California...

An animation of satellite images taken about a year apart shows a huge difference in the amount of water flowing through waterways in California’s Sacramento River Delta. (Images: NASA Worldview. Animation: Tom Yulsman)

Topics: Civil Engineering, Politics, Weather

Look at California (Look at California)
Look at California (Look at California)

The rollin' hills seem to do something for you
It seems there meant to be looked on by you
And when the sunshine is doing it's thing
Then you know that all you see is true
Every day every night the same old groovy feelin
People that live a lot love a lot
And everything there is so good

Look at California
Look at California

All the flowers are bloomin' all about
Every kind you and I could think of
And if you see anything that's missin'
Then they make it up to you with love
Whether up or whether down
It don't even mean a thing
Look at the things around
The peace you've found
And all that you feel is so real

Look at California
Look at California
Look at California
Look at California

Maze, Featuring Frankie Beverly

Civil Engineering is often derided as "baby engineering" (by some engineering types) because they don't take many math courses past Ordinary Differential Equations and advanced science classes.

However, in defense of my youngest son's major, I prefer to call it "Civilization Engineering," as the all-important need supplied by a STEM field is not longer battery life, laptops or smart phones and their associated apps.

Infrastructure (noun) is defined as "the basic physical and organizational structures and facilities (e.g., buildings, roads, and power supplies) needed for the operation of a society or enterprise."

That's not necessarily "tree-hugging." But I'm pretty sure you need one most importantly before you can fire up your smart phone.

"Basic physical and organizational structures and facilities" have to have representatives vote on appropriating funds to repair, replace and upgrade them. No amount of market forces and magical thinking "trickle-down" economics will repair a pothole or a sinkhole. It's "Civilization Engineering," and we'd better stress that to our representatives if we want one to continue.

After five years of drought, could California really have so much rain and snow there’s no room to store all the water?

The answer – as the state’s water picture careens from bust to boom – is yes.

The Oroville Dam north of Sacramento actually overflowed today, with water topping the emergency spillway.

Nonetheless, this is pretty dramatic:

UPDATE Feb. 12: Less than a day after the DWR said there was no risk to the emergency spillway and everything was under control, everything has, in fact, changed. Today, Sunday, the earthen spillway suffered extreme erosion and became at risk of total failure. This prompted the evacuation of 130,000 people downstream to protect them from the potential for catastrophic flooding.

Discovery Magazine:
California rivers are so swollen from runoff that the impact is easily seen in these before and after satellite images
Tom Yulsman