The Wells Are Drying Up!

Wow, this caught me by surprise. The wells are drying up.

But The Los Angeles Times is talking about water wells, the aquifers. And Paso Robles is worried about the areas wineries contributing to the problem.

While the world clamors for more Paso Robles wine, rural residents like Denise Smith yearn for something far more precious: local water.

The retired teacher is one of dozens of homeowners in parched northern San Luis Obispo county whose wells have run dry.

Unable to afford a deeper well at a cost of $30,000, she trucks in water every few weeks. Meals are eaten on paper plates. Showers last 45 seconds. Toilets are seldom flushed.
Where did the water go? Smith and other residents say it's flowing freely into the area's signature industry — wine.

No longer a regional secret, the Paso Robles appellation is the fancy of wine lovers near and far. Verdant vineyards now dominate the golden pastoral landscape, many with tasting rooms that contribute to a $1.2-billion local tourism industry.

This surge in popularity has caused wine grape acreage in the county to more than triple in 15 years to 36,550 acres — and there are estimates of up to 8,000 acres more being prepared. With little to no rain on much of that land, drip irrigation is widespread.

That's strained the area's primary source of water, an ancient aquifer that covers 790 square miles and is large enough to safely support annual demand of 97,700 acre-feet of water — the equivalent of 50,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

But demand for basin water has exceeded that safe yield. The water level has sunk 70 feet or more since 1997 in some parts — the product of persistent drought and largely unchecked agricultural and urban growth. California and Texas are the only two states that allow landowners unlimited access to groundwater.

So California and Texas have a water problem.

I consider "water" to be one of the "Big Stories" which I track at the sidebar at the right. 

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A Note to The Granddaughters

Paso Robles has a special place in my heart. Without a connection, I doubt I would have posted the story above.

I have visited Paso Robles twice: the first, during the OPEC embargo back in 1973 with my parents. We were taking a drive from Los Angeles up to San Francisco and stayed overnight in Paso Robles.

The second time, the same year, Christmas, 1973, when Linda and I also drove up to San Francisco. We also stayed overnight at Paso Robles. At the time I do not remember any wineries; it seemed to be a quiet (almost dying?) inland California town with not a lot going for it. I must have been way wrong. Or my eyes were only on Linda, which was more likely the reality. I remember reading East of Eden out loud to Linda while she drove my 1973 Chevy Nova SS. Those were the days, my friend, those were the days.

Those Were The Days, My Friend, Mary Hopkin
(In fact, I have visited Paso Robles more than twice. I have gone through it on Amtrak, most recently in 2011, or thereabouts.)

Those Were The Days has an interesting history. I had forgotten when Mary Hopkin's version was a hit: late 1968. I have always maintained that 1969 (inclusive of six months on either side) was the best year ever for music. (Don't open this link: at great risk, it will slow down your computer/surfing.)

Digressing, it is interesting to re-read the history of the 1979 energy crisis, six years later. Put the 1979 President Carter embargo in the context of President O'Bama's embargo on Iran and one almost wonders if both miscalculated. The world in 2012 was a lot, lot different than the world of 1979.