The California drought has gotten out of control. That is why a private company stepped up and paid $1 billion for a new desalination plant located in Carlsbad.
The drought has really impacted Southern California within this last year, however, the drought has been drying up some parts of California for years.
What is desalination?
Basically, it’s a sifting process which removes salt and other minerals from salt water that is retrieved from the sea. This process will make the water safe for drinking and irrigation. Desalination is a more expensive process to provide potable water.
Alternatives
There are alternative methods to providing drinking water which are less expensive than desalination. The methods include ground water, which is obtaining drinking water from natural resources including rivers, lakes, and even digging underground for water.
Another method is water recycling. In Orange County, California, water recycling is underway. Since 2008, Orange County has provided residents with billions of gallons of potable water from the recycling facility. By 2015, Orange County will be providing an additional 30 million gallons per day, all thanks to their expansion efforts.
The drought in California has gotten so bad that even wells in Bakersfield, have run dry.
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Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desalination and http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2014/06/desalination_vs_purification_why_californians_will_soon_drink_their_own.html
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The third consecutive year of drought plaguing California has encouraged unprecedented legislative and regulatory efforts to conserve what limited water the state has in its supply.
Come Tuesday, state officials from the State Water Resources Control Board will meet to discuss plans to impose emergency and temporary water conservation rules and regulations on outdoor water usage, an area state officials view as posing great potential for preserving the coveted liquid.
If passed, the new rules could include a $500 daily maximum fine for “water hogs” and violators, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Prohibited activities could include using water to wash down hard surfaces such a driveways and sidewalks; using landscaping water to the point where it would result in runoff, and the washing of vehicles unless the hose has a shut-off nozzle which controls water output.
Flushable toilets at popular state parks such as D.L. Bliss State Park at Lake Tahoe, the Hearst Castle Visitor’s Center, and Hearst San Simeon State Park have been shut down and replaced with portable toilets, according to the Associated Press. Additionally, showers at D.L. Bliss, San Simeon and Portola Redwoods State Parks have also been shut down in an effort to conserve water.
The AP notes that the officials have said the remaining water supply must be preserved for portable water at”This is not about aesthetics,” Gordon said, “as much as public health.” campsites and firefighting.
In San Francisco, city officials have raised concerns over the need to use water to wash off human fecal matter and urine from sidewalks. “We give very high priority to responding to the pee and poop requests,” said Public Works Department spokeswoman Rachel Gordon. This past year alone, San Francisco had 16,164 reports of streets and sidewalks in need of cleaning, the bulk of which concerned human waste, reports the Chronicle.
“This is not about aesthetics…as much as public health,” Gordon said, expressing that city officials have said they will continue giving priority to ensuring human waste is removed from their streets and seek necessary exemptions to use water to carry out the cleaning process.
Content provided by http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-California/2014/07/13/California-Drought-Creates-Unprecedented-Temporary-Legislation-Fines
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The jingle “hold the pickles, hold the lettuce, special orders don’t upset us” may need to include hold the hamburgers too, as drought-related costs have spiked the prices of hamburgers at favorite fast-food restaurants like In-N-Out Burger.
The San Bernadino Sun reports that, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, this year beef prices are going to rise 5.5 to 6.5 percent, and poultry should increase 3 to 4 percent. Moreover, fruit, vegetables, and eggs will also increase in price by 3 to 4 percent. Significantly, California grows half of the nation’s fruits and vegetables, but because of the record-setting drought, now in its third year, 500,000 acres of farmland remain uncultivated.
“We make every effort to keep our menu prices as low as possible,” claims In-N-Out’s executive vice president of development Carl Van Fleet. “Unfortunately, we have seen some pretty significant cost increases over the last year, and we had to take a small price increase in order to maintain our quality standards.”
All this boils down to higher prices for the consumer and, for those who are already feeling pinched by the lagging economic recovery, choosing what to order is being reconsidered. Giovanni Benitez, who recently had lunch at an In-N-Out Burger in Pasadena said, “I usually always get a combo, but now I might start buying just the hamburger.”
In-N-Out is not the only retail food chain raising prices. Chipotle Mexican Grill and Starbucks are also increasing the prices on their menus. Both stores are increasing the price of items in the 4 to 10 percent range.
Notably, consumers aren’t the only ones being affected by the fallout of increased water costs due to the drought. A U.C. Davis Center for Watershed Sciences study indicates that the drought could cost California’s agricultural and farm communities $1.7 billion and predicts that 14,500 full-time and seasonal workers will lose their jobs.
Consequently, farmers have started to invest in expensive water drilling equipment to locate underground water sources. CBS5 KPIX reports that independent well drilling companies are booming as a result of farmers looking for alternate sources of water.
Steve Arthur, who has been in the drilling-for-water business since 1974, said that he is booked through March of 2015 for drilling new wells. Steve says, “If farmers are not able to drill a well to keep their crops growing, then they are going to have to quit… The effects of that is going to be devastating. They are going to go into the market one day and a gallon of milk is going to cost ten dollars.”
Content provided by http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-California/2014/07/08/In-N-Out-Burgers-and-Chipotle-Tacos-Prices-Rising-As-Ca-Drought-Persists
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As with any business, agricultural producers face risks of all kinds. However, the two most important risks facing farmers are yield and price. Fortunately, producers can buy insurance that reduces their exposure to low yields or low prices. Unavoidable risks protected by crop insurance include:
* Heat
* Hail
* Drought
* Frost
* Freeze
* Pests
* Excess Moisture
Since the 1930s, crop insurance has been available to agricultural producers in the United States. However, it was in the 1990s that the United States government promoted crop insurance by offering new products and more insurance premium subsidies.
The Risk Management Agency (RMA), is part of the United States Department of Agriculture is the governing authority for the crop insurance program and is in charge of the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC). Private insurance companies contract with RMA to service crop insurance sold through independent insurance agencies. As with other disaster insurance programs, such as the National Flood Insurance Program, the private sector sells crop insurance, as the private sector is more efficient and rapidly adjudicates claims.
Crop insurance is unique in that companies selling Federal Crop insurance have a mandate to sell to any farmer, even those who are at high risk, at the same premium set in advance by the Federal government. Even farmers in high-risk drought areas such as California get policies without special underwriting standards or higher premium rates.
Without crop insurance, agricultural producers would have difficulty in achieving financial stability, a more difficult time in getting and repaying loans. Crop insurance allows agricultural producers to help forward marketing.
Essential facts about United States Crop Insurance
* Farmers share in the cost of the program
* Agricultural producers are personally responsible for managing risk
* Under the program, the producer gets tailored risk management solutions
* Quick indemnity pay outs
* The crop insurance program is dynamic; it can quickly adjust and self-correct
* Payments to producers never exceed actual insured losses
* Insurance is allowable collateral for loans
* Growers have no payment limits that cut protection from losses
* Insured growers have the benefit of private sector efficiency
* The program has the flexibility to meet World Trade Organization support limits
The United States crop insurance program provides so much more than just protection from risk. It plays a vital role in keeping the agriculture industry functioning.
Contact our office to make sure you are completely covered.
Content provided by Transformer Marketing.
Sources: http://www2.ca.uky.edu/cmspubsclass/files/cgwalters/Understanding%20Crop%20Insurance.pdf, http://www2.ca.uky.edu/cmspubsclass/files/cgwalters/Understanding%20Crop%20Insurance.pdf, http://www.cropinsuranceinamerica.org/just-the-facts/is-crop-insurance-like-other-forms-of-insurance/, https://www.cropinsurers.com/images/pdf/focus-on-congress/Importance_of_Crop_Insurance_in_the_US.pdf
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Summertime is synonymous with backyard barbecues and cooling cocktails. Barbecue ribs, sausages, chicken, steaks, burgers, and hot dogs are permanent fixtures on the menu. Just because it’s summer, doesn’t mean that you have to pig out on unhealthy food. In fact, it’s a perfect time to try out some new recipes for the barbecue.
- Make your own homemade popsicles with 100% fruit juice and an ice tray.
- Jazz up your salad. Instead of the same ol’ same ol’, throw in some different greens, add some spice, nuts, and fish. Fresh salmon is a huge hit with a lot of recipes.
- Use more fresh oils. Some favorites are olive oil, grapeseed oil, walnut oil, peanut oils, and sesame oils.
- Drinks lots of H2o.
- Find the season’s best fresh fruit and enjoy. The fruit is also a healthy dessert.
- Cucumbers are versatile. Cucumbers are delicious in salads (think-cucumber and tomato salad) or as appetizers (think-sliced cucumbers with Greek dressing and Feta cheese).
- Grill those vegetables. Vegetables such as bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, asparagus, zucchini are great for grilling.
- Make your own fruit juice.
- Forget the ice cream, get the frozen yogurt. Mixed it up and add more than one flavor.
- Add more fish to your grill.
This summer spice up your grill, menu and health!
Content provided by Transformer Marketing.
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U.S. states plagued by historic drought are bracing for an early wildfire season with a cost that may rise as high as $1.8 billion, or almost $500,000 more than what’s available to control the blazes.
Oklahomans fought seven fires in May during what is normally the state’s quietest period. Flames scorched four times as many acres in Texas from January through May as in the same period a year earlier. California is also far ahead of its usual pace and is bracing for hundreds more containment battles throughout the most populous U.S. state.
“Drought has set the stage for a very busy and very dangerous fire season,” said Daniel Berlant, a spokesman for Cal Fire, as the Sacramento-based California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection is known. “From Jan. 1 through the end of April, we responded to 1,250 wildfires. In an average year for that same time period, we would have responded to fewer than 600.”
The 2014 season is repeating a pattern of destruction established over the past decade by a combination of high temperatures, parched vegetation and more people living in wooded areas. Fires feeding on plentiful dry grass, brush and hardwood are requiring more personnel and money to bring them under control. More than twice as many acres burned across the U.S. through May 9 this year than during the same period in 2013, according to the Boise, Idaho-based National Interagency Fire Center.
“With climate change contributing to longer and more intense wildfire seasons, the dangers and costs of fighting those fires increase substantially,” Rhea Suh, assistant secretary for policy, management and budget at the U.S. Interior Department said May 1 in a statement.
Diverting Funds
Federal officials expect to spend about $470 million more than the $1.4 billion that’s been allocated, according to a congressionally-mandated report released May 1. Increasing fire costs required the U.S. Forest Service and Interior Department to divert funds from other programs in seven of the last 12 years, the study showed. Millions of additional dollars in state and local funds are spent each year on persistent and ever- increasing blazes.
In Arizona, last year’s record-setting fire season saw 19 members of the Granite Mountain Interagency Hotshot Crew — firefighters who work behind the lines to control the spread of flames — die in the Yarnell Hill fire, the biggest loss of life from a single fire in 80 years. Colorado experienced its most destructive wildfire in history. A conflagration in Yosemite National Park that threatened San Francisco’s water supply became the largest ever in the Sierra Nevada.
Snowpack Low
With snowpack that provides water for a third of California’s farms and cities at only 18 percent of average in some places after the driest year in state history, officials expect to spend $221 million in emergency funds fighting fires by June 30, said Cal Fire’s Berlant.
In a normal year, the agency would start hiring seasonal firefighters this month. Instead, Governor Jerry Brown, a Democrat running for re-election, ordered 125 firefighters hired for the northern part of the state in January and kept seasonal crews in the south on the job longer.
Cal Fire was “never able to transition out of fire season in 2013,” according to a statement. The agency returned to peak staffing in March in San Diego, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, where equipment and facilities are staffed around the clock.
Dead brush and shrubs are drying out faster than usual in conditions more typical of mid-June than May, according to an outlook for May through August compiled by the interagency fire center.
“Fuels should remain critically dry for most of the upcoming fire season,” the report said, and be “receptive to ignition and fires that are highly resistant to control efforts.”
The risk of significant blazes will also come earlier than usual over much of the U.S. northwest, particularly in Oregon and Alaska, the outlook found. Because of substantial snowpack, the fire potential in the northern Rocky Mountains will be below normal, according to the analysis.
Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, a Democrat running for re-election, said yesterday that several fire-prone areas saw below-average precipitation this winter including the southwest and the southeast, in the grip of an extreme drought.
‘Mitigate Danger’
“It’s up to everyone to make sure they are taking the right steps to mitigate the danger and be prepared,” Hickenlooper said in a statement. “With forecasts and planning, plus the addition of new resources related to wildfire response, we are doing what we can at the state level.”
After record-setting wildfire seasons back-to-back, Hickenlooper signed legislation setting aside almost $20 million to buy two fire-spotting planes and hire four helicopters and four large tankers for the effort.
Triple-digit temperatures that came early this year to the panhandles of Texas and Oklahoma dried grasses on what already looked like a moonscape, said Mark Svoboda, a climatologist at the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Dust Bowl-like conditions in those areas and in southeastern Colorado and northern New Mexico, last seen during the 1930s, are increasing fire risk, he said.
“The droughts in California and Texas and Oklahoma are once-in-a-generation types of droughts with conditions we haven’t seen since the 1970s,” Svoboda said. “In California, the population has doubled since the 1970s, putting more structures at risk and increasing the potential loss due to fire.
Content provided by http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2014/05/13/328902.htm
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