do they go from here? Any thoughts (other than worthless recriminations)?

 

[1srelluc]

 

[Moonglow]

What am I missing here?

Millions and millions of people have chosen to live in a vast desert, which even in the best of times could barely support the water needs of the population, and now that we have climate change - for the worse - it looks nearly hopeless. It's just a matter of a few years when many municipalities will have to conclude that they just can't sustain their population.

Then what happens? A vast migration north and east? Can seawater desalination be grown to an extent that it could be a solution? I doubt it.

Where do they go from here? Any thoughts (other than worthless recriminations)?

How could Biden do such a horrible act!?

 

[Sunsettommy]

How could Biden do such a horrible act!?

Biden has NOTHING to with this problem, it is happening in a region of high population growth that was built on several MANMADE giant reservoirs that greatly fueled it and the cyclic drought that is currently in place reducing the inflow of water into those MANMADE reservoirs.

 

[Sunsettommy]

What am I missing here?

Millions and millions of people have chosen to live in a vast desert, which even in the best of times could barely support the water needs of the population, and now that we have climate change - for the worse - it looks nearly hopeless. It's just a matter of a few years when many municipalities will have to conclude that they just can't sustain their population.

Then what happens? A vast migration north and east? Can seawater desalination be grown to an extent that it could be a solution? I doubt it.

Where do they go from here? Any thoughts (other than worthless recriminations)?

When will population restraints ever going to become a factor otherwise this problem will get worse and worse.

 

[1srelluc]

When will population restraints ever going to become a factor otherwise this problem will get worse and worse.

Meh. it never will as long as there is a buck to be made. They can drink their own piss for all I care.

 

[Donald H]

Sea water desalination with nuclear energy, would seem to be the way to go.

Nuclear energy can be 'green'.

 

[jwoodie]

Biden has NOTHING to with this problem, it is happening in a region of high population growth that was built on several MANMADE giant reservoirs that greatly fueled it and the cyclic drought that is currently in place reducing the inflow of water into those MANMADE reservoirs.

Why the emphasis on MANMADE reservoirs? Are you opposed to them? If so, why?

In California, the water shortage is directly related to the Democrats' opposition to building them in the 1970s, especially the Auburn Dam reservoir which would have increased the state's water storage capacity by more than 20%. Isn't that the point of "manmade" reservoirs?

 

[Flash]

We got three inches of rain last afternoon at my house here in Central Florida. Ask me if I give a shit about somebody living in a desert.

 

[Ralph Norton]

Sea water desalination with nuclear energy, would seem to be the way to go.

Nuclear energy can be 'green'.

Honest question: is desalination, powered by nuclear or otherwise, practical on the scale needed to provide water to entire states?

 

[DudleySmith]

Arizona isn't on an ocean, for those of you who have never seen maps of the U.S.

 

[Donald H]

Honest question: is desalination, powered by nuclear or otherwise, practical on the scale needed to provide water to entire states?

Desalination by nuclear is practical. That has nothing to do with the 'otherwise'.

It's obvious what you're trying to say, so go ahead.

 

[gipper]

Biden has NOTHING to with this problem, it is happening in a region of high population growth that was built on several MANMADE giant reservoirs that greatly fueled it and the cyclic drought that is currently in place reducing the inflow of water into those MANMADE reservoirs.

I’ve spent a lot of time in the Phoenix area the last few years. The growth of single family homes has to be extraordinary. We saw construction everywhere.

 

[odanny]

Hey, don't we run oil pipelines all across America? Has anyone thought of maybe building one for water? You know, the stuff needed in order to stay alive? Plenty of places in the Midwest and East that get torrential rainfall and flooding.

 

[Donald H]

Arizona isn't on an ocean, for those of you who have never seen maps of the U.S.

Aren't you smart! You and Ralph need to talk about practicalities.

 

[johngaltshrugged]

Why the emphasis on MANMADE reservoirs? Are you opposed to them? If so, why?

In California, the water shortage is directly related to the Democrats' opposition to building them in the 1970s, especially the Auburn Dam reservoir which would have increased the state's water storage capacity by more than 20%. Isn't that the point of "manmade" reservoirs?

I took it that he's pointing out there were no real natural reservoirs in these desert areas & they had to be built, so that's a red flag against giant populations moving there.
Now we are going through another drought which has been a fairly common occurrence in the natural weather pattern for these regions. Apparently, nobody living there had the foresight to realize this would be a constant problem with living in a desert.
Climate is constantly changing & humans have little to no effect on this

 

[TeeDub]

I took it that he's pointing out there were no real natural reservoirs in these desert areas & they had to be built, so that's a red flag against giant populations moving there.
Now we are going through another drought which has been a fairly common occurrence in the natural weather pattern for these regions. Apparently, nobody living there had the foresight to realize this would be a constant problem with living in a desert.
Climate is constantly changing & humans have little to no effect on this

When Lake Mead was built the population in the South West was 2.5 million now it is 25 million. Hey Joe let in more "dry backs".

 

[okfine]

What am I missing here?

Millions and millions of people have chosen to live in a vast desert, which even in the best of times could barely support the water needs of the population, and now that we have climate change - for the worse - it looks nearly hopeless. It's just a matter of a few years when many municipalities will have to conclude that they just can't sustain their population.

Then what happens? A vast migration north and east? Can seawater desalination be grown to an extent that it could be a solution? I doubt it.

Where do they go from here? Any thoughts (other than worthless recriminations)?

I see some dirt roads in that pic. Some rain could be absorbed. Concrete and paving are necessary for development. No water absorption causes runoff. Quit having babies. Quit moving to retire in places where water is a problem. Quit moving to places for employment. Quit letting companies monopolize control and own water distribution solely to make a profit. Be water wise.

 

[okfine]

Why the emphasis on MANMADE reservoirs? Are you opposed to them? If so, why?

In California, the water shortage is directly related to the Democrats' opposition to building them in the 1970s, especially the Auburn Dam reservoir which would have increased the state's water storage capacity by more than 20%. Isn't that the point of "manmade" reservoirs?

When reservoirs run dry you get nothing but an empty reservoir. Refilling just isn't happening.

 

[Sunsettommy]

Why the emphasis on MANMADE reservoirs? Are you opposed to them? If so, why?

In California, the water shortage is directly related to the Democrats' opposition to building them in the 1970s, especially the Auburn Dam reservoir which would have increased the state's water storage capacity by more than 20%. Isn't that the point of "manmade" reservoirs?

I don't oppose them at all, but you missed my point that having them at such large sizes is the dominant reason why we got that huge population growth in the first place without them population would have remained small since this is a HOT dry desert region, they park their cities in.

By now you must begin to realize that the Human Species doesn't think long term much on their impacts on the land just blindly support their growth with little to no considering the long-term impact on the region they impose.

Humans behave a lot like slow moving locusts sucking the region dry without thought to long range plans then be forced to move someplace else which is what we used to do thousands of years ago today we can't do that anymore.