These before (2011) and after photos have left me stunned. I never thought that much water could disappear in only 3 years. The Enterprise Bridge’s foundation footings are visible. It’s spanning a mud hole now.
No interest in the drought?
It’s ironic people fled the dust bowl of Oklahoma in the 1930’s because of drought. If things don’t turn around people will be fleeing California for the same reason. Those pictures of the dried up reservoirs shocked me to the core. The dust storms will come soon if something doesn’t change in California’s weather.
I know there’s still time for rains to come and end the drought. But, if that doesn’t happen then I’m wondering if other states will be able to make up for the lost farming in California? Can Florida produce enough citrus fruits to fill the gap? What about California’s other farm crops? I guess the wine industry in California will collapse. They spent decades building a brand for California wines. They can’t make wine without the rain that makes the grapes.
Not for nothing, but all those photos are taken from only two lakes.
For a real disappearing act, check out the Aral Sea – once the second largest inland sea in the world, now completely gone. :eek:
Can you imagine what they’d look like if climate change were real? :eek:
Still waiting for the page to load. Can’t comment without seeing the pictures!
The thing is, all those reservoirs are designed to fill up during winter rains and spring snow melt, then draw down as the water is distributed to farmers & cities during the 6-8 rainless months every year. It’s perfectly normal for the water level to be 50 feet lower in fall than it was in spring. It’s true that they are much lower than usual now, and that if it doesn’t rain this winter we’re going to be seriously screwed next summer; but there’s nothing unusual about the general appearance of those reservoirs.
I’m relieved to hear that those reservoirs/lakes often drop in level. The drought is serious but not a catastrophe yet. There was a thread over in GQ about desalination plants and I found a link where several are being built right now. They are scheduled to be online in a couple years. That will help some.
My mom and dad got screwed over by the Corps of Engineers. They bought land for a fishing cabin on a backwater of Lake Claiborne in Louisiana. Spent quite a bit of money drilling a well, clearing the land, and buying a nice house trailer. They even had central air installed. Three years level the Corps lowers the level in the reservoir. The main lake dropped several feet and the backwaters totally dried up. Year 1 dad put in a dock while it was dry and easy to dig the footings. By year 4 we were fed up with the damn mess. We still had to go down there and mow grass every three weeks. Still had to maintain the property. The water finally came back after 5 years and we sold that property ASAP. It would have taken several years for the fishing to be any good in that dried up area.
Yeah, they aren’t lakes, so they don’t act like lakes. California has very few natural lakes of any size except Tahoe.
Next season is supposed to be “normal” rainfall. But the trend is going to be hotter and drier as that crazy made up climate change gets worse.
Don’t forget Goose Lake.
Goose Lake wouldn’t be in the bad shape it is in if its inflow hadn’t been diverted. I think it totally dried up last year, I don’t know how it is this year. It’s a very shallow lake in good times.