Travel Junkie
Well-Known Member
By far the biggest user of water in CA are farms. Farmer's say they use roughly 40% of the states water per year, while other reports suggest they use as much as 80%.
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World of Color and the California water crisis
- Thread starter prberk
- Start date
George Lucas on a Bench
Well-Known Member
I feel like just running the Grizzly River ride for an hour wastes like 9 trillion showers' worth of water.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
It's worse than that. You should sit down for this...
California now flushes an additional 300 Billion (with a 'B') gallons of water each year out through the Sacramento River Delta to help a small 2-inch long bait fish called the Delta Smelt to survive. The Delta Smelt was placed on the Endangered Species List back in the 20th Century, when California was redirecting a lot of that Sacramento River water into the California Aqueduct System to farms and cities. In 2007 a Federal Judge ruled California had to act to protect the survival of the Delta Smelt and restore the Sacramento River water flows to pre-historic levels of water. http://naturalresources.house.gov/issues/issue/?IssueID=5921
So 300 Billion gallons of fresh water are flushed down the Sacramento River into San Francisco Bay and out to the blue Pacific Ocean each year to protect this little guy living in the weeds of an unspectacular inland California river.
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TP2000
Well-Known Member
I owe you a drink (of water) for that brilliant post, but since you aren't here I went into the guest powder room down the hall and flushed the toilet just for fun and in your honor. Seriously.
California goes through a bad drought every 10 or 15 years. This one isn't any different, and so far the impact on the general public is far less cumbersome than the big drought we had in 1977-78. The car washes are all still operating (I just washed my car two days ago), the Orange County public parks and schools are all still watering their lawns, the local breweries and bottling plants are all still pumping out millions of gallons of beverages, as I type this in my den with the windows open I can hear the neighbors sprinklers spring to life like they do every night at Midnight, and I take long showers every morning. Life goes on.
To cancel a vacation based on some over-hyped clickbait news story about "The Drought!" is just laughable. I don't want to be impolite, but the only reaction I can come up with is laughter. It also proves how pathetic our 24 Hour Panic news cycle now is, and how it can get otherwise sane and intelligent people to buy into it. And don't change that dial during this commercial!
Two atoms of hydrogen bonded with one of oxygen.
Travel Junkie
Well-Known Member
Most of CA’s water comes from the Sierra Mountain’s or the Colorado River which is fed by the Rocky Mountains. To get to So Cal, water has to make a long trip through rivers and aqueducts. The biggest contributing factor to this drought is not necessarily the lack of rainfall in California as much as it is the lack of snow in the Sierra’s.
Although the lack of rain has contributed to the lowering of the groundwater table which farmers (again the biggest user of water in the state) rely on to irrigate. The groundwater table is critical as it needs to remain at a certain level to keep the ocean salt water from seeping through and contaminating the fresh water table.
JediMasterMatt
Well-Known Member
If only there was a way Disney could harvest all the sweat generated in Orlando, distill it, and then ship it to Anaheim.
Nah, I don't want anything shipped from Orlando to Anaheim. Too much chance for a MagicBand to tag along.
Nah, I don't want anything shipped from Orlando to Anaheim. Too much chance for a MagicBand to tag along.
westie
Well-Known Member
As a bay area resident I agree with most of what has been said. Farms and municipitalities waste way to much water. Let the lawns in the parks and business' brown. My lawn hasn't been green in years and I've been conserving water for something like 3 droughts now. I have large fish tanks and I use the waste water on my garden. I think most Californians are like me and do their part to conserve. Business' do not. When we had rolling blackouts like 10 years ago San Francisco and Oakland skyscrapers were lit up at night. All night. They are also the places with the greenest lawns. I don't know if the A's and Giants will turn off the sprinklers? Yet I digress. I think the one thing that California needs to do is build more aquaducts. Capture more of this water that drains into the ocean. Northern California is very lush and green. From the Russian River to the Oregon border gets a lot of rain. I believe that is where we need to start drawing water from. And I believe in penalties for those that don't conserve. Not those that have been. I've been going to Disneyland regularly all my life and they have always had the "please conserve" placard in the rooms. Disney has always been a model of conservation from food recycling programs to water conservation. It is a bad situation but as someone pointed out it happens every 10 to 15 years here. We will pull through. And I like the idea of everybody bringing a bottle of water to Disneyland lol. Apologies for my rant.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
If you are asking specifically about the 3.1 Million people living in Orange County, including Anaheim and the Disneyland Resort, it mostly comes from underground. And it's mostly used water, recycled again and again by the world's largest water re-use system.
The Orange County Water District manages a vast underground aquifer located beneath central and northern Orange County. Every day they pump 70 Million gallons of wastewater into the underground aquifer where it seeps and filters for years before being extracted again, purified via reverse osmosis, ultraviolet light and micro-filtration, and then sent back into the local public water supply. The water they supply to OC is some of the cleanest and most pure of any water district in the Free World. This aquifer filtration system has re-used 153 Billion Gallons of water for public use in Orange County. And counting.
http://www.gwrsystem.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=52&Itemid=3
OC's underground aquifer and water storage system is bolstered by Billions of additional gallons of water captured each year from runoff in the Santa Ana River that flows through central OC from the San Bernardino Mountains. Even this year, during The Drought!, Billions of gallons of water flowed down the Santa Ana River after rainy days into "spreading basins" in east Anaheim to be funneled deep underground into the aquifer system.
Disney loves this system, because it's very cheap water with a media-friendly message for concerned Mommy Bloggers everywhere. The water used in the Paradise Pier lagoon was sent to the underground aquifer when it was drained for the big World of Color rehab this winter, and then drawn back out to fill up the lagoon. But since that was only 8 Million gallons, it was literally a tiny drop in the bucket of this massive Mega-Billion Gallon local water supply system.
This is why any public restrictions on water usage in Orange County have been non-existent to date, and will likely be minimal in the future if the drought worsens in 2016. San Diego County next door also uses a similar system.
P.S. World of Color begins at 9:45PM tonight. Fantasmic! is at 9:00PM and 10:30PM.
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GiveMeTheMusic
Well-Known Member
If you are asking specifically about the 3.5 Million people living in Orange County, including Anaheim and the Disneyland Resort, it mostly comes from underground. And it's mostly used water, recycled again and again by the world's largest water re-use system.
The Orange County Water District manages a vast underground aquifer located beneath central and northern Orange County. Every day they pump 70 Million gallons of wastewater into the underground aquifer where it seeps and filters for years before being extracted again, purified via reverse osmosis, ultraviolet light and micro-filtration, and then sent back into the local public water supply. The water they supply to OC is some of the cleanest and most pure of any water district in the Free World. This aquifer filtration system has re-used 153 Billion Gallons of water for public use in Orange County. And counting.
http://www.gwrsystem.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=52&Itemid=3
OC's underground aquifer and water storage system is bolstered by Billions of additional gallons of water captured each year from runoff in the Santa Ana River that flows through central OC from the San Bernardino Mountains. Even this year, during The Drought!, Billions of gallons of water flowed down the Santa Ana River after rainy days into "spreading basins" in east Anaheim to be funneled deep underground into the aquifer system.
Disney loves this system, because it's very cheap water with a media-friendly message for concerned Mommy Bloggers everywhere. The water used in the Paradise Pier lagoon was sent to the underground aquifer when it was drained for the big World of Color rehab this winter, and then drawn back out to fill up the lagoon. But since that was only 8 Million gallons, it was literally a tiny drop in the bucket of this massive Mega-Billion Gallon local water supply system.
This is why any public restrictions on water usage in Orange County have been non-existent to date, and will likely be minimal in the future if the drought worsens in 2016. San Diego County next door also uses a similar system.
P.S. World of Color begins at 9:45PM tonight. Fantasmic! is at 9:00PM and 10:30PM.
@TP2000 knows EVERYTHING. Slow clap, sir, slow clap.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
I don't know EVERYTHING, I actually know just barely enough about a lot of things to be semi-dangerous. It also makes me a fun guest at a dinner party.
In defense of @Nemo14, who hails from Rhode Island according to her profile, I've lived in New England and know how different the perspective can be when the states are smaller than most West Coast counties. (I also lived in coastal Virginia, not far from where @prberk hails from in Richmond)
The mainstream news media is really the one to blame here, for touting The Drought! in an attempt to get page views and clicks and Neilsen ratings. But when you live back East in those very small states that our founding fathers set up, it's very hard to comprehend the sheer scale and scope of a giant state like California.
As a comparison, here's Orange County (Southern California's smallest county) versus the entire State of Rhode Island where @Nemo14 lives.
State of Rhode Island
1,214 Square Miles (37 Miles Wide, 48 Miles Long)
Population - 1.05 Million People
Median Income - $54,500
Largest City - Providence, 110,000 People
Highest Elevation - 805 Feet, Jeremiah Hill
Lowest Elevation - Sea Level, Atlantic Ocean
Orange County
1,102 Square Miles (32 Miles Wide, 43 Miles Long)
Population - 3.1 Million People
Median Income - $81,260
Largest City - Anaheim, 345,000 People
Highest Elevation - 5,687 Feet, Santiago Peak
Lowest Elevation - Sea Level, Pacific Ocean
State of California
163,696 Square Miles (250 Miles Wide, 780 Miles Long)
Population - 38.9 Million People
Median Income - $61,200
Largest City - Los Angeles, 12.1 Million People
Highest Elevation - 14,505 Feet, Mount Whitney
Lowest Elevation - 282 Feet Below Sea Level, Death Valley
Rhode Island is roughly the size of Orange County, but with one third the number of people. The neighboring states of Massachusetts and Connecticut combined at 16,000 square miles don't even equal the land mass of Orange County's neighbor San Bernardino County with over 20,000 square miles in just that one inland county alone.
Californians often forget the MASSIVE scale and scope of our great western home. Heck, WDI created a famous E Ticket hang gliding ride that attempts to represent the entire state, but only scratches the surface. When someone from the East Coast hears that there's a big drought in California from our dumbed-down modern media, they can't help but imagine that it must be impacting the entire state instead of just specific regions and/or industries in that massive state.
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Arthur Wellesley
Well-Known Member
We did the exact same thing, as a planned trip out to Yosemite & the Bay area has temporarily been postponed until things get back to normal. This is a very wise move (imo). Locals need their water preserved out there much more desperately than I need touristy vacations. It's all about priorities.
My thoughts go out to all of you out west having to deal with this current situation.
George Lucas on a Bench
Well-Known Member
I hail from Rhode Island as well.
In CA, I take extremely short showers (get wet, turn off, apply everything, get wet, turn off) and wash one load of clothes once every two weeks. I need to conserve so Pirates of the Caribbean and it's a small world have water.
In CA, I take extremely short showers (get wet, turn off, apply everything, get wet, turn off) and wash one load of clothes once every two weeks. I need to conserve so Pirates of the Caribbean and it's a small world have water.
GiveMeTheMusic
Well-Known Member
While this is noble and considerate, it's misplaced. California needs tourism far more than it needs the few gallons of water your presence would displace. Again, individual water use could cease completely and the states water supply would barely be affected.
Reports of California's demise have been greatly exaggerated.
disney4life2008
Well-Known Member
I am in California now and absolutely love it here
Californian Elitist
Well-Known Member
You finally made it out here, huh? Where did you settle?
Nemo is right. I was talking about the evaporation from dancing water sprays primarily.
And I understand the other issues, including farm use and especially the unnecessary diversion of water where it can be avoided. But these issues are beyond the scope of what Disneyland can do, the topic here. I am certainly for looking at other ways to cut back until the problem can be helped.
It just seems like the problem is so severe that we ought to take it seriously, and entertainment uses of water which exacerbate evaporation, even at a Disney park in a program that I love, ought to be a consideration.
I thought of it mostly because it reminded me of the fireworks being cut out during the Florida fires, and as someone else posted, the other times that decorative water fountains were cut back in Florida during their drought. It did seem like the right thing to do, and for a public company would make a good statement, not just for their own PR but for leadership.
The other ways of saving water are not off the table. Just off the topic here.
I don't know EVERYTHING, I actually know just barely enough about a lot of things to be semi-dangerous. It also makes me a fun guest at a dinner party.
In defense of @Nemo14, who hails from Rhode Island according to her profile, I've lived in New England and know how different the perspective can be when the states are smaller than most West Coast counties. (I also lived in coastal Virginia, not far from where @prberk hails from in Richmond)
The mainstream news media is really the one to blame here, for touting The Drought! in an attempt to get page views and clicks and Neilsen ratings. But when you live back East in those very small states that our founding fathers set up, it's very hard to comprehend the sheer scale and scope of a giant state like California.
As a comparison, here's Orange County (Southern California's smallest county) versus the entire State of Rhode Island where @Nemo14 lives.
State of Rhode Island
1,214 Square Miles (37 Miles Wide, 48 Miles Long)
Population - 1.05 Million People
Median Income - $54,500
Largest City - Providence, 110,000 People
Highest Elevation - 805 Feet, Jeremiah Hill
Lowest Elevation - Sea Level, Atlantic Ocean
Orange County
1,102 Square Miles (32 Miles Wide, 43 Miles Long)
Population - 3.1 Million People
Median Income - $81,260
Largest City - Anaheim, 345,000 People
Highest Elevation - 5,687 Feet, Santiago Peak
Lowest Elevation - Sea Level, Pacific Ocean
State of California
163,696 Square Miles (250 Miles Wide, 780 Miles Long)
Population - 38.9 Million People
Median Income - $61,200
Largest City - Los Angeles, 12.1 Million People
Highest Elevation - 14,505 Feet, Mount Whitney
Lowest Elevation - 282 Feet Below Sea Level, Death Valley
Rhode Island is roughly the size of Orange County, but with one third the number of people. The neighboring states of Massachusetts and Connecticut combined at 16,000 square miles don't even equal the land mass of Orange County's neighbor San Bernardino County with over 20,000 square miles in just that one inland county alone.
Californians often forget the MASSIVE scale and scope of our great western home. Heck, WDI created a famous E Ticket hang gliding ride that attempts to represent the entire state, but only scratches the surface. When someone from the East Coast hears that there's a big drought in California from our dumbed-down modern media, they can't help but imagine that it must be impacting the entire state instead of just specific regions and/or industries in that massive state.
The governor of that massive state declared it a statewide situation, and issued a mandate for 25% reduction in use (except, I know, for certain exempted uses) STATEWIDE. That includes Anaheim, which is why I thought it relevant, even though I know that the state is large.
disney4life2008
Well-Known Member
Almost (at least). I am weighing my options - California remains my first choice but we shall see how things pan out in the coming weeks. I graduate May 15th so I have a little time. But I am already planning on attending the 60th celebration regardless