🚀 go-pugleaf

ald@mises.Eng.Sun.COM (Al Date) writes:
> In article <3l6ss5$593@hermes.synopsys.com>,
> Joe Buck <jbuck@synopsys.com> wrote:
> >dimsey@best.com (Phil Jones) writes:
> >>The ancient civilizations in the Tigris and Euprates valleys declined
> >>because a build up of naturally occuring salts, by evaporation,
> >>decreased the soil fertility.
> >>In parts of the central valley, accumulations of selenium, from water
> >>obtained from run-off of the coastal range, has already rendered
> >>parts infertile.
> >
> >Both of these disasters were man-made, caused by irrigation.  Salt buildup
> >by evaporation is an inevitable consequence of irrigation.  If you divert
> >large amounts of water into a desert area, it's inevitably going to
> >contain small amounts of salts and minerals.
> >
> >Read "Cadillac Desert" for much more on this (especially the selenium
> >problem in the Central Valley), and to learn more about the billions of
> >dollars Uncle Sam has wasted bringing water to the West.
> >
> >-- 
> Thanks Joe. 
> 
> It should also be pointed out that most of this water is going to
> surplus crops like cotton that are extremely water-intensive.  If
> less water-intensive crops were grown, the selenium problem would
> have been substantially reduced.  
> 
> But if the govt is going to give away water to farmers in the 
> desert, guess what kinds of crops they will grow?
> 

I say let the farmers pay what the water is worth and truly subject
themselves to market forces.  If they paid what the water was worth,
cotton would disappear from the west side of the San Joaquin Valley.
-- 
--------------------------------------------------------------
Andy Alexis(ndlxs@netcom.com OR araalex@dbserv2.teale.ca.gov)
Sacramento, CA  "The Pearl of the Central Valley"