We just returned from a trip up the Central Coast. Got a lesson in water conservation from the locals. Places like Paso Robles, Cambria and on up the coast have strict water use restrictions. Public toilets are closed and replaced by Porta-potties. Restaurants serving only bottled water. The B&Bs we stayed in had water restrictors on the showers and asked us to do our best at keeping showers short. They supplied us with bottled water for drinking. The water out of their taps is increasingly saline.
One woman we spoke to told us about her relative in the Central Valley being OUT of water, relying on donations/buying water for everything. She said they can’t leave because they can’t sell their homes without water.
Everyone hears desalination is expensive; part of the problem is disposing the waste left behind (salts).
It’s sad to hear the effect on wildlife; birds dying from selenium and other toxic salts in places like the Salton Sea, the demise of salmon and trout, and on up the food chain.
It might get worse before it gets better. Now I cringe as my neighbors on both sides heavily water the sod they installed in the last 3 years (although I have to giggle as I realize the upper neighbor’s water rolls downhill and is keeping my lemon tree happy!). I really don’t see obvious water conservation on any scale in San Diego. I have to wonder the thought process of current home buyers as they get ready to spend more than half a million dollars for a home in an area experiencing sever drought. It would give me pause……
