California water shortage

[Tin Can]

I might add, the last phase is war.

Most of the water problems are the result of nothing more than excessive utilization of a finite resource. When you are faced with sprawling population unchecked with common sense pragmatism on important issues such as water supply the news media wants to blame it on anything but the real causation. Case in point are places like Phoenix that barely get any rain and continue to build like there is no tomorrow knowing full well that their water resources are being diluted month by month. As those that own the water rights upstream refuse to bail out those downstream the first phase of crisis will be self imposed conservation. The second phase will be strict allocation with over use penalties. The third phase will be necessary reduction of the concept of a continuous sprawling metropolis and being forced to finally face the music. This is not about politics or ideology. Communities that are doing the most whining on this issue mostly ignored it hoping that it would go away. This is a problem that can be easily solved it we leave the emotion on the sidelines and use the brain that God gave us.

[Oren Grad]

How are California photographers dealing with the water shortage? In particular, I have customarily given my completed prints a five minute hypoclear bath and then placed them in the print washer for an hour. My wife complains that this uses too much water, and she wants me to stop printing.

What thoughts do others have?

It's possible to substitute your time/labor for water by using alternative wash sequences that are built around extended soaks in a few changes of still water with a brief final wash in running water. Given variations in water and in technique you need to run your own residual hypo tests to verify that any particular sequence will do the job for you.

[bobwysiwyg]

Most of the water problems are the result of nothing more than excessive utilization of a finite resource. When you are faced with sprawling population unchecked with common sense pragmatism on important issues such as water supply the news media wants to blame it on anything but the real causation. Case in point are places like Phoenix that barely get any rain and continue to build like there is no tomorrow knowing full well that their water resources are being diluted month by month. As those that own the water rights upstream refuse to bail out those downstream the first phase of crisis will be self imposed conservation. The second phase will be strict allocation with over use penalties. The third phase will be necessary reduction of the concept of a continuous sprawling metropolis and being forced to finally face the music. This is not about politics or ideology. Communities that are doing the most whining on this issue mostly ignored it hoping that it would go away. This is a problem that can be easily solved it we leave the emotion on the sidelines and use the brain that God gave us.

Yup. I suggest reading "The Ripple Affect."

[John Kasaian]

My washer is out on the porch and the flow eventually irrigates shrubbery, so instead of watering for 20 minutes six times a month the shrubbery gets watered for thirty minutes maybe three times a month at most.

[Daniel Stone]

Most of the water problems are the result of nothing more than excessive utilization of a finite resource. When you are faced with sprawling population unchecked with common sense pragmatism on important issues such as water supply the news media wants to blame it on anything but the real causation. Case in point are places like Phoenix that barely get any rain and continue to build like there is no tomorrow knowing full well that their water resources are being diluted month by month. As those that own the water rights upstream refuse to bail out those downstream the first phase of crisis will be self imposed conservation. The second phase will be strict allocation with over use penalties. The third phase will be necessary reduction of the concept of a continuous sprawling metropolis and being forced to finally face the music. This is not about politics or ideology. Communities that are doing the most whining on this issue mostly ignored it hoping that it would go away. This is a problem that can be easily solved it we leave the emotion on the sidelines and use the brain that God gave us.

Well stated Michael!
I've wondered for a long time why people continue to grow lawns, and not food...

[Michael Kadillak]

Well stated Michael!
I've wondered for a long time why people continue to grow lawns, and not food...

Sam Walton commented once that one cannot expect to solve a problem until they own it. We have rapidly become a society of pass the buck until there is nobody to pass the buck to or the check from those that promised to take care of us either does not show up or bounces.

[Jody_S]

Weren't many of the earliest photographs washed in streams or any old source of water that was at hand (clean or not)? I don't know where or when we started washing darkroom prints for ridiculous amounts of time, but I've read a couple of times that we could greatly reduce wash times with no ill effect, even on fibre-based papers. RC-based papers can have the wash almost completely eliminated, as with mechanical processors.

I was rather haphazard with my washing, as a teenager. I most certainly wasn't allowed to take over the kitchen sink as I do now; I simply left them all in a tray with dirty water during the printing session, and swapped out that water once or twice before a photo-flo bath and hanging to dry, or placing on my paper dryer. None of my prints from that time show any signs of deterioration in 30-40 years, including my double-weight fiber-base that I was lucky enough to pick up in a store closing.

[joselsgil]

David,

So far, the drought has not affected the end use consumer. Not yet anyways. If we do not get any snow in the Sierra Navada and local mountains, then most likely a tier pricing will go into effect. Once your water bill affects your pocket book, people's watering habits will change.

David, why not use any of the newer print washer? They do not use much water and any water that they use can be stored in a clean trash barrel and used for watering plants later.

On a side note. The average single dwelling household in California, 75% of it's water consumption is used on watering the landscaping and not human consumption. As Vinny pointed out, "Stop watering lawns". Most lawn grasses have a very short root system, that requires them to be watered often, due to water evaporation.

When I wash my film or prints, all my waste water goes to my shrubs or trees. What little contaminants is found in the water, will not affect my trees or shrubs.

Jose

[Tin Can]

Phoenix watered the golf courses into a climate change. Swamp coolers no longer work there, haven't for decades. Coming over the ridge and looking into the basin 30 years ago was enough to make me turn around and not enter the dirty damp air.

I had the same problem with LA in the 70's coming from the desert, when I got by Riverside, I would look at the air pollution and simply turn around and go back to better air and less people.

[onnect17]

I think limiting the use of water in the lawn is one of the steps with most significant impact in water preservation. Even here in New England, where the hot summer is not an issue, I use almost 80% of the water bill in the lawn/garden.
I remember when (a couple of years back) Florida, Alabama and Georgia faced a severe drought and the state officials asked the population to reduce water consumption. So the people responded and started using less water, even a year after. Of course, as a result, the water management department saw a decrease also in the revenues so they added higher fees to balance the budget. Nice payback for people's effort. Good luck next time asking to preserve water!

And many small towns are now charging fees for having your own water well. Unbelievable!

The point is, overdevelopment is only one of the causes. Policy is also having an impact.