Sunrise, Sunset

Yesterday....



And this morning it's sprinkling lightly.   Our Summer weather has changed over the past 10-20 years, due in part to the thousands of acres of grapes that have been planted and are being irrigated.   Although everyone is happy that the economy benefits from our wine industry in this county, there is great controversy over their water usage.   We have more humidity that we used to have.   It's nothing compared to the Midwest and East Coast, but having one industry contribute to weather changes in a region is striking.   The issue is beginning to boil and hopefully there will be some solutions to the water issue before the cork blows and there is war.
Wells are running dry at an alarming rate and the cost of drilling down to 600 feet is too high for many people to afford.   Who has an extra $25 to 30 thousand dollars lying around?   It's worrisome.   More than worrisome.   Water wars, my friends....they are coming.

Comments

Daryl said…
those are some amazing skies ... our heatwave has ended .. for now
TexWisGirl said…
interesting about the climate change due to wineries!
Tabor said…
I used to live out west and had a friend that lived in California and wrote a book on those water wars that have been ongoing for decades.
Nancy said…
Interesting post -- I had no idea. I often think of Arizona and Nevada in regards to water use.
Anonymous said…
I'd sell my property to a grape farmer in a heartbeat and get the heck out of Dodge. Not having water is totally not a situation I would ever want to find us in. It's one of the reasons we got out of the Southwestern U.S. Plenty of water here although you pay for it with the uncomfortable humidity in the summertime... still, for us, getting out was the smart decision. Wishing everyone in your area luck... we all know which way the politicians will go in this. Corporate America rules.
HI Denise Lovely sunsets. That is a bit worrying about the water shortage in your area. Margaret
Anonymous said…
Sunrise..sunset, swiftly flow the years... interesting about the vineyards and your humidity, who would have thought!
Michelle said…
Very interesting. I wouldn't have thought about wineries adding to ecological problems.
Lynne said…
Very interesting . . . wineries causing a bit of a problem.. . . because of the water usage to nourish the vines. Water rationing would not be fun . . .
Linda said…
Gorgeous skies, but how worrying about the local climate change. It hasn't been reported here - I think people are just happy to glug down Californian wine and not think too hard about issues such as this.

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