Thieves Are Stealing California's Water -- Watch How It Happens

[ripcord]

https://patch.com/california/banning-beaumont/thieves-are-stealing-californias-water-watch-how-it-happens

&t=2s

And with the parched state in a withering drought, water managers are doubling as amateur detectives.

For months, they watched as demand for water spiked. They hired security firms and sent drones to see where the water was going. It wasn't long before the local water czars caught on to a phenomenon happening across parched California: bandits are tapping into fire hydrants and rivers, filling stations and wells stealing millions of gallons of water.

"It's usually done in the dark of night," said a local water manager who didn't want to be identified because of safety concerns. "So, you'll start to see footprints or you'll see water or wet spots or they'll leave the hydrant cap off the hydrant."

Another local water leader backed out of an interview, citing the same fears.

The desert is now strewn with pot farms. California allows them with proper permits and local approval — which San Bernardino County has not given.

The state also is one of the few places where illegally growing seven marijuana plants can yield the same punishment as illegally growing seven thousand: a misdemeanor and a $500 fine.

About 80% of California's roughly 30,000 pot farms are illegal, according to the state water board.

Meanwhile, Johnson Valley resident Jo Hansen says she stays home more often to keep an eye out for poachers. "I don't know who breaks my water lines and does all this chaotic crap they do, but I mean, they steal constantly up here," she said.

"Is there a mechanism to cut off the water these farms without having the response be very negative and forceful?" asked the local water manager who wanted to remain anonymous. "No one, no one's tried this. We're not enforcement officers, we don't carry guns."

Some are taking a more confrontational approach.

"Because the sheriffs aren't able to get on things fast enough, and we're out here, kind of a desolate desert, most of the residents are starting to take matters into their own hands and starting to take care of it themselves scaring off the guys that are bleeding the grounds out before they can erect the greenhouses, so it doesn't get built," said county resident Greg Bruning.When Gov. Gavin Newsom asked Californians to cut their water use by 15%, many braced for the possibility of more restrictions to come.

"There is a reluctance to ask our customers to cut back when there are when there is this kind of customer seems to be taking the water without regard for the drought," the water manager said. "It's not legal. It's just not legal. And so you're dealing with a lawless situation, and you're trying to come after it with a lawful approach."


How disgusting must someone be to steal water during a drought to make a profit? Don't be surprised when this area turns into the wild west, people are tired of being victimized and the state and local governments are worthless. Others are trying to conserve water and this trash is stealing it, people are starting to say there can't be a drought or the government would have shut down these pot farms they admit are illegal.

[Blues Heron]

1. maybe they should consider legalizing it?

if they could legalize it and get the price down there would be less incentive to steal water. Or they could carry on regulating it out the wazoo and keeping the prices sky high leading to water theft.

[ripcord]

3. It is leaglized

But illegal growers want to set up in the desert because they think they can get away with not getting permits or following zoning laws or any other fees real businesses have to pay, they want to operate illegally. They aren't going to be zoned in the desert especially during a drought, that would be really stupid.

[Blues Heron]

5. apparently not

anyway, as long as the price is kept artificially high, enjoy the water theft. By the way, tomatoes are like $2/lb and you never see illegal tomato grows in the desert.

[ripcord]

11. Tomato growers aren't criminals

They aren't like the organized crime we have out here, tomato farmers don't have armed cartel members guarding their crops and closing down public roads. Pot farmers have to follow the same laws, permitting and zoning regulations as every other business, they don't get to just set up anywhere they want. I'm amazed that these people are doing so much harm to the environment but some liberals ignore it because it is pot.

[haele]

13. Black market cannabis, these grows are run by gangs and cartels.

They don't care, they're looking for quick, easy money, just like the gangs who use homeless to shoplift for them.
The cannabis products are then repackaged to look like legit growers products and sold under the table to small shops in lieu of paying far more for the legal stuff that had paid fees, licenses, and properly paid employees.

Haele

[Beringia]

2. There used to be a DUer who would post constantly about water wars

being the problem of the future. She stopped posting though. I can't recall her name.

[ripcord]

4. It is funny that people want cannabis to be legal

But they don't think they should be held to the same standards as other businesses.

[NurseJackie]

31. ...

[oasis]

6. "Residents are starting to take matters into their own hands"

It could get ugly.

[Blues Heron]

8. It's all so unnecessary

they used to bring bales in by freighter, well cured, inexpensive, no water stealing necessary. Then they "legalized" it, made it as expensive as precious metals and people wonder why there's a mad maxian dystopia unfolding in real time in their own back yards.

[ripcord]

12. The growers have already taken matters into their own hands

They have armed men guarding their crops and shutting down public roads that run past the farms. The state and county have totally failed the residents and largely left them on their own.

[oasis]

17. I'm not one to advocate vigilante crop dusting because, as we

all know, it would be terribly harmful and wrong.

[ripcord]

20. People are tired of living like this

Water theft, armed people patrolling and closing roads, this is California and not Afghanistan. The government is failing the people and I'm very much afraid of armed confrontations.

[oasis]

22. Hang in there. This situation is bound to explode, then the public will

demand an immediate solution.

[Blues Heron]

24. then your poisoning your own people

remember paraquat? In the 70s It started showing up in the weed supply and harming the teenage sons and daughters of Americas middle class. That was quickly shut down. Because as much as the drug warriors hate pot, they still do love their kids.

[oasis]

28. Yup, like I said, "harmful AND wrong". nt

[Elessar Zappa]

7. Why aren't authorities shutting these farms down?

It can’t be too hard to find a massive pot farm in the dessert.

[Blues Heron]

9. probably getting paid off to look the other way

[ripcord]

14. There is only a $500 fine for illegal growing

This is a failure of the state to deal with problem, Newsom isn't making points in areas with illegal growing and it is going to hurt him in the recall because residents feel like they are under siege and no one is helping.

[Blues Heron]

15. treat it like any other herb and the problem goes away

when was the last time a cartel set up an illegal basil grow? The problem is the war on drugs is really a price support racket, creating the exact conditions to produce this horrible dystopian situation. Paradoxically the more you crack down on it, the higher the prices go and the more incentive for bad actors to wreak havoc in the desert.

[ripcord]

16. They don't get to trash the environment

They have to follow zoning and permitting laws that are in place to keep that from happening and they ignore it. There is no excuse for these trash stealing water and threatening people, it is amazing what some people will ignore when they hear the criminals are growing pot. We think all businesses should follow the laws along with permitting and zoning regulations but for some reason some people will ignore that when it comes to cannabis farms.

[Beringia]

18. Maybe the pot growers feel they are already at a disadvantage

of following rules because nut growers and agriculture have big money to throw around.



https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=6538975

From 2015

Spider Jerusalem (21,348 posts)
18. The problem with calling it a "drought" is that it probably isn't a drought

greatly reduced rainfall relative to 20th century averages is probably the new normal--and it's worth noting that "historically normal water years" are based on rainfall averages of the 20th century...which was the wettest of the past millenium. So "historically normal" over the long term is actually a lot drier than people are used to.

Alfalfa and more importantly beef and dairy cattle (which use 47% of California's water) are a much greater component of agricultural water use than almonds (which use 10% of California's water).

[ripcord]

21. None of that excuses water theft

I suppose you support their armed guards and threatening resident also.

[Beringia]

32. I don't support theft, I was just brainstorming

I know agriculture uses federal lands for grazing cows and takes away that land for being just wilded and supporting nature. Probably off topic, but anyway.

[Blues Heron]

19. you have to undercut them with legal grows

take out their profits. Otherwise expect more of the same. When something is this easy to grow and nets so much profit, the question is why wouldn't they do this? Its an artificially created problem.

[ripcord]

23. You act like the cartels would follow the law

[Blues Heron]

26. it's not about the law it's about the money

they don't grow illegal dill weed because there's no money in it. There's only demand for illegal weed because lets face it- who wants to spend hundreds of dollars for an ounce of pot? That's just ludicrous.

[ripcord]

29. They need some serious prison time

You are really bending over backwards to excuse environmental offenses committed by organized crime.

[Blues Heron]

30. no, I'm explaining WHY it's happening, not excusing it.

[secondwind]

10. My stepson and his young family own a duplex in SF

and a lovely home they live in, in Santa Rosa. I sometimes wish they would move away. But their homes are worth a small fortune, about 4 million in total.

I hope this water problem won’t bring home prices down…….

[keithbvadu2]

25. Tom Selleck's employees stealing water from fire hydrants in the nighttime.

Tom Selleck's employees stealing water from fire hydrants in the nighttime.

[ripcord]

27. So we know what he did wrong

He would have been excused if he were growing pot instead of avocados.