It’s complicated and certainly political, especially in the Central Valley where most of the water is used. Crops which are water intensive such as Rice , Cotton and yes Almonds are a huge user of water and building a bunch more little dams are not the answer. I am a 66 year old native and have lived in the Central Valley where some legacy( old timers) ranchers and farmers have almost bulletproof water rights, which means they can choose to grow crops which don’t make since in a semi arid place like California. There is a lot of cattle ranching, in central California and is extremely water intensive as well. Climate change is here to stay and the State is going to have to adapt. It can but will take time and $$
Toothmouth7921 t1_jdtuot3 wrote
Reply to comment by Porsche928dude in California Snow Depth Visualized (Winter '22-'23) [OC] by plantboy97
It’s complicated and certainly political, especially in the Central Valley where most of the water is used. Crops which are water intensive such as Rice , Cotton and yes Almonds are a huge user of water and building a bunch more little dams are not the answer. I am a 66 year old native and have lived in the Central Valley where some legacy( old timers) ranchers and farmers have almost bulletproof water rights, which means they can choose to grow crops which don’t make since in a semi arid place like California. There is a lot of cattle ranching, in central California and is extremely water intensive as well. Climate change is here to stay and the State is going to have to adapt. It can but will take time and $$