Is California set up to catch rain from upcoming storm?

[bushmaster1313]

Northern California is about to be hit with a big storm that might be too much of a good thing.

Is Northern California set up to catch and save the runoff from the coming deluge?

 

[Kanewpadle]

IMO, no. The levees are old and weak.

 

[bushmaster1313]

IMO, no. The levees are old and weak.

That could mean big trouble for people in low lying areas and I feel for them.

However, my real question goes to whether the runoff can be saved, or will it run into the Pacific and get wasted.

 

[Bruce51]

We are already rain saturated so it's all going to run off. The only good water is snow pack and that will make the biggest contribution over time.

With these storms blowing in it will be flooding, mud slides and houses sliding away.

It will be really bad if it hits the LA area hard.

Bruce

OTOH our reservoirs could use some refilling.

picture of the el capitan reservoir - Google Search

 

[charlie sherrill]

The solution is here. When Kommiefornia is dry, tap the spring floods from the Mississippi River with a large pipeline. Everyone benefits. Probably cheaper to build than a Interstate highway and paying for it will be cheaper than your cropland blowing away.

 

[Fishslayer]

The solution is here. When Kommiefornia is dry, tap the spring floods from the Mississippi River with a large pipeline. Everyone benefits. Probably cheaper to build than a Interstate highway and paying for it will be cheaper than your cropland blowing away.

Good luck with that. You might get as far as the Kalifornia border. Then the greenies will decide that some insect habitat is more important.

It took us a couple decades plus to get a desal plant built because it poisons the ocean with warm salt water.

 

[swsig]

Good luck with that. You might get as far as the Kalifornia border. Then the greenies will decide that some insect habitat is more important.

It took us a couple decades plus to get a desal plant built because it poisons the ocean with warm salt water.

Putting salt water into the ocean? The horror!

I'm a San Diego native (now happily ensconced in Texas), and back in the 1950s we had a desalinization plant on Point Loma. We lost it when Castro took over in Cuba. The plant was moved to Guantanamo to ensure a steady supply of fresh water, and it was not replaced.

I hope that all of my old friends who still live there escape any damage. I've heard up to 15 inches of rain is expected. That's pretty scary. I can't remember a storm of that magnitude in the 27 years I lived there.

 

[codenamedave]

Not really. The underlying problem reflected in the ongoing drought is that the infrastructure has needed to be repaired/replaced/updated for many years, but the pols refused to spend the money. (Or kill some bugs & weeds that are in the way.)

The cycles of drought aren't a recent development, and the situation wouldn't be half as bad as it is if the gummint had paid attention to the folks who study such things. But of course the over-riding priority for politicians is to get re-elected, not help solve actual problems.

Where I'm at we've had a few sprinkles and we're not going to get much more. It looks like most of the rain & snow is going to be dropped inland and in the Sierras, which is where it'll do the most good.

 

[wuluf]

California has not allowed the construction of a new dam/ reservoir (or oil refinery) for over 40 years for environmental reasons. That's as political as I will get.

 

[BearBio]

Not likely. Local government rarely prepares for stochastic (random) events. For example, Seattle only has about a dozen snowplows==more than about 1" of snow and EVERYTHING stops. Just isn't practical to buy, maintain and store more plows for something that only happens once or twice a year.

I pity the people in the hundred-year flood zones who don't have flood insurance! California WILL be a national disaster zone come next week!

 

[Mike G 0351]

Here in the Central valley we have not had as much rain as predicted.

 

[jag312]

I hope California catches as much rain as possible, because whatever doesn't fall on California will come over the Sierra Nevada Mountains and dump on Nevada. There is expect flooding in the Truckee River that flows through Reno and Sparks, and the Carson River that flows through the Minden / Gardnerville / Carson City area.

 

[Lt JL]

were we to tap the Mississippi, we'd lose the Delta, and the salt would back up all the bayous.

 

[Fishslayer]

California has not allowed the construction of a new dam/ reservoir (or oil refinery) for over 40 years for environmental reasons. That's as political as I will get.

Awhile back I read something about adding on to existing dams to up the reservoir capacity. Looking at some of our lakes it'll be awhile before we can test it out. The water levels are pretty shocking.