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[Bunjov AT aol.com]

I may have mentioned before...
 
Our really scary drop in groundwater level over the last 25-30  years has 
been blamed on the (ever-decreasing number of) alfalfa farmers,  and the (few 
remaining) dairies, but is, in fact, the result of uncontrolled  growth in 
Victorville and Apple Valley, etc.
 
Major developers - before the recent 'bust' - were / are paying dearly for  
the right to build all kinds of nasty sprawl, and the cities and county 
agencies  just ate it up.
 
Meantime, our community (Newberry Springs) - give-or-take 120 square  miles - 
has had folks potentially interested in buying / building turned  off by the 
fact that several years ago the water level was at way less than 100'  and 
now 
is down to 500' or more, and so - even though the land is cheap enough,  it 
is way offset by the price of digging a new well. 
 
Local water agency (based in Lawhontan - hundreds of miles away from our  
desert - somewhere up near Lake Tahoe) made a big whoopteedoo back in 2005 of 
 
installing a 'pipeline' which ended in a 5 acre detention pond not 2 miles 
from  
my front door.
 
Our whole community came out for a big celebration - and huge barbecue - to  
honor those first few drops of water...
 
The pond was beautiful that first day, but within a week, all the water was  
drained back down forty miles away to where 'the growth' is happening, and  I 
would venture to guess that all that lovely plumbing is now home to nothing  
but dust and spiders.
 
The water that does flow freely, during / after major rainstorms, runs down  
the bed of the Mojave and directly into Afton Canyon Recreation Area, guarded 
by  the BLM and Fish and Wildlife. 
 
Since part of my property lies directly in the riverbed (on the  
map..."subject to inundation") I have inquired of several engineers, etc. as 
to  the 
viability of damming the flow to allow slow percolation back down into our  
aquifer. I am informed that any 'manmade obstruction' more than 5' in height  
must be 
permitted by the California State Dams Commission (or some such).
 
My idea was to acquire - and lay down across the riverbed - some of the  
K-Rail left over from the recent years' of upgrading of the I-15 between 
Barstow  
and Vegas. Much of this K-Rail has just been set off onto the 
Cal-Trans-annexed  property on the I-15 and the I-40, and - as far as I can 
tell - it is up  
for grabs. It is under 5' tall, and it would be on my own  
property...thoughts, 
anyone?
 
Another issue I've not finished investigating is 'instream water rights' -  
the contention being that whatever water runs under your property 
belongs...to  
you. This has become the basis for a good many lawsuits now in court, mostly 
on  the Eastern seaboard.
 
I guess I haven't addressed here yet the original question of the thread -  
just triggered my own little rant and lost focus! Sorry!
 
My comment would be...much - if not all - depends on the lay of the  land. 
There are all kinds of possible concepts here, from terracing (which  worked 
for 
our ancestors) to the newer contraptions, like plastic sheeting  arranged to 
capture dew...
 
Sandy
Mid-Mojave
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
In a message dated 1/7/2009 8:20:11 A.M. Pacific Standard Time,  
erthnsky AT bellsouth.net writes:

Rainfall  collection.

Robert Walton wrote:
> The main thing that people are  mistaken about with Florida is the dry
> and rainy seasons. If you look  at the temps in summer, they are not
> always that hot compared to  inland. The humidity is the biggest
> problem.  If you look at the  winter temps, it seems like you could be
> growing a lot of garden  crops. Problem is the lack of rain. Winter is
> the dry season.
>  
> The biggest need is a way to get water to the garden or pasture in  the
> winter. Being homestead minded, how do you get the water there  without
> electricity is the issue to be addressed.
> 
> Rob  - Va
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-- 
"The  world is my country, all mankind are my
brethren, and to do good is  my religion."
Thomas Paine (1737 -  1809)
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