West Coast Fire Thread

[Jazman]

Thanks Ken - I had no idea how big California is.

Here is the current drought map for California. The reservoirs in the high Sierra capture snow melt during the winter and release it for irrigation during the summer. And also function as flood control. So it was egregiously stupid to start draining reservoirs now in the middle of winter just because Trump wanted to "open the tap" The water they dumped is used for summer irrigation in the San Juaquin Valley, not Los Angeles.

You do realize why water was desperately needed right?

Excusing, justifying or deflecting again?

[JohnH]

good thing this forum is full of irrigation, water supply, fire, and earthquake experts

[Ken]

good thing this forum is full of irrigation, water supply, fire, and earthquake experts

It would be more helpful if the President had some around. Or at least listened to them. But alas, we no longer seem to live in that world.

[Ken]

Instead we get this crowing about pointlessly wasting irrigation water in the middle of winter.



The Context: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/31/us/t ... =url-share

Trump administration officials began releasing significant amounts of water from two dams in California’s Central Valley on Friday in a move that seemed intended to make a political point as President Trump continued to falsely blame the Los Angeles wildfires on water policies in the Democratic-run state.

The releases, as ordered, have sent water toward low-lying land in the Central Valley, and none of it will reach Southern California, water experts said. Nonetheless, President Trump said on Friday that the same action would have prevented the Los Angeles wildfires on the other side of mountain ranges over which that water has no way of traveling.

“Photo of beautiful water flow that I just opened in California,” President Trump posted on Friday on social media in an apparent reference to the dam releases. “Everybody should be happy about this long fought Victory! I only wish they listened to me six years ago — There would have been no fire!”

Experts expressed dismay on Friday that releasing so much water now served little use for farmers, who typically have higher irrigation needs in the spring and summer months when agricultural fields are abundant.

[temporal1]

good thing this forum is full of irrigation, water supply, fire, and earthquake experts

No, it was a sincere question. And I find it sad that one can't even ask a sincere question anymore without it immediately being seen as excusing, justifying or deflecting.

Wounded animals fight irrationally, even against competent loving rescuers.
Not just on forum, i see sad signs of this all over.

In the world, BIG FORTUNES are at stake. Unfortunately, there’s lots of collateral damage (i wish would not happen).
It’s hard to imagine a bigger waste of time.

TDS has gotten awfully old to many voters.

Recall.
Up until a week+ ago, biden was CIC.

[R7ehr]

You have to be smart about it, and let gravity take the water from the PNW down to Souther California. The PNW ANW can open up the dams on the Columbia River, let the water flow to the Pacific American Ocean.
Since California is below Oregon, the water can flow down the coastline, until it gets to L.A.

[Ken]

You have to be smart about it, and let gravity take the water from the PNW down to Souther California. The PNW ANW can open up the dams on the Columbia River, let the water flow to the Pacific American Ocean.
Since California is below Oregon, the water can flow down the coastline, until it gets to L.A.

Don't laugh.

People have actually proposed such things. As I recall, back in the 1970s or 1980s there was a proposal to capture Columbia River water in giant bladders and haul it down to CA using tugboats.

[R7ehr]

Today we were quite suddenly inundated with thick smoke.
North of town, the Cram fire ballooned to 28,000 acres and is 0% contained. Our community isn’t threatened. But various farms and ranches are, as is the town of Antelope.
A bunch of airplanes, and helicopters and trucks and dozers are working on it. Wind and temperatures aren’t helping.

[R7ehr]

Cram Fire now at 41,000 acres. Some people have ash falling onto their place. Not loving the air quality here. About 190.

[R7ehr]

Fire fighter = Fire DJ
https://youtube.com/shorts/NW-dEL-Cz10? ... 7WTuWYMcWx