Mining for Water Cadiz Ca

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Jim_b
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Mining for Water Cadiz Ca

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U.S. Approves Water Plan in California, but Environmental Opposition Remains

See New York Times CADIZ, Calif. — Gazing out of a turboprop high above his company’s main asset — 34,000 acres in the Mojave Desert with billions of gallons of fresh water locked deep below the sagebrush-dotted land — Scott Slater paints a lush picture that has enticed a hardy band of investors for a quarter-century. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/25/busin ... opics&_r=0
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Reziac
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Re: Mining for Water Cadiz Ca

Post by Reziac »

Saudi Arabia had the same dream. They tapped their deep water and started growing enough wheat to feed their entire country. Pretty soon they became concerned that the deep aquifer was not being replenished, as is generally the case with deep aquifers, because they date to the Ice Age. They shut down the wells and went back to importing food.

Problem is, this is not only not a renewable resource, it may be trickle-feeding existing surface wells. I'm reminded of when some local water company drilled a deep well for commercial water production (IIRC this was in the northeast part of the Antelope Valley)... and 3-4 years later, many of the much-shallower household wells in the area dried up. And in L.A. County, halting commercial water production no longer fixes the problem, because once the power is shut off to a private well, you can't restart it (not legally, anyway), because the county confiscated all the private wells and it's no longer yours to use. (Not yet really enforced, but since the resulting class action lawsuit got settled, it's a done deal. 4th Amendment? what 4th Amendment??)
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