Saturday, March 14, 2015

NASA: California Has One Year of Water Left



NASA: California Has One Year of Water Left
by Daniel Nussbaum14 Mar 2015
In an op-ed for the Los Angeles Times, NASA senior water scientist Jay Famiglietti warned that California only has about one year’s worth of water supply left in its snowpack, reservoirs, and groundwater storage. If conservation efforts are not ramped up, and soon, the state could be facing a full-blown “crisis.”

NASA satellite data reportedly shows that the state’s water supply level was 34 million acre-feet below normal in 2014. Unfortunately, this year’s numbers indicate anything but improvement.

January of 2015 was the driest since the state began keeping rainfall records in 1895. Earlier this month, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) announced that the water content of snowpack measured at the Philips snow course in the Sierra Nevada mountains was just 0.9 inches, or 5 percent of the state’s March average. That water content level set a new, undesirable state record.

As for California’s underground supply, NASA has been sounding the alarm about dropping groundwater levels since October of last year. The rate of groundwater pumping has only increased since then. According to Famiglietti, a full two-thirds of the state’s 12 million acre-feet loss in water supply per year is due to excessive groundwater pumping.

While some recent minor storms brought in by a weak El Nino system allowed DWR to raise its state water allocation to 20%, the storms have done nothing to replenish the state’s reservoirs and snowpack, the most critical sources of drinking water for California residents. And farmers continue to get burned from both ends, as what little water supply they would have access to continually gets choked off by state bureaucrats.

“In short, we have no paddle to navigate this crisis,” Famiglietti wrote in the Times.

Still, the NASA scientist laid out several measures that could be taken immediately to help mitigate the worst of the drought’s effects.

With near-total awareness (94%) among the public of the seriousness of the state’s drought, Famiglietti urges California to implement state-wide mandatory water rationing, a step that has already previously been taken by cities like Santa Cruz on a voluntary basis.

“There is no need for the rest of the state to hesitate,” Famiglietti suggests.

Second, the scientist urges the swift implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act of 2014, a law that mandates the creation of regional groundwater sustainability agencies by 2017. At its current pace of implementation, Famiglietti argues, “it will be 30 years before we even know what is working. By then, there may be no groundwater left to sustain.”

Finally, Famiglietti wants California to create a task force of the state’s foremost water experts, independent of the agencies and organizations that have already been founded in response to the drought. This task force would plan long-term strategies to combat water shortages, including exploring methods of countering a potential “mega-drought” that could last up to 35 years.

California and other Western states look set to break March heat records this weekend through early next week. California in particular is expected to see temperatures rise 20 degrees higher than normal for this time of year.

Famiglietti writes in the Times that California is losing the initiative: “Today, not tomorrow, is the time to begin.”

California
Environmentalists & Jerry Brown Share Responsibility for California’s Water Crisis
Patrick Dorinson       
By Patrick Dorinson
Host of The Cowboy Libertarian Radio Talk Show in Sacramento
Wednesday, January 29th, 2014

Note: Jerry Brown is the California state government governor, and Kathleen L. Brown’s brother.
Kathleen L. Brown was the California state government treasurer, is
Jerry Brown’s sister, and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
R. Eden Martin is the president of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and counsel at Sidley Austin LLP.
Michelle Obama was a lawyer at Sidley Austin LLP, and is an advocate for the ONE Campaign.
WaterPartners International is a partner with the ONE Campaign, and a merged organization with Water.org.
Michael R. Bloomberg is an advocate for the ONE Campaign, and the founder of the Bloomberg Family Foundation.
Bloomberg Family Foundation was a funder for the Sierra Club, and the Aspen Institute (think tank).
Barack Obama was an intern at Sidley Austin LLP, and is the president for the Barack Obama administration.     
Newton N. Minow is a senior counsel at Sidley Austin LLP, and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
David D. Hiller was a partner at Sidley Austin LLP, the publisher & president & CEO for the Los Angeles Times, and is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
Robert S. Osborne is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and was the EVP & general counsel for Booz Allen Hamilton.
Steve Isakowitz was a senior consultant for Booz Allen Hamilton, and the deputy chief financial officer for National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
William A. Anders was an astronaut for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the chairman & CEO for the General Dynamics Corporation.
James M. Beggs was an administrator for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the EVP for the General Dynamics Corporation.
James S. Crown is a director at the General Dynamics Corporation, a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank).
Lester Crown was a director at the General Dynamics Corporation, a lifetime trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank), and is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Aspen Institute (think tank), and the People for the American Way.
George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.
L. John Doerr is a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank), and a director at the ONE Campaign.
WaterPartners International is a partner with the ONE Campaign, and a merged organization with Water.org.
Matt Damon is an advocate for the ONE Campaign, a co-founder for Water.org, a co-founder for the H2O Africa Foundation, and a William Morris Endeavor Entertainment client.
H2O Africa Foundation is a merged organization with Water.org, and a partner with the ONE Campaign.
Ari Emanuel is the co-CEO & director for William Morris Endeavor Entertainment, and Rahm I. Emanuel’s brother.
Rahm I. Emanuel is Ari Emanuel’s brother, a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, the Chicago (IL) mayor, and was the White House chief of staff for the Barack Obama administration.
Barbra Streisand is a William Morris Endeavor Entertainment client, and the founder of the Barbra Streisand Foundation.
Margery Tabankin is the treasurer for the Barbra Streisand Foundation, and a director at People for the American Way.
People for the American Way is a national partner with America Votes.
Sierra Club is a national partner with America Votes.
Cecile Richards was the founder & president for America Votes, and is the president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America.
Barbra Streisand Foundation was a funder for the Planned Parenthood Federation of America.
Open Society Foundations was a funder for the Planned Parenthood Federation of America.
George Soros is the founder & chairman for the Open Society Foundations, and was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the People for the American Way, and the Aspen Institute (think tank).
Norman Lear is a director at People for the American Way, and the president of the Lear Family Foundation.
Lear Family Foundation was a funder for the People for the American Way, and a donor for the Movement Resource Group.
Movement Resource Group was a funder for the Occupy Movement.
Occupy Movement was the initial protest for Occupy Wall Street.
Zuccotti Park was the staging area for the 2011 NYC protests for Occupy Wall Street.
Brookfield Office Properties is the owner of Zuccotti Park.
Diana L. Taylor was a director for the Brookfield Office Properties, and Michael R. Bloomberg’s companion.
Michael R. Bloomberg is Diana L. Taylor’s companion, and an advocate for the ONE Campaign.
WaterPartners International is a partner with the ONE Campaign, and a merged organization with Water.org.
Michelle Obama is an advocate for the ONE Campaign, and was a lawyer at Sidley Austin LLP.
David D. Hiller was a partner at Sidley Austin LLP, the publisher & president & CEO for the Los Angeles Times, and is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
Commercial Club of Chicago, Members Directory A-Z (Past Research)
Tuesday, December 17, 2013       
Valerie B. Jarrett is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and the senior adviser for the Barack Obama administration.
Cyrus F. Freidheim Jr. is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and was a managing director at
Booz Allen Hamilton.
Robert S. Osborne is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and was the EVP & general counsel for Booz Allen Hamilton.
Steve Isakowitz was a senior consultant for Booz Allen Hamilton, and the deputy chief financial officer for National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).









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