Sunday, June 01, 2014

REPERCUSSIONS

Study Finds Medical Pot Farms Draining Streams Dry - AP VIA DAILY BEAST

Some drought-stricken rivers and streams in Northern California's coastal forests are being polluted and sucked dry by water-guzzling medical marijuana farms, wildlife officials say ...

"People are coming in, denuding the hillsides, damming the creeks and mixing in fertilizers that are not allowed in the U.S. into our watersheds," said Denise Rushing, a Lake County supervisor who supports an ordinance essentially banning outdoor grows in populated areas.

"When rains come, it flows downstream into the lake and our water supply," she said.

Many affected waterways also contain endangered salmon, steelhead and other creatures protected by state and federal law.

Wildlife biologists noticed streams running dry more often over the 18 years since the state passed Proposition 215, but weren't sure why.

"We knew people were diverting water for marijuana operations, but we wanted to know exactly how much," said Scott Bauer, the department biologist who studied the pot farms' effects on four watersheds. "We didn't know they could consume all the water in a stream."

So Bauer turned to Google mapping technology and satellite data to find out where the many gardens are, and how many plants each contained.

His study estimates that about 30,000 pot plants were being grown in each river system — and he estimates that each plant uses about six gallons per day over marijuana's 150-day growing season....
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Cue Humboldt Watershed Council suit.... crickets? CRICKETS.

4 comments:

  1. I love how pot grower = liberal in Rose's world. Meanwhile many many big time growers are HUM CPR members

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  2. Exactly 6:42.

    Pot is HunCos wedge issue. It is, imho, the divide between Firpo and Flemming, Fennell, and Clennenden, etc.
    Like wedge issues it can't explain everything. Bohn is now pro weed legalization, as is Rose, this liberal is highly skeptical now given exactly what you pointed out, but I may be one of the few liberal weed legalization skeptics.

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  3. Proving once again, Jon has NO IDEA what he is talking about. I've said it should be legalized since the 70s. And I despise the dishonesty of the 215 sham. Just do it.

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  4. All you need to do is read one of JL opinion pieces to realize he is in his own little world. WOAC(Without a clue)land.

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