PA5COR
09-07-2013, 04:52 AM
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2013/09/06/2584411/california-water-theft/
Someone stole 20,000 gallons of water (http://www.mercurynews.com/california/ci_24024319/water-theft-forces-humboldt-county-school-close) from an elementary school in Bridgeville, CA over Labor Day weekend — the second water theft in the rural area over the last several weeks. According to the Humboldt County sheriff’s office, the culprit used a school garden hose to drain the water tank and carried it off in a truck. The school had to close for a day as the tank was refilled.
Another water tank in the area was drained of 20,000 gallons in July, leaving 330 people briefly without water. That tank provides water to another elementary school, a fire station, the post office, and a state park campground.
Humboldt County, a remote northern California region dominated by cattle ranches and marijuana farms (http://mckinleyvillepress.com/county-wrestles-with-how-to-handle-marijuana-grows/), has been hit especially hard (http://www.times-standard.com/news/ci_23706378/working-through-dry-spell-no-relief-from-state) by the drought afflicting California and other Western states. Because of virtually nonexistent snowpack over the winter, normally robust rivers are running extremely low (http://lostcoastoutpost.com/2013/jun/21/drought-causes-river-levels-drop-new-lows/), while rainfall has lagged 25 to 50 percent below normal since January. The unusually dry weather prompted the county to apply for federal aid (http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2013/08/28/2505511/drought-billions-crop-insurance/) in July for the first time since 2008. The U.S. Department of Agriculture designated Humboldt as a “primary natural disaster area” (http://www.fsa.usda.gov/FSA/newsReleases?area=newsroom&subject=landing&topic=edn&newstype=ednewsrel&type=detail&item=ed_20130814_rel_0140.html) in August because of the severe drought damage. The federal crop insurance program, however, is already stretched thin (http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2013/08/28/2505511/drought-billions-crop-insurance/) by so many drought-stricken farms.
This critical water shortage has led to “water wars” in the area. Sheriffs arrested marijuana growers (who, of course, are not eligible for federal aid) last week for diverting streams to their operations. “We may see more of that if the weather stays like this,” Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Steve Knight warned (http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_24024917/20-000-gallons-water-stolen-from-humboldt-county).
Drought will only become lengthier and more severe (http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2013/04/12/1859541/yes-climate-change-is-worsening-us-drought-noaa-report-needlessly-confuses-the-issue/) as climate change sets in. Crime and violence (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23538771) will likely increase as temperatures rise and vital resources become more sparse.
Bracing for these effects, Humboldt County has been working on a climate action plan since joining the Cities for Climate Protection campaign (http://yournec.org/content/humboldt-county-acts-climate-protection) in 2007. The county’s Board of Supervisors approved a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (http://co.humboldt.ca.us/gpu/docs/drafteir/appendices/appendix%20u%20-%20county%20of%20humboldt%20draft%20climate%20acti on%20plan.pdf) to 10 percent below 2003 levels by 2020.
Don't worry about oil, worry about drinking water...:snicker:
Someone stole 20,000 gallons of water (http://www.mercurynews.com/california/ci_24024319/water-theft-forces-humboldt-county-school-close) from an elementary school in Bridgeville, CA over Labor Day weekend — the second water theft in the rural area over the last several weeks. According to the Humboldt County sheriff’s office, the culprit used a school garden hose to drain the water tank and carried it off in a truck. The school had to close for a day as the tank was refilled.
Another water tank in the area was drained of 20,000 gallons in July, leaving 330 people briefly without water. That tank provides water to another elementary school, a fire station, the post office, and a state park campground.
Humboldt County, a remote northern California region dominated by cattle ranches and marijuana farms (http://mckinleyvillepress.com/county-wrestles-with-how-to-handle-marijuana-grows/), has been hit especially hard (http://www.times-standard.com/news/ci_23706378/working-through-dry-spell-no-relief-from-state) by the drought afflicting California and other Western states. Because of virtually nonexistent snowpack over the winter, normally robust rivers are running extremely low (http://lostcoastoutpost.com/2013/jun/21/drought-causes-river-levels-drop-new-lows/), while rainfall has lagged 25 to 50 percent below normal since January. The unusually dry weather prompted the county to apply for federal aid (http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2013/08/28/2505511/drought-billions-crop-insurance/) in July for the first time since 2008. The U.S. Department of Agriculture designated Humboldt as a “primary natural disaster area” (http://www.fsa.usda.gov/FSA/newsReleases?area=newsroom&subject=landing&topic=edn&newstype=ednewsrel&type=detail&item=ed_20130814_rel_0140.html) in August because of the severe drought damage. The federal crop insurance program, however, is already stretched thin (http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2013/08/28/2505511/drought-billions-crop-insurance/) by so many drought-stricken farms.
This critical water shortage has led to “water wars” in the area. Sheriffs arrested marijuana growers (who, of course, are not eligible for federal aid) last week for diverting streams to their operations. “We may see more of that if the weather stays like this,” Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Steve Knight warned (http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_24024917/20-000-gallons-water-stolen-from-humboldt-county).
Drought will only become lengthier and more severe (http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2013/04/12/1859541/yes-climate-change-is-worsening-us-drought-noaa-report-needlessly-confuses-the-issue/) as climate change sets in. Crime and violence (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23538771) will likely increase as temperatures rise and vital resources become more sparse.
Bracing for these effects, Humboldt County has been working on a climate action plan since joining the Cities for Climate Protection campaign (http://yournec.org/content/humboldt-county-acts-climate-protection) in 2007. The county’s Board of Supervisors approved a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (http://co.humboldt.ca.us/gpu/docs/drafteir/appendices/appendix%20u%20-%20county%20of%20humboldt%20draft%20climate%20acti on%20plan.pdf) to 10 percent below 2003 levels by 2020.
Don't worry about oil, worry about drinking water...:snicker: