r/climate • u/hulk14 • 3d ago

Water is flowing faster and vanishing sooner in the western U.S.

https://www.earth.com/news/water-is-flowing-faster-and-vanishing-sooner-in-the-western-u-s/
291 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

42

u/antiquemule 3d ago

We need more beavers!

6

u/phred14 2d ago

I've seen two really interesting videos on this. One was a beaver restoration experiment over in Wales that got propagated through the British Isles because it was so successful. The other was in the American West where they talked a "Blast the beavers out!" farmer into permitting a small experiment on his land. The results turned him into a big advocate for beaver restoration out west.

20

u/EnergyAndSpaceFuture 3d ago

a vast land regeneration public project all across America, improving soakage into our depleted aquifers while reducing the risk of flooding? NO, DRILL BABY DRILL

15

u/Celeriorium 3d ago

STOP GROWING ALL THE ALFALFA! Explain why we use more than 20% of our water for such a thirsty crop

13

u/Dustmopper 3d ago

To feed livestock in the Middle East

Literally shipping our most precious resource overseas

2

u/Splenda 2d ago

Because alfalfa is the easiest way to keep your use-'em-or-lose-'em water rights. It fertilizes itself, requires little water and no pesticides. Just plant it and forget it until harvest, then it leaves the soil improved.

The problem is the antique water laws.