My little patio garden must die so that rich people in other lands may eat almonds
by digby
In Gov. Jerry Brown’s executive order setting California’s mandatory water reductions in cities and towns, he called for 25 percent reductions in use that would save 1.5 million acre-feet of water1 over the next nine months.
By comparison, the city of Los Angeles uses 587,000 acre-feet in a year. In other words, L.A. would need to go completely dry for three years to cover Brown’s goals on its own.
California’s urban areas are responsible for only 10 percent of the state’s water use. Even as the cities have grown, urban per-capita consumption has declined, from 232 gallons per day in 1990 to 178 gallons per day in 2010. As a result, the cities’ total water use has been relatively stable.
Instead, the thirstiest sector of the state is the agricultural industry, which makes up 40 percent of water usage. If you set aside the 50 percent of California’s water that’s reserved for environmental use (maintaining wetlands, rivers, and other parts of the state’s ecosystem), agriculture uses 80 percent of the remaining water dedicated directly or indirectly for human uses.
I like almonds. But it takes a gallon of water to make one almond and California has decided that the almond growers (along with all the other Big Ag Corporations) cannot be expected to forego any of their profits due to this drought.
I don’t mind cutting back on water. I’ve been doing it for the past two years. We recycle all the water we can to water our (drought tolerant) plants and conserve as much as humanly possible. And I’m sure it’s a good idea to mandate rationing in this situation. But everyone should have to sacrifice a little bit in an epic drought like this one. Even yuppies who love their almond milk. (I love it too, but seriously …)
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