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The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > Tourism & Travel > California Megathread: Best State
 
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Best Friends
Nov 4, 2011

Arsenic Lupin posted:



Water in California is a massive clusterfuck because our Mediterranean climate goes with a Mediterranean water supply, which is to say nonexistent during the summertime. Nonetheless, we are the tomato basket of the nation. Once you have lived in California you will never be able to tolerate the vegetables anywhere else; produce is just plain fresher here, because it hasn't had to be trucked forever.


Beyond that, just like much of the Southwest, great cities have risen in the literal desert.

* # ¿ Jun 28, 2013 06:03
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Best Friends
Nov 4, 2011

Mayor Dave posted:



I don't think this counts as a write-up but I think a lot of the Central Valley farmers are just mad that their profit center monsoon crops are more expensive to grow in the desert. Seriously, who the hell would think that corn and rice make sense anywhere south of Fresno? And yet last time I drove from Santa Cruz to LA on I-5 I spotted massive fields of soybeans, corn, grapes, and various other water-intensive crops.



People keep talking about "growing crops in the desert" or whatever but only a small part of the Central Valley is even vaguely arid. It is where much of the water being piped south comes from, in fact. Where do you all think the water comes from? Much of the northern Central Valley was originally marshland and wetlands that were deliberately drained to make way for agriculture.

edit: also, rice takes about 1/10th of the water to grow per acre than corn. It is a surprisingly less water intensive crop than one would expect.

Best Friends fucked around with this message at 05:58 on Jun 29, 2013

* # ¿ Jun 29, 2013 05:54
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Best Friends
Nov 4, 2011

Dusseldorf posted:

Chico gets 26 inches of rain a year, Sacremento gets 18, Fresno gets 11 and Bakersfield gets 6. Chico is the only one that doesn't classify as a desert and it's in the foothills of the mountains.

The definition of desert is more than just "where is there very little rainfall." All these areas except Bakersfield are lush.

This whole "greedy farmers" thing is dumb as hell considering it's people using local water supplies to farm one of the most agriculturally productive areas on Earth. If they were taking water from LA that would be one thing, but quite the opposite is what occurs.



agarjogger posted:

Aaaaand here's what they do with it.



If stupid residential water use wasn't a thing all over California, including Southern California, this might have more impact.

* # ¿ Jun 29, 2013 06:33
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The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > Tourism & Travel > California Megathread: Best State