cookiesinheaven

You can't make it any simpler than that in this agricultural area we call home. 
"Barbarians" need to take a good look around and see how we can conserve on our water usage.

Last year was one of the driest years on record in Santa Barbara County, with below-average rainfall and shrinking reservoir levels. Water agencies already are drawing comparisons to the 1987-1991-era drought, and say voluntary and mandatory conservation orders may be coming soon. 

The county is four months into its third dry water year, which started Sept. 1, with only 22 percent of the normal rainfall. Only one location — the U.S. Forest Service station on Figueroa Mountain — has had more than two inches of rain in that time, according to the county’s Public Works Department. 

Every reservoir is drying up, too, officials say. Lake Cachuma, which provides water to five water districts, was at 40.3-percent capacity as of Jan. 1 and many jurisdictions have started using more state water to supplement supplies. - Noozhawk

photo from, and more information at, Mission & State

Labels: conservation, drought, Santa Barbara, Water

This is Lake Cachuma...our water source. 
It is currently 52% of its capacity...and dropping.
Seriously ask yourselves, do you really need a lush green grass lawn or would you rather our area survive?

Labels: Lake Cachu, Santa Barbara, Water

Avocado trees stressed by excessive salt produce smaller fruit, said Charley Wolk, an avocado grower in Fallbrook, a major center of San Diego County's $137 million annual avocado crop, about 40 percent of the state total. Smaller fruit reduces growers' income, because they're paid by weight and not the number of avocados they produce.

"As the blend gets more Colorado River water, we get more salt," said Wolk, owner of Bejoca Grove Management. "I think it's rather unique. The water meets the state's standard for human consumption, but it's not worth a damn for us to grow things." - North County Times

Labels: avocado, California Agriculture, farmers, Water

Labels: California, Sustainable, UCDavis, Water, Wine

Coca-Cola uses tap water from local municipal water supplies, filters it using the process of reverse osmosis and adds trace amounts of minerals, including magnesium sulfate (Epsom salt), potassium chloride and table salt (sodium chloride). - Wikipedia

Labels: Water

California lawmakers are working on a historic plan — the first of its kind in the United States — to require a 20 percent reduction in per-capita urban water use by the year 2020. It signals the end of cheap water for water wasters, a change that's bound to come as a shock to some residents in the Golden State.

....Bob Wilkinson, a University of California, Santa Barbara professor who serves on the technical advisory committee for the California Water Plan, believes residents could easily achieve as much as a 30 percent reduction in just a few years.

"The No. 1 source for new water is urban water use efficiency," Wilkinson said. "It's not a sideshow, and it's important that people not think of this as a sacrifice. It wouldn't take draconian measures. We just need to get price signals in place to help people understand the real price and cost of water."

That's what's happening in Montecito, a wealthy community on the coast northwest of Los Angeles, where residents were paying three times as much for water as in Palmdale but didn't care about the cost because they could afford it. Newcomers who had no memory of the drought of 1986-91 tended to build big homes with big lawns.

While water demand flattened out in the rest of Southern California, including Los Angeles, Montecito's grew until it reached a local record in 2007 of more than 350 gallons per capita per day. That's one of the highest per capitas in the state, equivalent to that of people living in California's Sonoran Desert, near the border with Mexico.

"Everybody put in their lush landscaping," recalled Tom Mosby, the Montecito Water District general manager. "Money wasn't an issue. I would see trucks going up the street with sod and I was just having a heart attack."- Melinda Burns @ MillerMcCune

Labels: drought, Montecito, Santa Barbara, Water

After two extremely dry years, CBS 5 has learned that California will drastically slash the amount of water it gives to districts statewide.

In what could be the worst crisis in Decades, the California Department of Water Resources tells CBS 5 it will cut supplies to water districts by 85 to 90 percent. - CBS5.com

Labels: California, drought, Water

Carl's Jr. restaurants are expanding their offerings of Guacamole Bacon Burgers, as the burger has been named the official burger of the upcoming California Avocado Festival.

The Guacamole Bacon Six Dollar Burger was added as a permanent menu item in 2003, and now, customers may order the burger in single, double or Six Dollar sizes. - LABizJournal

After decades of sustainable farming, he’s seen the power in working with nature rather than against her. So his trees thrive in all-natural compost. His farm creates energy rather than consumes it. And his continued research ensures that the land will stay lush and fruitful for generations to come.

In another life, Duncan worked in the high stakes field of investment banking. But Duncan longed for more; he wanted to work with his hands in the soil in search of fulfillment. Leveraging his opportunities, he moved into real estate, starting with the purchase of his father’s ranch in Carpinteria, California. He traded his high profile lifestyle for the satisfaction of farming Hand Grown in California Avocados.

In a move that will affect crop production across much of the region, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California plans to end its discount program for agricultural irrigation water. The move, expected to be approved in October, will open the door to increased water costs for many Southland farmers.

If adopted by the MWD board of directors, the proposal could reduce food production, as farmers struggle to pay higher water costs on top of soaring costs for fuel, fertilizer and other supplies. - California Farm Bureau Federation

Labels: avocado, burgers, competitions, drought, Festivals, Recipes, Water

Labels: marketing, Water, YouTube

Labels: food labeling, Water

Labels: California, Water

As World Water Day 2007 approaches, many cities across the United States have passed resolutions acknowledging March 22 as World Water Day. Read More

Labels: Water