Flooding Fields in California’s Drought

[@Hughjarce153]

It takes an American to try and grow rice on a desert. Duh.

[@TheMEXICANBEEF]

You can't really use the word "try"

[@sealie15]

TheMEXICANBEEF rice should be grown in actual swampland only and made swampy wetlands🙄

[@byronbuck1762]

CA grows the best rice in the world on soil not suitable for other agriculture.

[@KARMA-jr6uk]

Not the best for sure​@@byronbuck1762

[@C4uSt1CO]

"So while homeowners are FORCED to let their lawn go brown, farmers get to flood their fields." Who writes this shit? Do they actually think this isn't a logical compromise? That said, they definitely should do away with the "use it or lose it" bill.

[@petrol_prophet]

I read this as I heard it, and thought the exact same thing. Who cares about their lawns?? Put rocks in your yard like every other desert dweller.

[@zachhenrichs8438]

Exactly! Those flooded farmer's field are being used to feed the world population. Your front yard isn't being used for anything productive.

[@ginakelley749]

Who cares about your silly green lawn and your swimming pool!? Would you rather do without food?

[@yegfreethinker]

Exactly do we want food on our plates at even more expense?

[@locouk]

Growing almonds and pistachios in a drought ridden area? That's nuts!

[@kansasthunderman1]

+Green Silver Where would you grow them then? Agricultural land in Florida and the southeast are already taken for other crops.

[@jacobmartinez6928]

lol

[@locouk]

kansasthunderman1 I see the joke went straight over your head.. Almonds and pistachios are nuts.. No, I won't bother explaining.. It'll only get lost on you.

[@OM-oy5yn]

+Green Silver Well done.

[@James-ye7rp]

Funny, that.

[@mikeoxsbigg1]

Ban all lobbying. Save democracy.

[@mikeoxsbigg1]

+Le Peel Pretty sure it's legal bribery.

[@mikeoxsbigg1]

+Le Peel They should be serving their constituent not corporate masters.

[@mikeoxsbigg1]

Sounds good. They should be impartial when it comes to spending. Bribery is illegal for a reason. Calling it something else changes nothing.

[@knbj4694]

+Le Peel this is the right answer

[@TheAlexagius]

+Mike Oxsbigg Democracy has been dead for quite some time

[@creamybass]

"it won't go into effect until 2040" but....how.....why....what. We desperately need sustainable solutions NOW. Everywhere you look it seems like we're reaching the tipping point with regards to our consumption.

[@creamybass]

Lol, calling me sonny, as though you're soo much more enlightened and wise than myself. Overpopulation is not the problem, OVERCONSUMPTION is the problem, most of all with regards to the US. If we all consumed the same way as the average american we would need 4.5 earths in order to produce all the resources (over)consumed and manage all the waste produced. First world countries ways of life are the real perpetrators of climate change, not human life itself. This is why i mention sustainable solutions in my initial comment.

[@AA-Ashley]

+Ash Bartlett "Everywhere you look it seems like we're reaching the tipping point with regards to our consumption." So true.

[@Parapon3ra]

+Ash Bartlett We're in the foothills of the technological singularity, climate change is irrelevant. 2040? Fuck 2040, we'll probably have superintelligent AI by 2030. That will be the end of the flesh and the world as we know it.

[@evadd2]

+The Walking Flier It is racist as are you. It's too many people and too much consumption. California has too many people.

[@evadd2]

***** And the Europeans back to Europe. Romans back to Rome. Idiots back to idiotville.

[@jfroobo]

Yolo county, california.... haha of course

[@ersudoku]

Spot on

[@-torrid-8796]

+jfroobo The motto is yodo.

[@mikhail5002]

+jfroobo was looking for this comment

[@jfroobo]

look no further

[@picsordidnthappen]

+jfroobo Seriously, I couldn't help myself but laugh out loud in the face of the irony.

[@Dilandau88]

American capitalism will lead to it's own demise.

[@avuncularmayonnaise2868]

What the fuck does that have to do with a drought? I'm pretty sure droughts aren't biased against countries because of their economic systems.

[@theatheist7840]

+Avuncular Mayonnaise He has a simple mind.

[@DuhAznMata]

+Dilandau88 LOL Still better then Russia economy. Fuck of Putin Troll

[@o0GrayMatters0o]

actually the politicians are capitalizing off of the lobbyists and farmers huge funding grants, so listen to the Indian lady again and maybe serve 88 an apology.

[@o0GrayMatters0o]

I propose we revert back to the days of mass slavery only this time the masses of people that we enslave will be enslaved under the guise of freedom and democracy... oh wait...

[@jimraynor7788]

The amount of water it takes to produce 1 pound of beef completely overshadows how much almonds use. Almonds weigh about 1.2 grams, that means 1 pound of almonds equate to 350 gallons of water. Beef, on the other hand, takes *1,799* gallons of water to produce 1 pound of beef. The scale of which animal agriculture is at today - is unsustainable. An inconvenient truth that needs to be spoken more about.

[@UnderLoK]

+Hola Joseph You better take that talk over to India then since they have 30% of the cattle on the planet.

[@12tuber1234]

+UnderLoK Are you concerned about the use of water in India?

[@lilduval8113]

+Hola Joseph this is HEVILY BIASED! they also fail to mention that CocaCola is cashing in on California water in the 100s of millions of gallons, if i'm not mistaking, for under a $1000. they also fail to mention the water used by the fracking industry. I thought VICE was at the forefront of alternative media, but obviously they've been bought out.

[@edwardbernayse6665]

+Hola Joseph there isn't a whole lot of cattle ranches in california. a few but not that many. there are plenty of dairy farms in the central valley though.

[@claudiosantana2019]

+Hola Joseph spot on

[@iannewton3820]

I live in London in southern Ontario: a huge amount my food actually comes from California. Don't screw Ontarians over--get this under control please; we are depending on your farms.

[@fetlix]

Yolo Country, pretty much speaks for itself.

[@Spursmelo]

I always wondered why almonds were expensive. Here's my answer

[@fagnerncarvalho]

+The Walking Flier stop with this practice so we can buy almonds by a cheap price! and then we can became the good guys because we care for the environment! yay

[@veterangamer2190]

+The Walking Flier lol yea

[@iud9476]

+Manuel Alvarez Search up the name Michael Burry.

[@evadd2]

+The Walking Flier Bigot. Facts are facts. Which one was Chinese?

[@Spursmelo]

Iftikhar Uddin I had read up on almond farming before but it really didn't get into detail why it's so expensive

[@om3g4z3r0]

Tell farmers to sell water problem solved

[@jaecakesful]

true

[@xx_noone_xx]

Haha no. Say goodbye to Cali's economy. You solved nothing.

[@Tasurincci]

+TheHueisOver™ They are selling it, in the form of commodities. Products made with the surplus of a resource under shortage, are sold with an added cost to them. Almonds cost the hundred gallons they need.

[@trevorpaul9623]

Have you ever heard of desertification you fucking idiot?

[@VICENews]

California is in its fourth year of the worst drought to hit the state in 1,200 years. VICE News went to find out which industry is behind the majority of the water use in the state, and how California is responding to the dwindling water supply. Watch: Louisiana’s Coastal Crisis - bit.ly/1LU8pz7

[@3xisting0nline]

animal agriculture uses way more water, why does nobody talk about it?

[@OverlordZephyros]

+Sara Piperno besides vegan propaganda, do you have any unbiased evidence?

[@superfurball89onyoutube52]

money doesn't care about human lives.

[@superfurball89onyoutube52]

bruh start the riots stop the talking

[@ReekoChet]

This is just stupid....we talk about advancement in technology and the answer is right there in the ocean....distillers could be built using reverse osmosis. The government could make a law to build it without costing too much. Thats the excuse they use, it would cost too much. In other words nobody would get super rich even though it would work. That's if they cared, unfortunately they don't.

[@EmblemOfCoD]

Why don't California focus on destilation? Seems easier to do that than to drill up trillions of gallons of water.

[@melelconquistador]

I think Its the benifits in the long run, once you drill a well you have alot of water for years, with distilling you have to keep producing.

[@offchance789]

+Wille _ Production costs are much higher for desalination plants vs putting a hole in the ground to pump out water, its all about the money. Even if energy is "free" from sources like wind/sun/nuclear in these plants, you have very high upfront costs in the PEM (proton exchange membrane) which is the critical component that separates the salt molecules from the water molecules. Other less efficient methods exist to remove salt, but PEMs or any other technique will require massive capital investment to reach a production level in the "trillions" of gallons (Israel only achieved its desalination goals through direct government intervention). So, unfortunately, only water companies or the government will solve Cali's water problems at the scale needed to maintain status quo.

[@ChallengerCC]

+offchance789 Nukular free Energie ¿¿?? lol 😂

[@nick_pappagiorgio]

+Wille _ The environmentalist NIMBYs sue to stop desal plants, even if they're powered by solar panels and windmills.

[@zguy95135]

+Wille _ The downside to desalination plants is the byproduct is very bad for the environment... We still need to do something, but it's not like a new plant can be built overnight.

[@RiotHouseLP]

You can't kick the can down the road when it comes to water and food, and that is what our politicians in CA have done for decades. Its literally the only State where entrenched politicians are blaming agriculture for water shortages when they themselves haven't built new water storage systems to match population growth for decades now.

[@Keukeu45]

Meat production is by far the most water intensive agriculture.

[@jameneale5989]

How?

[@kennethroth6757]

No you dumbshit.. we are in a drought cause the feds,local governments send the water down south to Mexico

[@Onneukbaar]

Kenneth Roth are you stupid?

[@Onneukbaar]

jame neale cows need to drink litres and litres of water each day, that water doesn’t magically appears

[@Onneukbaar]

Daniel Kintigh trees have a ability to get it meter underneath the ground and some even from humidity. How can cows do that?

[@krjourneyfan78]

You can go to USGS a see the records on wells tapping into the Central Valley Aquifer. They did recover from earlier droughts in the 60's, 70's, and 80's. Some wells were lower in those years than they are now.

[@hisevilness_com]

When water is so rare, why not sell the water you would not need? You would still meet the quota and make money of the water you won't need reducing waste. A bit like carbon trading i guess, well the general idea.

[@MV-Dan]

Yeah...try to move overstocked water without loosing money

[@hisevilness_com]

Daniel Mulvaney Current rate prices would go up making that not that a big issue. But as it stands then change the law for water rights so your not forced to use all of it.

[@MV-Dan]

+Paul Raver laws have to be changed. My comment was in regards to the fact that you cant just redistribute water once it is collected in these reseviours. I live in these reported areas. We are the agricultural producer for america and much of the world so it cant just be shut off cold turkey. And the point out almond and rice farms? Eliminating those two crops are not going to resolve the drought strain one bit. Vice is expelling the leftist elite ideology that is completely detached from the real world

[@hisevilness_com]

Daniel Mulvaney Down here it is levy's keeping out the water, salt water. So i am aware of water management issue's Everything here needs to be constantly drained by big pump houses. It would require infrastructure to manage the water better. Problem here is a desert, unless there is a clay layer your water drains away very fast. Sand it the worst possible soil for farming or even making a water way network. Piping would work but you got lots of faults(earthquakes) making it very costly to keep up the network in such a case.

[@MV-Dan]

+Paul Raver not going to disagree. Any takers to be the predominant agricultural state for the country? Because thats what ca is. The way this documentary is presented is that ca state is the devil, ruining the country yet everyone enjoys the harvest

[@jocelynpoesnecker5526]

This report was of interest to me, Jocelyn Poesnecker. I live near Philadelphia, USA. I love God and know that Only God Grants rain. For many, many years now I prayed to Dear God for rain, for our drinking, bathing and for the trees and other plants. Always Dear God Granted our area rain but not floods. I thank Dear God for that. Do not pray to Jesus or his mother. They both prayed to God. Do not say that you Grow anything. Only Dear God Makes things Grow!!! I want to share some concerns of mine: I went out some months ago to Bryn Mawr, PA, and was shocked that the thrift store was closed due to what some people told them to do. The grocery store called "Giant" was open, and I heard that the Walmart and Target stores were open. No one came to my door and asked my opinion about this before they demanded only some stores to close, and yet let others be open. No one called me, nor did I get a notice in the mail from any local government official!!!! Concerning Gov. Cuomo and the liqueur stores, it is known that our Only Creator, God, Forbade the drinking of alcohol. Jesus, a human who told God's Message, did not drink alcohol. The authors of texts where they wrote that he did, lied about Jesus and alcohol drinking. The Quaker leaders staunchly hold a rule to not drink alcohol. Check what doctors submitted to the people of Lancet magazine concerning the dangers of drinking even a small amount of alcohol, about two years ago. I am very religious, but being religious DOES NOT include believing that Dear God has a son, or a mother. In some very old reports people who learned directly from Jesus wrote that Jesus was a human, and that God does not have a son. Mary, the mother of Jesus, was known to be a human who never Created, just like the rest of us humans, in that regard. Perhaps one manuscript with a true report of what Jesus said about Dear God is in Turkey now. There was a news story about one or two years ago about this very old book. It is known that the man who was called King James was a big liar, and sinner, and lied about what Jesus and some followers of Jesus really said. It is not hard to be truly religious According to God. One must go away from the TV watching, and seek God's Guidance, listen and believe and act. Please read my post in response to Pres. Macron. I ask Dear God humbly to Bless you and your family.: I praise and thank Dear God I am a real Muslim adult woman. I am sure of this. When I thought of Mr. Macron right now, Dear God Helped me think of his recent public statement saying that he wants to preserve the right (according to him and it is not a right of ours According to God) to blaspheme. After he made that obviously evil declaration then the cartoons came out again, and the teacher was murdered (which were both evil acts). Look to who started a new chapter in an evil effort to slander DEAR GOD!!!!!!!!! Mr. Macron does not say that people have the right to hurt him and his wife, (not that I heard). This is excellent. I hope we all agree that Dear God did not Say that people have the right to hurt others. God did not Say that we have that as a right, and Dear God Said that different peoples are to get to know each other, and live harmoniously on this earth, with the complimentary talents that God Gave them. It must be made clear that two phrases have been said, and some said that is what they want, BUT THEY REALLY DO NOT!!!! What are they? They are the phrases ( and please do not say them out loud): so-called "freedom of speech" and "freedom of thought". Why do I say that all humans really do not want these at this moment? Concerning the speech issue, I do not want others to say hurtful words to me or to another about me. Here in Pennsylvania, people have been arrested, and put in mental hospitals for up to 20 days or more, because a second person went to a third person, and said that they want to write that a person, who is not present, is harmful to themselves and/or others. Some one decided to say some words "freely", and truly innocent people have been arrested here. Concerning the issue of thought: if you think, and do not talk about it, Only God Knows all about it, and you might remember some percentage. Dear God Might Let some person know something that another thought but did not say. Do not worry; Dear God Will never betray anyone. But who are the mentally ill by their own admission (and it is always temporary!!!!)? They are people who used to feel that they thought fine, but then they experienced a lessening of their memory, inability to compose sentences quickly, inability to plan as they used to, as some examples. Some people said that they heard voices out loud, but did not see anyone, and the words were: that they were evil or to do something evil. Genies, who are not seen by humans, do exist on earth. Others had a difficult time discerning if bad thoughts were theirs, or they thought of something bad they read about, or saw on TV, and they themselves do not like it. Mentally ill people do not want bad thoughts, and want to be calm, and want to be considered normal and non-dangerous. They want "thought control", not so-called freedom of thought. People, humans and genies, said "I want to be calm and peaceful, with memory, intelligence and mental sharpness. But they WILL NOT HAVE THIS STATE if they are personally set on being evil. If a person, be he human or genie, is set on being evil, then he or she is very dangerous! Some Good News From Dear God Is: no person is blocked By God from repenting to God, and changing their evil ways. If he or she makes the true effort to do that, then he or she is obviously no longer set on being evil. I typed a lot in terms of content. I welcome replies from people who work to have a good heart According to Dear God. I ask Dear God humbly to Bless you and your family. My KZbin channel is: lateefah s.🌸🍇🌷🍎🥀🎁🌈🌻🍊🦋💐🌹🍄🥜🍋🐚🍁🍓🏕💎🍐😄❤️🕌🕌🕌

[@DoctorDARKSIDE]

Here in Australia we have a similar problem with severe drought in areas mainly focused on agriculture but the Government is mean and heavily regulates water distribution - does that mean we don't get almonds, nuts, pistachios and fruits alike? Nope, most packages say "Made in California"! Thank you USA!!! We love nuts!

[@TreeLBollingTreeMan]

Bottom line .... stop growing high water use crops in a DESERT!

[@rictusgrim]

There was no talk in this piece of California’s reduction of water storage capacity over the past decade. 180 dams were removed in California in the 2000’s because they were silted or because environmentalists advocated for their removal, instead of using upstream siltation mitigation, dredging, or retrofitting dams with lower gates. Additionally, agricultural pumps on the Sacramento River became prohibited. These things exacerbated the water problem to a crisis.

[@robertkaspersr.1582]

Yes noticed that and also no talk about all the water they just let flow to the ocean. That alone is supposedly the main issue with the water crises. Its politican made not as real as being made out to be.

[@natemorte]

I live in Califorina I've seen lakes turn into rivers ,and turn into lakes again. We are just in a down cycle now. This use it or lose it law is kind of stupid ,but I wouldn't start cutting down Almond trees anytime soon,I just wouldn't plant new ones till after the next up cycle.

[@PatrickBaptist]

Really who cares if peoples grass grows in their yards, don't complain about farmers using water to make food when you just want to grow grass that needs to be cut down later and serves no other purpose than vain vanity, if you want pretty lawns, move to the East, it's WAY more beautiful here than the west.

[@PatrickBaptist]

***** Yup, like tits on a bull.

[@mertgreen3812]

but there's too much water.haha

[@Third_Eye_on_the_Sky]

Patrick Baptist : Lol! So is it the nature destroyed and turned into concrete or the disgustingly high population of rude selfish trolls that are nicer than forests and sunny beaches?

[@allenjohnson7686]

That is one of the strangest things i have ever heard, "waste as much water as we tell you to, then waste 3 times more or we will take all water off you" .... who was sniffing a bag of glue that day?

[@johnmoore1495]

Won’t go into effect until 2040. Wtf 25 years until a bill actually goes into effect is ridiculous.

[@Will_Grow_Plants]

I would really suggest everyone who watched this video and is concerned about this situation, take a look into Aquaponics. You can use a very small amount of water in a closed loop small garden, that will fit in a backyard, or even indoors, to grow vegetables and even have fish to eat or keep as pets in the system. Look into it, it's really one of the only good solutions to the problem that I can see. You just need to grow them yourself at home.

[@glued7889]

As someone living in California and having to live through this drought, it boggles my fucking mind that people would wanna farm things like rice in a fuckin desert. How about we change the rules where farmers are only allowed to grow crops that are native, or don't consume that much water. Seriously, how is this an issue??! The FUCK

[@JorgeGuapo]

The part of the state where rice is grown isn't a desert. It's a lush Mediterranean valley: Vice doesn't know shit.

[@DeandreSteven]

+JorgeGuapo thank yoi

[@larinessex3553]

+JorgeGuapo thank you I live in the valley and most of our water goes to grapes and to southern ca

[@ak540i2]

+GLUED This is why people need to take back their power. We have been too complacent while corporate greed runs free ravishing everything in its wake.

[@WokeandProud]

+GLUED Four simple words Private Money In Politics, the rice companies pay the politicians to allow them to keep growing and so it is as it is its just corruption, corruption and greed.

[@blankface_]

California needs to get its shit together or the country is going to run out of a helluva lot of food

[@NirajC72]

+embrace of the pig haha twat

[@kansasthunderman1]

+embrace of the pig Google should develop a virtual farm where you can simply download food (like milk, cheese, and beef) off the internet without real cattle.

[@nellennatea]

We can live without Almonds. Can't we?

[@REVJHD]

This makes me glad to live in the Great Lakes region. We can lease our states water claims (we don't use a very large %) to other states at a profit (and also take them away, dont piss us off). As for the almonds and kale, I really couldn't care less. The world will survive without almonds, and whatever GDP it attracts would most likely be offset by the long term costs of maintaining these crops.

[@ttmallard]

Central Valley is 5" or less a year in rain, the aquifers are going with the race to the bottom, the water-table was dropped to kill off most ecosystems that used to exist. Fremont admonished Congress to triple homestead sizes and not use pumped water to farm or ranch in the arid west, dryland farming only, or there will come the day ... circa 1888.

[@whowereweagain]

We need to come together as a people and demand agricultural reform and place the means of production back in the hands of the people. We need to demand Washington to only subsidize sustainable agriculture. Organize, get people together and start planting your own gardens on irrigated golf courses. Resist consumerism and grow your own food when possible! Support small local farms that are doing it right. Write your congressman March in the streets! The people need to take our land back and use it in a way that will help us. We need to tell our representatives to listen to the people and not wealthy lobbyist We will never get anywhere without a grassroots movement, so get off your ass and do something! Come together, earth United!

[@RamBam84]

most of California has a Mediterranean climate...dry summers and wet winters...not mostly desert at all

[@Onneukbaar]

ramoniskool1 why doesn’t California start growing Mediterranean crops than?

[@k3kboi665]

@@Onneukbaar because thatd what they do ofthen. Grapes and such.

[@declannewton2556]

Simple way to solve this problem: (i)Reduce influence of political figures who oppose water restrictions in California. (ii) Move most of the crop production to states which have more than enough water. (iii)Take excess water from states that have WAY to much water and transport it to california and use it to plant crops. (iv) Take that water and use half of it to replant trees which will help increase rainfall.

[@purpy2]

unbelievable journalism for free. an unbelievably successful model. I am infinitely impressed with vice news

[@mikestaihr5183]

One point not mentioned is fact that the overdraft causes subsidence and it is likely that the aquifers will never fully recover regardless of any amount of replenishment.

[@2011blueman]

200-300K for a well? Talk about price gouging!

[@k3kboi665]

Thats pretty cheap for that tier of equipment.

[@72Yonatan]

Flooding fields is probably the least effective way to produce food in an arid region. Drip irrigation to trees is obviously the technology that ought to be implemented. But farmers are not the enemy. The governor is right to insist that lawns are not a priority.

[@jamessang1704]

Do this farmers!! Make your own water supply!! Around your Wells build ponds deep enough to catch all rainfall for 1 season. Cover this pond area to prevent water evaporation. In L A county, they use black plastic balls, perhaps , you can cover with tarps or floating plants. The idea is to capture the rainwater and allow it to go to the groundwater and further into the aquifer to replenish your well water supply. It has been done before. If the rainwater sits on the surface, use this surface water for irrigation!! Around your unused farm land, key-line plow the ground. This is a plow that digs 16 inches in the soil, to help capture the rainwater and allow the rainwater to be absorbed into the ground and to help replenish the aquifers. These are simple low cost solutions, otherwise the Groundwater Sustainability Agencies will limit your well pumping!!

[@savolrat]

rice farming in a desert? are you joking lmao

[@jammooly8917]

Texas is the biggest agricultural hub in the US, not California.

[@astralhobo7404]

I'm from Texas and what you posted is not true

[@rpnp2]

split california would solve the norths problem

[@dwv1000]

Vice news sure does one great job in the choice of its news and in the way it is presented. Five stars for sure. I'm looking for more.

[@josephpecoul4948]

This is so sad😪 I wish we could get a handle on our water usage.

[@TheCynicalDude_]

I'm from southern California, born and raised. I used to use water for everything. I would spray a stream of water at the T.V. to push the button and change the channel, always flush the toilet 8 times to eliminate every single little particle of poo, water the grass for 3 hours at high noon, and we would love to run the sink continually. Having said all that: I'm glad I don't live there anymore. You know who I blame for this drought? Blacks.

[@playkland]

+TheCynicalDouche i lol'ed

[@durpface1087]

+TheCynicalDouche To any republicans reading this comment. That's called a joke.

[@fullmetalfunk]

1 gallon for one almond, that's rough. The most conservative estimate for 1 pound of beef is 441 gallons of water though. Some estimates put it at 2500 gallons. Raising animals for food takes up not only more water than all other agriculture, it also has a bigger carbon footprint than all petroleum production. I'm under no illusion people are just going to stop eating meat or eggs and drinking dairy (I'd like to say I could, but I'm eating yogurt as I type this), but let's call a spade a spade and start looking where the biggest problems lie. Almonds and oranges aren't what's sucking the most water out of California or the US at large.

[@jac1207]

the only way to really REALLY entice the people living in California that we really have a serious problem here is when everyone goes to turn on their faucet and nothing comes through. Because unlike the energy crisis we had a decade ago, where we see instant ramifications (rolling blackouts), people just don't really get the sense that "oh my god, we're out of water!" as long as there's water flowing through the faucets. Sadly, when that ramification of the dry faucet comes to be, it'd already be beyond too late at that point.

[@TheBowersj]

So, depleted is depleted and theres no coming back for thousands of years. This basically means that without energy-efficient water desalination plants working round the clock California can kiss its future goodbye. You can also count on the Colorado River being shut off to California as well. Its the end of days.

[@tubesurfer23]

Great reporting on this, best I've seen so far. Sad to hear about a law that does not start for another 25 years! More people should know about this. Thanks Vice :)

[@swvoodoo72]

The San Joaquin Valley began to form about 66 million years ago during the early Paleocene era. Broad fluctuations in the sea level caused various areas of the valley to be flooded with ocean water for the next 60 million years. About 5 million years ago, the marine outlets began to close due to uplift of the coastal ranges and the deposition of sediment in the valley. Starting 2 million years ago, a series of glacial episodes periodically caused much of the valley to become a fresh water lake. Lake Corcoran was the last widespread lake to fill the valley about 700,000 years ago. At the beginning of the Holocene there were three major lakes remaining in the southern part of the Valley, Tulare Lake, Buena Vista Lake and Kern Lake. In the late 19th and in the 20th century, agricultural diversion of the Kern River eventually dried out these lakes. Today, only a fragment of Buena Vista Lake remains as two small lakes Lake Webb and Lake Evans in a portion of the former Buena Vista Lakebed

[@hafaskater]

@ 1:56 I have no sympathy for anyone's lawn dying. On the other hand, a law that seems to force farmers to waste water or not get any water later is plain stupid given even if we were not in a drought.

[@elaine1034]

What? No mention of fracking for oil using up so much water!

[@elaine1034]

+zh11147 I guess it depends on which statistic you refer to. I saw one that says agriculture uses 41% of all water supply. You also have 5 major water bottling plants which export water as well. What with some 43,000 swimming pools and 800 golf courses that also need water, I would think that agriculture would be more important.

[@PacificCircle1]

There has been enough for some growers with senior water rights. Also most growers have ground pumps - harvest is only off 2%.

[@holownsu]

I am no expert on the subject but I think the real problem here is not where we get the water from but what we do after we have used the water. It seems like these people are mislead into believing the water simply disappears after having been used. This is simply not the case, I think the solution to this problem is recycling the used water instead of disregarding it and finding a new source. Following the theory that matter cannot be created nor destroyed I think It would be not only more friendly to the environment but also cheaper to invest in water recycling and filtration then drilling and wells. Especially for a more long term solution as this would surely last much longer.

[@garybowen7795]

I have been told by somebody who works out a lot of the Almond plantations through Modesto Ceres and Turlock that the farmers are stealing the water at night from the canals

[@robertgotschall1246]

It's just that corporations are more important than people.

[@arjanheer6970]

Farmers are not to blame for this. Agriculture uses 40% or the water in CA, while 10% is used industrially and 50% residentially. Farm commodities, like almonds, cattle, and rice require water as all living things do. Farmers don't flood by choice; rather they grow their crops in proven methods. In this segment, VICE portrays CA Farmers as greedy, ignorant bunch who seem to not care. But we are on the receiving end of this criticism, and it doesn't sit well with us. It's not negligence, it's how we try to make a living.

[@unfiltered_ramblings]

I don't know a lot about farming but if they pump water out, can't they just pump water back in during non-drought years?

[@keegan1948]

The worse part is that a lot of home owners don't realize they live in a desert. As a Californian being in a drought does not surprise me, but there are so many folks here who "need" green lawns as if they were living on the east coast. Green lawns here are unnatural and frankly a more Californian style lawn looks better anyways. Dirt, cactus flowers, and rocks have the best appeal because that's what the state looks like. The white picket fence, green ass lawn, suburbia house thing doesn't work here.

[@silveronindia7929]

There are better ways to recharge the ground water aquifers than by flooding. Flooding is a result of excessive supply of water at a particular site. Flooding creates an ecological imbalance by adversely affecting the soil & plant relationship, since all plants require air, especially oxygen to a greater or lesser depth in the soil for growth. The Waterlogged soil is nearly saturated with water most of the time such that the aeration is restricted and anaerobic conditions prevail. With this depletion of oxygen in root zone, the micro organisms which support plant growth are affected adversely and in turn the plant growth is restricted. Water logging reduces the temperature of the soil and increases dampness which disturbs the biological activity in the soil. Water logging restricts all operations related to soil enrichment and soil development. In irrigated agricultural land, water logging is often accompanied by soil salinity as waterlogged soils prevent leaching of the salts imported by the irrigation water and the adverse effects are accelerated by the salts brought from lower parts of soil by the capillary water. This increase in salinity not only interferes with the absorption of nutrients by the plant roots thereby damaging the plantation but also spoils the physical state of the soil by making it less permeable for water and more suited for runoff which in turn hurts the adjoining land and vegetation. Even fodder grown in such soil may cause diseases in live stock. We at Silveron would recommend development of small water harvesting structures as per Silveron design rather than flooding the entire field. It is our observations and experience of 30 years which makes us to believe that flooding has its own negative impact on the soil. This may not be apparently visible in the initial years but in the long run flooding has a tendency to spoil the soil quality by consequently reducing the water absorption capacity of the soil. Our best advice would always be to avoid flooding and instead create safe passage for water to get into the soil at various locations. There after give the water the freedom to move from particle to particle in direction of its choice with no fear of evaporation losses. Every drop which has been sent into the soil has to become a part of the ground water and has to benefit some one or the other. silveron.in/ kzbin.info/www/bejne/rpKncmmenqubgZI kzbin.info/www/bejne/oXzLkKGXfLJsbsk

[@laboheme8]

The thing with nut trees is that its a huge investment to get the trees growing, but once their planted, they can be productive for 50 years. If you stop watering the almonds, they die and you lose a couple decades of productivity. Nut trees imho should be given the water they need. However, the legislation around water in california is pretty atrocious. Perhaps the water should just have a price. The nut tree owners would then pay for the water to protect their investment, but the less invested, lower price crops will go thirsty.

[@javiersebastiamartinez2454]

Almonds don't really need much water. I was born in a almond farming family in Eastern Spain, an area with a similar climate to that in California, and we NEVER watered our trees.

[@AZBADBOYz]

There are regions in the upper northeast that are literal swamps from all the rain they get. Why not make a pipeline that follows the highways system to avoid right of way issues and pump water across the northern portion of the country and let it flow into the rivers that feed the south? This supply pipeline doesn't need to accommodate all the water needs but supplement instead. The good thing about farmers and their water usage is a large portion of that water returns to the underground aquifers for all of us to use.

[@miro.georgiev97]

Finally, a #documentary that is worth watching.

[@zabzec1500]

its almost like capitalism, private/corporate land ownership, and loosely regulated campaign financing are creating a paradoxical issue.

[@jasoncrowell6191]

I'm a farmer and soil enthusiest. I can tell you that you need water to maintain the organic matter and quality of the soil. Cover crop intercropping with ground covers like clover is the real solution - in the manner that Fukuoka of One Straw Revolution pioneered. Lundberg grows much of their rice in this manner.

[@daabell]

Hmmm no mention of the mass amount of water used for Fra king. We can eat gas or oil. Wth?

[@daabell]

*fracking

[@MercSLRFan]

Yolo County? Only in California.

[@amogh76]

Selection of crops should be made on the basis of the local enviornmental conditions instead of undertaking the cultivation of high profit making crops which consume a large amount of water.

[@radwizard]

California grows over 50% of all food consumed in the USA. In the Central Valley, several of these places are natural flood planes. Bakersfield for example, was once a lush water rich area that supported an amazing ecosystem. Water has just been diverted to other areas. Although, where else are people supposed to grow Almonds and Avocados in the USA? There is a reason why these crops are grown here in this State. Climate Climate Climate Climate.

[@Meatislife]

I never understood why they never put in a pipeline from the Great Lakes out to California. It’s the largest body of freshwater in the world and you could charge them as much as you want for it. We can run oil pipeline that far but not a water line? So backwards.

[@bertThugh2]

Not only does California's farming use 80% of the water in the state, but most of its produce is not available in the state-- it gets shipped out to other states & countries. Few states in the USA feed their own people with their own produce-- the "produced in" labels show a different state from the one you live in. Profits are padded with shipping costs.

[@kickass-vt5hd]

Growing rice in a drought bout as stupid as building a city in a desert with no water supply

[@JA238979]

I laugh when I see fresh water-hungry fruits and nuts from the USA part of California. Nobody is perfect, and I do certainly not advocate any hardship for anyone. However, I like the idea of cultivating plants or animals that are native whenever possible.

[@joseavila-de4ho]

Agriculture does not account for 80% of water usage in California. Rivers, streams, and lakes have been categorized with the agriculture sector

[@jrregan]

It's simple. Since they won't (not can't) change the water right allocation, make wasted water (state and federal determined) be applied to the lost volume amount. Then adjust the cost of the water appropriately. If they use 80% then 80% of the cost of water maintenance should be borne by them. Fair share? Isn't that what they say all the time?

[@888radishman]

Is the real ridiculous thing about this not the amount of water wasted on people pointlessly watering their lawns? At least agriculture is doing something productive

[@harmandros]

Water stored deep in the ground took thousands of years to collect, and will take just a few years to pump out. If the water level drops dramatically, then the seawater will come in with disaster consequences. This happened in two Orange producing areas of Cyprus. Better think of trees that need very little water, like Pommegranes .

[@Bigshoots86]

our ground is sinking, highways are getting messed up lol

[@edwardbernayse6665]

+Andros Charalambous Pyliotis i hear that it's possible to convert salt water into drinking water but it would cost 3x the amount that it costs as of now. i think that if worse came to worse though then that would be what the state would do and the people here would agree with this method and comply.

[@SticwititStudios]

The Year is 2021 & We're Still Dealing with The Worst Drought Ever in History. Scary Times Ahead 💦🙏💦

[@ottergreen8190]

Agriculture like Paramount never feels the affects of the drought. Rich people in LA and the Hills always have their pools filled while smaller impoverished towns are fucked over and living off bottled water while California bans plastic straws, but will ship thousands upon thousands of plastic bottles to these townies instead of fixing the issues.

[@ljaureguiv]

Scary af I work all over the Central Valley so i always come across Dryed up rivers levys and so on anf seeing flooded fields is scary af too. This drought a very....very real...

[@flygandekorp]

no one mentions the huge amount of water that the Animal husbandry use up...feels wrong since it's one of the biggest factors in water usage around the world and in california

[@-torrid-8796]

At 7:35 - 7:42 Anyone else thought she looked like Geddy Lee in that camera angle?

[@dvdragon]

2040? Politicians are spineless.

[@raviramachandra]

But the problem is it takes 20 years to grow almond tree, and 1 year without water is enough to destroy the crop. so i see this is one sided story. We need to understand that water intensive crops also affect the econmy of small farmers who will go backrupt. But i agree flooding of water etc is wrong and there should be change in law in this regards.

[@jarrodyuki7081]

Introduce Desalination and water rationing.

[@glennmartin6492]

The disincentive for conserving water is completely insane. Allow farmers to earn money for unused water rights and they'll invest in more efficient irrigation techniques.

[@freshramses]

great work, as always

[@engchristianoakuku5741]

1:46 Painting the grass green?...thats year 3018

[@windwalkerproductions]

Each person can restore ground water/grow their own food. By using swales, terraces, rock damns etc you can slow down the flow of water and allow it soak in.. In addition most people should be able to catch enough rain water for any household or watering needs.

[@jamessang1704]

Correct!!

[@blt4life112]

Are the golf courses still green?

[@davidsarag]

Why no talk about the Nestle Company or bottled water? Vice needed to show more big business companies contributing to the lack of ground water, not only agriculture.

[@chrisbrown1241]

Thank you for sharing the TRUTH with us, we DO appreciate it, though we may not say so.

[@PlugInCaroo]

Farmers must harvest their rainwater and electricity and stop depending on the government.

[@TheAlexagius]

Not gonna talk about CAs destruction of dams? Or its unwillingness to use desalination? Desalination is the future of water.

[@DavidKingsbury89]

"so while people are forced to see there lawns turn brown..." - what a travesty

[@chv9178]

California not getting rain is sad.

[@MrQQry]

El Nino 2016 hopefully will help Kalifornia recover some of it's water supplies.

[@AntonioCostaRealEstate]

No it won't. Ground water reservoirs take years to build. Or decades.

[@Y10Q]

why don't they import water from states like Alabama that get too much water. We get torrential rain every single fucking day. I am getting sick of it.