<story><title>Big water cutbacks ordered amid Colorado River shortage</title><url>https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2022-06-14/big-water-cutbacks-ordered-amid-colorado-river-shortage</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>vwoolf</author><text>The desalination plant solutions a &amp;quot;let&amp;#x27;s do both.&amp;quot; &lt;a href=&quot;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;californiaglobe.com&amp;#x2F;articles&amp;#x2F;california-coastal-commission-rejects-huntington-beach-desalination-plant-proposal&amp;#x2F;&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;californiaglobe.com&amp;#x2F;articles&amp;#x2F;california-coastal-comm...&lt;/a&gt;&lt;p&gt;Charge market prices for water and build desalination. Create abundance.</text></item><item><author>jmyeet</author><text>At least this article notes that the vast majority of water usage is agriculture. This isn&amp;#x27;t something cities could or should solve by switching to (expensive) desalination to effectively subsidize agriculture. Most notably, alfalfa is mentioned here as farmers are going to have to switch to less water-intensive crops.&lt;p&gt;Decreasing alfalfa production may well impact the ability to feed cattle. In the short term, that&amp;#x27;s actually fine. It may just force more beef production, which will be good for costs (again, in the short term).&lt;p&gt;But this article makes the same mistake so many make: blaming this on climate change. It&amp;#x27;s not. It&amp;#x27;s simply usage. See Figure 2 on page 10 [1]. Additionally, water projections were made at a high point of water inflows that simply haven&amp;#x27;t been realistic since.&lt;p&gt;In short, we&amp;#x27;re using too much water and farming is going to have to take the hit.&lt;p&gt;[1]: &lt;a href=&quot;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;www.usbr.gov&amp;#x2F;watersmart&amp;#x2F;bsp&amp;#x2F;docs&amp;#x2F;finalreport&amp;#x2F;ColoradoRiver&amp;#x2F;CRBS_Executive_Summary_FINAL.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;www.usbr.gov&amp;#x2F;watersmart&amp;#x2F;bsp&amp;#x2F;docs&amp;#x2F;finalreport&amp;#x2F;Colorad...&lt;/a&gt;</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>cplusplusfellow</author><text>If only people understood this concept.  In my home town city council are bickering about whether to allow additional density to be build on already commercially zoned lots based on whether they force 10 or 12% if the units to be “affordable.”&lt;p&gt;They are bickering over whether 40 units of a building might have a net decreased rent of $200 a month and instead may get 0 units built instead of 400.  The 400 units would likely reduce the rent in the area by more than $200.&lt;p&gt;Create abundance and then let the market set the price and be happy.</text></comment>
<story><title>Big water cutbacks ordered amid Colorado River shortage</title><url>https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2022-06-14/big-water-cutbacks-ordered-amid-colorado-river-shortage</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>vwoolf</author><text>The desalination plant solutions a &amp;quot;let&amp;#x27;s do both.&amp;quot; &lt;a href=&quot;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;californiaglobe.com&amp;#x2F;articles&amp;#x2F;california-coastal-commission-rejects-huntington-beach-desalination-plant-proposal&amp;#x2F;&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;californiaglobe.com&amp;#x2F;articles&amp;#x2F;california-coastal-comm...&lt;/a&gt;&lt;p&gt;Charge market prices for water and build desalination. Create abundance.</text></item><item><author>jmyeet</author><text>At least this article notes that the vast majority of water usage is agriculture. This isn&amp;#x27;t something cities could or should solve by switching to (expensive) desalination to effectively subsidize agriculture. Most notably, alfalfa is mentioned here as farmers are going to have to switch to less water-intensive crops.&lt;p&gt;Decreasing alfalfa production may well impact the ability to feed cattle. In the short term, that&amp;#x27;s actually fine. It may just force more beef production, which will be good for costs (again, in the short term).&lt;p&gt;But this article makes the same mistake so many make: blaming this on climate change. It&amp;#x27;s not. It&amp;#x27;s simply usage. See Figure 2 on page 10 [1]. Additionally, water projections were made at a high point of water inflows that simply haven&amp;#x27;t been realistic since.&lt;p&gt;In short, we&amp;#x27;re using too much water and farming is going to have to take the hit.&lt;p&gt;[1]: &lt;a href=&quot;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;www.usbr.gov&amp;#x2F;watersmart&amp;#x2F;bsp&amp;#x2F;docs&amp;#x2F;finalreport&amp;#x2F;ColoradoRiver&amp;#x2F;CRBS_Executive_Summary_FINAL.pdf&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;www.usbr.gov&amp;#x2F;watersmart&amp;#x2F;bsp&amp;#x2F;docs&amp;#x2F;finalreport&amp;#x2F;Colorad...&lt;/a&gt;</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>macintux</author><text>Desalination requires energy and creates waste. Perhaps we should live within our means instead.</text></comment>