adamatari: The biggest problem is too much water for agriculture and a lot of that is alfalfa for cows. Agriculture is gonna have to take a hit. Yes, we need food... but if there isn't any water you can't grow anything. The entire water rights system is full of backwards incentives and so farmers grow alfalfa which sucks up all the water so they can keep their water rights.
Most of the cows are raised in places like Florida, the entire west is a small fraction. There is no reason to grow so much alfalfa in a bunch of dry states.
[Youtube-video https://www.youtube.com/embed/f0gN1x6sVTc]

Well yes, there is, because someone in Saudi Arabia is paying them to grow alfalfa.

Wow, every time I look something up, it just gets worse and worse.


1947--visiting the people who have mastered desert farming.

"There's a lot of problems with saying Arizona is the victim in this," Koch said. "The Arizona involvement in these histories, and what they helped set up based on this story of 'desert farming expertise,' is its own doing."
Big agribusiness, both international and domestic, has Arizona in its maw. Water wells are being run dry and the state's small farmers are facing the brunt of the shortages."

Anyway, that's a very interesting article.  But not that interesting.
It's the same old farking story.  We sold the  water out from underneath  us, more than we had, and now everybody wants theirs.  And there is none left.

https://www.12news.com/article/news/local/water-wars/saudi-arabia-arizona-farm-alfalfa-1940/75-c7eb6295-3c5e-4b7e-8989-fbf4d41c6aa7

desertfool: wademh: I have a suggestion for saving water.
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Most courses use effluent, non-potable water in Arizona. Ones that don't should be converted.

You guys always make this sort of argument.  I bet, with my background, I could find many many uses for sewage water and grey water that would have nothing to with golf courses, and would serve a useful, restorative, efficient way of getting more water into the ecosystem.  It would work better, with no fertilizers, no dyes, and no farking fat old Boomer assholes and Millennnials all over the dyed golf course saying, "Well yeah, of course MY golf is not a problem.  We use recycled water."
No  . I would use recycled water, and it would work, and it would go back into the natural world, and help with things.  And I'm not even really qualified to do that shiat.  I could do it.  Because I know how the natural world works, and you don't.  And the golf courses would be gone, along with all those cows.

what are you helping with your rationalizations?  NOTHING.  Nothing but promoting your wasteful. stupid lifestyle.  Everyone knows that golfing is supposed to be a sign of status and leisure--look at all those proles driving by, watching you stroll by on the sewage course, and they are so envious! What have you contributed to the world, except more of your more goddamned ego and status symbols?  Bout time we fixed that, don't you think?
You're against inequality, right?   You're a good liberal, and you hate that shiat?    Especially since all those golfers probably made their money in some predatory capitalistic bullshiat that hurt a lot of people.  But hey, you still vote Democratic.

It's the attitude.  It's the sight of all those golf courses, all those big farking air-conditioned houses where it's 120 degrees, it's the green lawns and the Mexican gardeners and the expanding rich people hangouts that lets everybody know that none of those people actually give a fark about water, or people's rights, or living in a way that will allow all of us to live.   You're the guy walking across the golf course while snottily informing your friends, "You know, this golf course is watered entirely by reclaimed river water, and thus has no impact on our water problems."

WRONG, people who don't understand biology.  But you guys don't give a fark anyway--you just say that stuff.  Most of you, you made dirty money for your entire lives, you never minded, you never minded spending it, and you don't care what happens to people or places now.  You GOT your condo in Arizona on the golf course.