A long-dormant lake has reappeared in California, bringing havoc along with it

[leereeves]

> Tulare Lake refilled in 1997 and 1983 during very wet seasons.

I don't understand why people choose to live in known flood zones.

[bsder]

California's Central Valley is a monument to "You can't get people to believe something that affects their paycheck."

The correct solution is to shut this area down permanently. It isn't sustainable and the reason for the "subsidence" is that the agribusinesses have been pumping water from the aquifer and collapsed those layers which will now never refill.

The problem people don't get is that "global warming" means less consistent weather--not less weather. It means more extreme precipitation--more torrential rains as well as more extended droughts.

[gumby]

If you look at the geography of the Central Valley the reason is stark: the farm owners live in big houses on berms or hills, while the workers live in smaller houses on the plains.

Its easy to see everywhere. Just look right as you drive I205 into the Central Valley (before/around Tracy).

It reminds me of Marc Bloch’s descriptions of the landscaping of European feudal manorial communities, and how you can still see the consequences of that structure in contemporary rural landscapes. But in this case it’s recent, and far from Europe.

[gmokki]

So it becomes a lake an average every 20 years. And still people manage to forget it?

[booboofixer]

More curious as to why the high-speed rail construction sites seem to be located there too.

[Giorgi]

So... it's not a good thing now?