Although I am still keeping an up to date account in regards to my Virtual Water project, you can read my final project report for the Royal Photographic Society here.
One year on from starting the project there is still a huge aspect of denial regarding California's drought, despite heavy news coverage and announcements within the State.
Trying to exhibit the work in California has also been an uphill battle, and I quote;
"People here don't want to see this stuff, its just depressing.."
Despite this, I remain resilient as I continue to try and make some kind of statement...
VIRTUAL WATER PHOTOGRAPHY PROJECT -FINAL PROJECT REPORT - MARCUS DOYLE
From the onset I knew documenting California’s current drought would be no easy task. The sheer vastness of the state meant that I could only pick out certain key areas in what would be a relatively short space of time.
Prior to my trip I had mapped out what I called, The Drought Loop. Starting from Palm Springs I would work my way north through the desert to the direct source of California’s main water supplies in the form of lakes and reservoirs. From there I would travel back along the coast and through the farmland areas of the Kern Valley finishing in Los Angeles.
This final report is based on my four week journey. - See more at: http://www.rps.org/technical/gallery?a=%7B3B70C1C2-5CF5-4AE0-AE25-88682217C699%7D#sthash.xpBPdK5k.dpuf
From the onset I knew documenting California’s current drought would be no easy task. The sheer vastness of the state meant that I could only pick out certain key areas in what would be a relatively short space of time.
Prior to my trip I had mapped out what I called, The Drought Loop. Starting from Palm Springs I would work my way north through the desert to the direct source of California’s main water supplies in the form of lakes and reservoirs. From there I would travel back along the coast and through the farmland areas of the Kern Valley finishing in Los Angeles.
This final report is based on my four week journey. - See more at: http://www.rps.org/technical/gallery?a=%7B3B70C1C2-5CF5-4AE0-AE25-88682217C699%7D#sthash.xpBPdK5k.dpuf
VIRTUAL WATER PHOTOGRAPHY PROJECT -FINAL PROJECT REPORT - MARCUS DOYLE
From the onset I knew documenting California’s current drought would be no easy task. The sheer vastness of the state meant that I could only pick out certain key areas in what would be a relatively short space of time.
Prior to my trip I had mapped out what I called, The Drought Loop. Starting from Palm Springs I would work my way north through the desert to the direct source of California’s main water supplies in the form of lakes and reservoirs. From there I would travel back along the coast and through the farmland areas of the Kern Valley finishing in Los Angeles.
This final report is based on my four week journey.
My proposed project to document the ongoing drought in California began in Palm Springs, located within the Cochella Valley region of Western California.
Although I had originally planned on shooting the images in July through August, little appeared to have changed. It was still very hot, and of course, very dry with an average temperature of 105 degrees.
Unlike other parts of the USA the golf courses and outdoor leisure activities in Palm Springs continue throughout autumn and the winter months due to the warmer temperatures.
Palm Springs has a total of 47 golf courses using millions of gallons water every day. Water (which comes from the Coachella Valley’s groundwater basin) is not recycled in any form and comes from the same source as drinking water with as much as 20 percent evaporating before it is soaked into the ground.
Many of the large ponds within the golf courses had dried up (unlike the swimming pools the pond water is not recycled). Despite this, the watering of the golf lawns continued.
One thing that did stand out was that all the commercial car washes were now closed during the drought although I couldn’t help thinking this was all for show as people would probably wash their cars elsewhere. An empty car wash is easier to spot than a private golf club.
It was easy to see how the drought had affected this area of the west and I soon realised the drought may have been played down from the American media as the conditions were far worse than I had discovered in my research leading up to the trip.
In 2005 I was witness to one of the hottest summers on record in Los Angeles California. For two weeks in August there were stories of people’s dustbins melting in the street and power grids overheating with the overuse of air conditioning units. Some people claimed it was so hot that their thermometer readings did not go high enough, yet on all of the new channels the temperatures were played down. Apparently this happened quite often in an attempt not to cause a mass panic and I was now quite sure that the same had been done regarding the drought.
It was quite clear after three days shooting out of Palm Springs that little had changed to combat the ongoing effects of the Californian drought now in its third year.
Joshua T National Park.
In the first instance it would seem odd to be documenting the effects of a drought in the desert. But these delicate eco systems are often the first to be effected by severe lack of water.
At Joshua Tree National Park, east of Los Angeles, the last decade was the hottest on record. Trees at the park have been able to survive because their roots are capable of finding water deep in the desert ground. But there are indications that rising temperatures and a drought may have dried out their water source.
Upon arrival into the park little seemed to have changed from my last trip there in the summer of 2014. However, upon closer inspection many more of the Joshua Trees appeared to charcoal black and limp. This was not, as one would imagine caused by fire, but lack of water. The tree (a member of the Yucca Palm family) survives by holding water in its trunk. If there is no water the tree turns black and is unable to support itself. But this is not the only problem for the Joshua Tree as animals native to the area have begun to gnaw at the base of the trees in a desperate attempt to obtain water, in turn killing the tree. As the park is the only place in the world where Joshua Trees grow, it is a very real concern for the trees survival.
The Salton Sea
The Salton Sea is an area I am most familiar with. Although I had spent a lot of time there in the past producing the Thursdays by The Sea project in 2008, I thought it was important to revisit the site all be it with a different outlook.
Although I had read that the area was undergoing extensive rejuvenation, I actually found the area to be more decayed looking than before. This however was partly due to the fact that the sea itself had shrunk by almost a third in size (due to evaporation) revealing more of the now heavily decayed town it once covered in the 80’s flood. . Although polluted, the source of the sea is used for crop irrigation and fishing as well as water sports, but for such a small town dependant on this crude water source this shortage had caused obvious problems in this already blighted area of California. It now seemed that the Salton Sea was past the point of no return.
It was not just the gold rush that left many small towns part or uninhabited. Many of today's ghost towns are the result of their main water supply being 'diverted' to larger cities like Los Angeles. The town of Keeler located between the edge of Death Valley and Owens Lake is a good example.
Owens Dry Lake
Although classed as a dry lake, Owens Lake it has always contained water up until a few years ago. As the lake water diminished dust from the lake caused the highest level of dust pollution in the U.S. carried by strong winds across the state. This became such a problem that in 2013 engineering work began in an attempt to control the dust problem. Salt Grass is currently being planted across the whole of the lakebed in a project that will take two years to complete. The grass is irrigated with fresh water and cattle have been introduced to keep the grass at a manageable level.
Although the Salt Grass is said to control the dust problem, excess water usage is now in full swing to feed cattle and grass within an area of very limited water supply.
A few miles away, the town of Lone Pine has one of the highest water restrictions in the state with each home metered (unlike many small towns in the west). Despite this, the Crystal Geyser water-bottling plant is located just a few miles away and is the only bottled water available in Lone Pine which retails at 99 cents for a 1.25 liter bottle. The company claims to bottle their water direct from the source although it is unclear where their exact source is.
Death Valley
Death Valley National Park normally gets about 2 inches of rain each year. The mountains that buffer the valley cause drought conditions by inhibiting storm movement, which weakens storms before they reach the valley, and this results in less rain. Given that the annual evaporation rate, or evaporation potential, is about 150 inches of water, a deficit of nearly 148 inches a year results. Thus, Death Valley National Park earns its notoriety as the “hottest, driest place in North America.”
Because Death Valley is so dry, the water consumption level is much higher. This prompted the Xanterra Resort Group to cut back on its water consumption for the 18 hole golf course at Furnace Creek by 35 million gallons a year simply be relocating and decreasing its course irrigation. Despite this, I was shocked to see how much water the course green needed, as the sprinklers were more like water canons.
Panamint Springs is the highest point in Death Valley. Its water supply is solely from Darwin Falls, a fifteenth minute drive and one of the very few natural sources of water in the valley. I was told the Falls had run dry over six months ago. Water was now being diverted from the same source as Furnace Creek during the holiday season, which runs from October to April.
Reservoirs
For the final leg of my journey I wanted to head straight to the source of California's water supply and headed north to photograph the reservoirs and lakes.
As most of California's water comes from ground water, the reservoirs are a good indicator of how much water the state actually has left. Once these lakes are empty, the only other option is to move onto another.
My first port of call was San Luis Opisbo, easily the most photogenic of all the Californian reservoirs. The low level of the lake had made way for a nice series of images, which would not of been possible if the lake was full. Although quite a dark subject matter, it was always my intention to make appealing imagery so as to draw people in.
Because the drought in California has been so widely photographed, especially in regards to the reservoirs, it was important for me to approach my subject matter in a different way.
Throughout my research I was constantly finding images of the reservoirs throughout California. Although a necessary part of the project I wanted to photograph these in a different way that was already shown (mainly shot form the air). My idea was to photograph the dry parts of the reservoirs from ground level. This would hopefully give a better idea of how the drought was affecting its surroundings. As a result, the images I came away with looked more like a desert setting, than any reservoir.
Lake San Antonio is located South of King City CA and is a popular destination for water-based activities. Like Palm Springs, the current conditions had a huge effect on leisure and tourism activities. Of all the reservoirs I had researched, this appeared to be the one most covered in news stories. Boats appeared run aground and jetty’s looked like they were stuck in the mud. It was as if the tide had gone out. However,
Of all the reservoirs I visited, Lake Folsom looked to be the most effected by the drought. At the time of shooting the lake was apparently only at 15 percent, although their was some debate over this as the locals claimed it was 25 percent and that the levels went up and down all the time. However, upon arrival my suspicions were confirmed as it was by far the driest I had seen.
Whilst making images at the base of the now dry Folsom Lake reservoir I was asked by a local lady walking her dog what I was doing. When I told her I was documenting the drought and water levels she appeared confused and said;
“Will they not just fill the lake up again?”
I asked her where she thought the water came from and the fact that there was no water left to fill to lake. She was also unaware that her drinking water came from the reservoir.
This was just one of the many examples of how the media had held back on how serious conditions had become. One only had to look at the amount of shrubs and grasses that had been growing in the base of the lake to know it had been dry for some time. But for people walking their dogs it was quite normal and not something to be concerned about.
Although quite shocking to behold the ‘almost’ empty reservoirs of California and the realisation that once these were empty there would be more water. The biggest eye opener for me was photographing the farming areas of California; in particular those located Kern County. This was not something I had planned to document in detail, but it became, what I consider, the most important part of the project.
80 percent of California’s water consumption comes from watering food crops. Farmers who had relied on as much water as they needed from the government had now being told they would receive no more water. This has in effect created a scene like the dust bowl of the 1920’s great depression. Crops that notoriously needed a lot of water to produce, in particular Almonds, are now suffering greatly although the knock on effect in the market place has yet to be seen.
The importance of documenting the drought now seemed more important than ever and I was reminded that people are more likely to believe something if they can actually see it.
Although I had set out in a somewhat subtle manner, I could not but help make the more obvious imagery I was originally trying to avoid. There were, and still are many examples of Virtual Water I would of liked to have tackled in more depth, in particular Bushfires and Food Production.
In the last two years, as the land becomes even drier with extended temperatures into the autumn months, bushfires have also become more frequent and harder to control. The relevant images in the Virtual Water project were made in Malibu along the Pacific Coast Highway. It is the first time they have had bush fires in this area of California. The flames moved fast and even jumped the width of the road (approximately 50ft). Bushfires were something I had not even considered relating to the drought and it was only by chance that I happened to be in the area at the time with my camera.
Although I had researched food production, in particular the water footprint used to produce certain foods such as beef. I realised the subject was too great to tackle along side my other subjects. I did however begin with the city of Vernon located five miles south of downtown Los Angeles. Despite its population of 112 and being the smallest of any incorporated city in the state (5.2 sq miles), it has the highest water consumption in California. This is mainly due to the city being almost entirely made up of food processing factories. This is a subject I may well indeed return to in more depth at a later date.
Bottled Water
It is shocking to think although most of California has free flowing clean water straight from the tap Americans still spend hundreds of dollars a year on bottled water. Most Americans claim that bottled water must be better and cleaner because ‘they are paying more for it.’ (Bottled water has a mark-up of 99 percent) Little do most know that the source of their bottled water is often the same as their tap water.
Many attempts have been made to introduce alternative measures regarding drinking water, but a huge percentage of Californians are sticking with the bottle claiming that recycled water is dirty (although often cleaner once fully processed), and desalination (the process of processing drinking water from sea water) is too expensive and bad tasting.
I have come to realise that the water bottling industry, which is worth billions of dollars a year, has monopolized the water industry convincing Americans that bottled water is the only solution.
Conclusion
Although the initial lack of rain and snowfall has created the worst drought in more than a century, it is now my understanding that irresponsible water management has created most of the problems associated with drought in California. Other countries with less rainfall and longer drought periods have resorted to recycled and desalination with great success. In California golf courses continue to waste millions of gallons a day, while people choose to drink bottled water sourced directly from low-level reservoirs. Water is not recycled in any form and almost all towns in California have an unlimited, un-metered water supply.
I feel like I have only cracked the surface of what is a huge subject with many sub sections and things I simply had no idea about concerning water consumption in the USA. With this in mind I see the project as a tool for raising awareness, not only in the over consumption of water, but mass consumption in general.
Rather than a completed series of images, I see the Virtual Water Photographic Project as the beginning of something much bigger. I plan to continue finding new and important project research material and hopefully raise awareness regarding one of the Earths most precious resources.
- See more at: http://www.rps.org/technical/gallery?a=%7B3B70C1C2-5CF5-4AE0-AE25-88682217C699%7D#sthash.xpBPdK5k.dpuf
VIRTUAL WATER PHOTOGRAPHY PROJECT -FINAL PROJECT REPORT - MARCUS DOYLE
From the onset I knew documenting California’s current drought would be no easy task. The sheer vastness of the state meant that I could only pick out certain key areas in what would be a relatively short space of time.
Prior to my trip I had mapped out what I called, The Drought Loop. Starting from Palm Springs I would work my way north through the desert to the direct source of California’s main water supplies in the form of lakes and reservoirs. From there I would travel back along the coast and through the farmland areas of the Kern Valley finishing in Los Angeles.
This final report is based on my four week journey.
My proposed project to document the ongoing drought in California began in Palm Springs, located within the Cochella Valley region of Western California.
Although I had originally planned on shooting the images in July through August, little appeared to have changed. It was still very hot, and of course, very dry with an average temperature of 105 degrees.
Unlike other parts of the USA the golf courses and outdoor leisure activities in Palm Springs continue throughout autumn and the winter months due to the warmer temperatures.
Palm Springs has a total of 47 golf courses using millions of gallons water every day. Water (which comes from the Coachella Valley’s groundwater basin) is not recycled in any form and comes from the same source as drinking water with as much as 20 percent evaporating before it is soaked into the ground.
Many of the large ponds within the golf courses had dried up (unlike the swimming pools the pond water is not recycled). Despite this, the watering of the golf lawns continued.
One thing that did stand out was that all the commercial car washes were now closed during the drought although I couldn’t help thinking this was all for show as people would probably wash their cars elsewhere. An empty car wash is easier to spot than a private golf club.
It was easy to see how the drought had affected this area of the west and I soon realised the drought may have been played down from the American media as the conditions were far worse than I had discovered in my research leading up to the trip.
In 2005 I was witness to one of the hottest summers on record in Los Angeles California. For two weeks in August there were stories of people’s dustbins melting in the street and power grids overheating with the overuse of air conditioning units. Some people claimed it was so hot that their thermometer readings did not go high enough, yet on all of the new channels the temperatures were played down. Apparently this happened quite often in an attempt not to cause a mass panic and I was now quite sure that the same had been done regarding the drought.
It was quite clear after three days shooting out of Palm Springs that little had changed to combat the ongoing effects of the Californian drought now in its third year.
Joshua T National Park.
In the first instance it would seem odd to be documenting the effects of a drought in the desert. But these delicate eco systems are often the first to be effected by severe lack of water.
At Joshua Tree National Park, east of Los Angeles, the last decade was the hottest on record. Trees at the park have been able to survive because their roots are capable of finding water deep in the desert ground. But there are indications that rising temperatures and a drought may have dried out their water source.
Upon arrival into the park little seemed to have changed from my last trip there in the summer of 2014. However, upon closer inspection many more of the Joshua Trees appeared to charcoal black and limp. This was not, as one would imagine caused by fire, but lack of water. The tree (a member of the Yucca Palm family) survives by holding water in its trunk. If there is no water the tree turns black and is unable to support itself. But this is not the only problem for the Joshua Tree as animals native to the area have begun to gnaw at the base of the trees in a desperate attempt to obtain water, in turn killing the tree. As the park is the only place in the world where Joshua Trees grow, it is a very real concern for the trees survival.
The Salton Sea
The Salton Sea is an area I am most familiar with. Although I had spent a lot of time there in the past producing the Thursdays by The Sea project in 2008, I thought it was important to revisit the site all be it with a different outlook.
Although I had read that the area was undergoing extensive rejuvenation, I actually found the area to be more decayed looking than before. This however was partly due to the fact that the sea itself had shrunk by almost a third in size (due to evaporation) revealing more of the now heavily decayed town it once covered in the 80’s flood. . Although polluted, the source of the sea is used for crop irrigation and fishing as well as water sports, but for such a small town dependant on this crude water source this shortage had caused obvious problems in this already blighted area of California. It now seemed that the Salton Sea was past the point of no return.
It was not just the gold rush that left many small towns part or uninhabited. Many of today's ghost towns are the result of their main water supply being 'diverted' to larger cities like Los Angeles. The town of Keeler located between the edge of Death Valley and Owens Lake is a good example.
Owens Dry Lake
Although classed as a dry lake, Owens Lake it has always contained water up until a few years ago. As the lake water diminished dust from the lake caused the highest level of dust pollution in the U.S. carried by strong winds across the state. This became such a problem that in 2013 engineering work began in an attempt to control the dust problem. Salt Grass is currently being planted across the whole of the lakebed in a project that will take two years to complete. The grass is irrigated with fresh water and cattle have been introduced to keep the grass at a manageable level.
Although the Salt Grass is said to control the dust problem, excess water usage is now in full swing to feed cattle and grass within an area of very limited water supply.
A few miles away, the town of Lone Pine has one of the highest water restrictions in the state with each home metered (unlike many small towns in the west). Despite this, the Crystal Geyser water-bottling plant is located just a few miles away and is the only bottled water available in Lone Pine which retails at 99 cents for a 1.25 liter bottle. The company claims to bottle their water direct from the source although it is unclear where their exact source is.
Death Valley
Death Valley National Park normally gets about 2 inches of rain each year. The mountains that buffer the valley cause drought conditions by inhibiting storm movement, which weakens storms before they reach the valley, and this results in less rain. Given that the annual evaporation rate, or evaporation potential, is about 150 inches of water, a deficit of nearly 148 inches a year results. Thus, Death Valley National Park earns its notoriety as the “hottest, driest place in North America.”
Because Death Valley is so dry, the water consumption level is much higher. This prompted the Xanterra Resort Group to cut back on its water consumption for the 18 hole golf course at Furnace Creek by 35 million gallons a year simply be relocating and decreasing its course irrigation. Despite this, I was shocked to see how much water the course green needed, as the sprinklers were more like water canons.
Panamint Springs is the highest point in Death Valley. Its water supply is solely from Darwin Falls, a fifteenth minute drive and one of the very few natural sources of water in the valley. I was told the Falls had run dry over six months ago. Water was now being diverted from the same source as Furnace Creek during the holiday season, which runs from October to April.
Reservoirs
For the final leg of my journey I wanted to head straight to the source of California's water supply and headed north to photograph the reservoirs and lakes.
As most of California's water comes from ground water, the reservoirs are a good indicator of how much water the state actually has left. Once these lakes are empty, the only other option is to move onto another.
My first port of call was San Luis Opisbo, easily the most photogenic of all the Californian reservoirs. The low level of the lake had made way for a nice series of images, which would not of been possible if the lake was full. Although quite a dark subject matter, it was always my intention to make appealing imagery so as to draw people in.
Because the drought in California has been so widely photographed, especially in regards to the reservoirs, it was important for me to approach my subject matter in a different way.
Throughout my research I was constantly finding images of the reservoirs throughout California. Although a necessary part of the project I wanted to photograph these in a different way that was already shown (mainly shot form the air). My idea was to photograph the dry parts of the reservoirs from ground level. This would hopefully give a better idea of how the drought was affecting its surroundings. As a result, the images I came away with looked more like a desert setting, than any reservoir.
Lake San Antonio is located South of King City CA and is a popular destination for water-based activities. Like Palm Springs, the current conditions had a huge effect on leisure and tourism activities. Of all the reservoirs I had researched, this appeared to be the one most covered in news stories. Boats appeared run aground and jetty’s looked like they were stuck in the mud. It was as if the tide had gone out. However,
Of all the reservoirs I visited, Lake Folsom looked to be the most effected by the drought. At the time of shooting the lake was apparently only at 15 percent, although their was some debate over this as the locals claimed it was 25 percent and that the levels went up and down all the time. However, upon arrival my suspicions were confirmed as it was by far the driest I had seen.
Whilst making images at the base of the now dry Folsom Lake reservoir I was asked by a local lady walking her dog what I was doing. When I told her I was documenting the drought and water levels she appeared confused and said;
“Will they not just fill the lake up again?”
I asked her where she thought the water came from and the fact that there was no water left to fill to lake. She was also unaware that her drinking water came from the reservoir.
This was just one of the many examples of how the media had held back on how serious conditions had become. One only had to look at the amount of shrubs and grasses that had been growing in the base of the lake to know it had been dry for some time. But for people walking their dogs it was quite normal and not something to be concerned about.
Although quite shocking to behold the ‘almost’ empty reservoirs of California and the realisation that once these were empty there would be more water. The biggest eye opener for me was photographing the farming areas of California; in particular those located Kern County. This was not something I had planned to document in detail, but it became, what I consider, the most important part of the project.
80 percent of California’s water consumption comes from watering food crops. Farmers who had relied on as much water as they needed from the government had now being told they would receive no more water. This has in effect created a scene like the dust bowl of the 1920’s great depression. Crops that notoriously needed a lot of water to produce, in particular Almonds, are now suffering greatly although the knock on effect in the market place has yet to be seen.
The importance of documenting the drought now seemed more important than ever and I was reminded that people are more likely to believe something if they can actually see it.
Although I had set out in a somewhat subtle manner, I could not but help make the more obvious imagery I was originally trying to avoid. There were, and still are many examples of Virtual Water I would of liked to have tackled in more depth, in particular Bushfires and Food Production.
In the last two years, as the land becomes even drier with extended temperatures into the autumn months, bushfires have also become more frequent and harder to control. The relevant images in the Virtual Water project were made in Malibu along the Pacific Coast Highway. It is the first time they have had bush fires in this area of California. The flames moved fast and even jumped the width of the road (approximately 50ft). Bushfires were something I had not even considered relating to the drought and it was only by chance that I happened to be in the area at the time with my camera.
Although I had researched food production, in particular the water footprint used to produce certain foods such as beef. I realised the subject was too great to tackle along side my other subjects. I did however begin with the city of Vernon located five miles south of downtown Los Angeles. Despite its population of 112 and being the smallest of any incorporated city in the state (5.2 sq miles), it has the highest water consumption in California. This is mainly due to the city being almost entirely made up of food processing factories. This is a subject I may well indeed return to in more depth at a later date.
Bottled Water
It is shocking to think although most of California has free flowing clean water straight from the tap Americans still spend hundreds of dollars a year on bottled water. Most Americans claim that bottled water must be better and cleaner because ‘they are paying more for it.’ (Bottled water has a mark-up of 99 percent) Little do most know that the source of their bottled water is often the same as their tap water.
Many attempts have been made to introduce alternative measures regarding drinking water, but a huge percentage of Californians are sticking with the bottle claiming that recycled water is dirty (although often cleaner once fully processed), and desalination (the process of processing drinking water from sea water) is too expensive and bad tasting.
I have come to realise that the water bottling industry, which is worth billions of dollars a year, has monopolized the water industry convincing Americans that bottled water is the only solution.
Conclusion
Although the initial lack of rain and snowfall has created the worst drought in more than a century, it is now my understanding that irresponsible water management has created most of the problems associated with drought in California. Other countries with less rainfall and longer drought periods have resorted to recycled and desalination with great success. In California golf courses continue to waste millions of gallons a day, while people choose to drink bottled water sourced directly from low-level reservoirs. Water is not recycled in any form and almost all towns in California have an unlimited, un-metered water supply.
I feel like I have only cracked the surface of what is a huge subject with many sub sections and things I simply had no idea about concerning water consumption in the USA. With this in mind I see the project as a tool for raising awareness, not only in the over consumption of water, but mass consumption in general.
Rather than a completed series of images, I see the Virtual Water Photographic Project as the beginning of something much bigger. I plan to continue finding new and important project research material and hopefully raise awareness regarding one of the Earths most precious resources. - See more at: http://www.rps.org/technical/gallery?a=%7B3B70C1C2-5CF5-4AE0-AE25-88682217C699%7D#sthash.xpBPdK5k.dpuf
From the onset I knew documenting California’s current drought would be no easy task. The sheer vastness of the state meant that I could only pick out certain key areas in what would be a relatively short space of time.
Prior to my trip I had mapped out what I called, The Drought Loop. Starting from Palm Springs I would work my way north through the desert to the direct source of California’s main water supplies in the form of lakes and reservoirs. From there I would travel back along the coast and through the farmland areas of the Kern Valley finishing in Los Angeles.
This final report is based on my four week journey.
My proposed project to document the ongoing drought in California began in Palm Springs, located within the Cochella Valley region of Western California.
Although I had originally planned on shooting the images in July through August, little appeared to have changed. It was still very hot, and of course, very dry with an average temperature of 105 degrees.
Unlike other parts of the USA the golf courses and outdoor leisure activities in Palm Springs continue throughout autumn and the winter months due to the warmer temperatures.
Palm Springs has a total of 47 golf courses using millions of gallons water every day. Water (which comes from the Coachella Valley’s groundwater basin) is not recycled in any form and comes from the same source as drinking water with as much as 20 percent evaporating before it is soaked into the ground.
Many of the large ponds within the golf courses had dried up (unlike the swimming pools the pond water is not recycled). Despite this, the watering of the golf lawns continued.
One thing that did stand out was that all the commercial car washes were now closed during the drought although I couldn’t help thinking this was all for show as people would probably wash their cars elsewhere. An empty car wash is easier to spot than a private golf club.
It was easy to see how the drought had affected this area of the west and I soon realised the drought may have been played down from the American media as the conditions were far worse than I had discovered in my research leading up to the trip.
In 2005 I was witness to one of the hottest summers on record in Los Angeles California. For two weeks in August there were stories of people’s dustbins melting in the street and power grids overheating with the overuse of air conditioning units. Some people claimed it was so hot that their thermometer readings did not go high enough, yet on all of the new channels the temperatures were played down. Apparently this happened quite often in an attempt not to cause a mass panic and I was now quite sure that the same had been done regarding the drought.
It was quite clear after three days shooting out of Palm Springs that little had changed to combat the ongoing effects of the Californian drought now in its third year.
Joshua T National Park.
In the first instance it would seem odd to be documenting the effects of a drought in the desert. But these delicate eco systems are often the first to be effected by severe lack of water.
At Joshua Tree National Park, east of Los Angeles, the last decade was the hottest on record. Trees at the park have been able to survive because their roots are capable of finding water deep in the desert ground. But there are indications that rising temperatures and a drought may have dried out their water source.
Upon arrival into the park little seemed to have changed from my last trip there in the summer of 2014. However, upon closer inspection many more of the Joshua Trees appeared to charcoal black and limp. This was not, as one would imagine caused by fire, but lack of water. The tree (a member of the Yucca Palm family) survives by holding water in its trunk. If there is no water the tree turns black and is unable to support itself. But this is not the only problem for the Joshua Tree as animals native to the area have begun to gnaw at the base of the trees in a desperate attempt to obtain water, in turn killing the tree. As the park is the only place in the world where Joshua Trees grow, it is a very real concern for the trees survival.
The Salton Sea
The Salton Sea is an area I am most familiar with. Although I had spent a lot of time there in the past producing the Thursdays by The Sea project in 2008, I thought it was important to revisit the site all be it with a different outlook.
Although I had read that the area was undergoing extensive rejuvenation, I actually found the area to be more decayed looking than before. This however was partly due to the fact that the sea itself had shrunk by almost a third in size (due to evaporation) revealing more of the now heavily decayed town it once covered in the 80’s flood. . Although polluted, the source of the sea is used for crop irrigation and fishing as well as water sports, but for such a small town dependant on this crude water source this shortage had caused obvious problems in this already blighted area of California. It now seemed that the Salton Sea was past the point of no return.
It was not just the gold rush that left many small towns part or uninhabited. Many of today's ghost towns are the result of their main water supply being 'diverted' to larger cities like Los Angeles. The town of Keeler located between the edge of Death Valley and Owens Lake is a good example.
Owens Dry Lake
Although classed as a dry lake, Owens Lake it has always contained water up until a few years ago. As the lake water diminished dust from the lake caused the highest level of dust pollution in the U.S. carried by strong winds across the state. This became such a problem that in 2013 engineering work began in an attempt to control the dust problem. Salt Grass is currently being planted across the whole of the lakebed in a project that will take two years to complete. The grass is irrigated with fresh water and cattle have been introduced to keep the grass at a manageable level.
Although the Salt Grass is said to control the dust problem, excess water usage is now in full swing to feed cattle and grass within an area of very limited water supply.
A few miles away, the town of Lone Pine has one of the highest water restrictions in the state with each home metered (unlike many small towns in the west). Despite this, the Crystal Geyser water-bottling plant is located just a few miles away and is the only bottled water available in Lone Pine which retails at 99 cents for a 1.25 liter bottle. The company claims to bottle their water direct from the source although it is unclear where their exact source is.
Death Valley
Death Valley National Park normally gets about 2 inches of rain each year. The mountains that buffer the valley cause drought conditions by inhibiting storm movement, which weakens storms before they reach the valley, and this results in less rain. Given that the annual evaporation rate, or evaporation potential, is about 150 inches of water, a deficit of nearly 148 inches a year results. Thus, Death Valley National Park earns its notoriety as the “hottest, driest place in North America.”
Because Death Valley is so dry, the water consumption level is much higher. This prompted the Xanterra Resort Group to cut back on its water consumption for the 18 hole golf course at Furnace Creek by 35 million gallons a year simply be relocating and decreasing its course irrigation. Despite this, I was shocked to see how much water the course green needed, as the sprinklers were more like water canons.
Panamint Springs is the highest point in Death Valley. Its water supply is solely from Darwin Falls, a fifteenth minute drive and one of the very few natural sources of water in the valley. I was told the Falls had run dry over six months ago. Water was now being diverted from the same source as Furnace Creek during the holiday season, which runs from October to April.
Reservoirs
For the final leg of my journey I wanted to head straight to the source of California's water supply and headed north to photograph the reservoirs and lakes.
As most of California's water comes from ground water, the reservoirs are a good indicator of how much water the state actually has left. Once these lakes are empty, the only other option is to move onto another.
My first port of call was San Luis Opisbo, easily the most photogenic of all the Californian reservoirs. The low level of the lake had made way for a nice series of images, which would not of been possible if the lake was full. Although quite a dark subject matter, it was always my intention to make appealing imagery so as to draw people in.
Because the drought in California has been so widely photographed, especially in regards to the reservoirs, it was important for me to approach my subject matter in a different way.
Throughout my research I was constantly finding images of the reservoirs throughout California. Although a necessary part of the project I wanted to photograph these in a different way that was already shown (mainly shot form the air). My idea was to photograph the dry parts of the reservoirs from ground level. This would hopefully give a better idea of how the drought was affecting its surroundings. As a result, the images I came away with looked more like a desert setting, than any reservoir.
Lake San Antonio is located South of King City CA and is a popular destination for water-based activities. Like Palm Springs, the current conditions had a huge effect on leisure and tourism activities. Of all the reservoirs I had researched, this appeared to be the one most covered in news stories. Boats appeared run aground and jetty’s looked like they were stuck in the mud. It was as if the tide had gone out. However,
Of all the reservoirs I visited, Lake Folsom looked to be the most effected by the drought. At the time of shooting the lake was apparently only at 15 percent, although their was some debate over this as the locals claimed it was 25 percent and that the levels went up and down all the time. However, upon arrival my suspicions were confirmed as it was by far the driest I had seen.
Whilst making images at the base of the now dry Folsom Lake reservoir I was asked by a local lady walking her dog what I was doing. When I told her I was documenting the drought and water levels she appeared confused and said;
“Will they not just fill the lake up again?”
I asked her where she thought the water came from and the fact that there was no water left to fill to lake. She was also unaware that her drinking water came from the reservoir.
This was just one of the many examples of how the media had held back on how serious conditions had become. One only had to look at the amount of shrubs and grasses that had been growing in the base of the lake to know it had been dry for some time. But for people walking their dogs it was quite normal and not something to be concerned about.
Although quite shocking to behold the ‘almost’ empty reservoirs of California and the realisation that once these were empty there would be more water. The biggest eye opener for me was photographing the farming areas of California; in particular those located Kern County. This was not something I had planned to document in detail, but it became, what I consider, the most important part of the project.
80 percent of California’s water consumption comes from watering food crops. Farmers who had relied on as much water as they needed from the government had now being told they would receive no more water. This has in effect created a scene like the dust bowl of the 1920’s great depression. Crops that notoriously needed a lot of water to produce, in particular Almonds, are now suffering greatly although the knock on effect in the market place has yet to be seen.
The importance of documenting the drought now seemed more important than ever and I was reminded that people are more likely to believe something if they can actually see it.
Although I had set out in a somewhat subtle manner, I could not but help make the more obvious imagery I was originally trying to avoid. There were, and still are many examples of Virtual Water I would of liked to have tackled in more depth, in particular Bushfires and Food Production.
In the last two years, as the land becomes even drier with extended temperatures into the autumn months, bushfires have also become more frequent and harder to control. The relevant images in the Virtual Water project were made in Malibu along the Pacific Coast Highway. It is the first time they have had bush fires in this area of California. The flames moved fast and even jumped the width of the road (approximately 50ft). Bushfires were something I had not even considered relating to the drought and it was only by chance that I happened to be in the area at the time with my camera.
Although I had researched food production, in particular the water footprint used to produce certain foods such as beef. I realised the subject was too great to tackle along side my other subjects. I did however begin with the city of Vernon located five miles south of downtown Los Angeles. Despite its population of 112 and being the smallest of any incorporated city in the state (5.2 sq miles), it has the highest water consumption in California. This is mainly due to the city being almost entirely made up of food processing factories. This is a subject I may well indeed return to in more depth at a later date.
Bottled Water
It is shocking to think although most of California has free flowing clean water straight from the tap Americans still spend hundreds of dollars a year on bottled water. Most Americans claim that bottled water must be better and cleaner because ‘they are paying more for it.’ (Bottled water has a mark-up of 99 percent) Little do most know that the source of their bottled water is often the same as their tap water.
Many attempts have been made to introduce alternative measures regarding drinking water, but a huge percentage of Californians are sticking with the bottle claiming that recycled water is dirty (although often cleaner once fully processed), and desalination (the process of processing drinking water from sea water) is too expensive and bad tasting.
I have come to realise that the water bottling industry, which is worth billions of dollars a year, has monopolized the water industry convincing Americans that bottled water is the only solution.
Conclusion
Although the initial lack of rain and snowfall has created the worst drought in more than a century, it is now my understanding that irresponsible water management has created most of the problems associated with drought in California. Other countries with less rainfall and longer drought periods have resorted to recycled and desalination with great success. In California golf courses continue to waste millions of gallons a day, while people choose to drink bottled water sourced directly from low-level reservoirs. Water is not recycled in any form and almost all towns in California have an unlimited, un-metered water supply.
I feel like I have only cracked the surface of what is a huge subject with many sub sections and things I simply had no idea about concerning water consumption in the USA. With this in mind I see the project as a tool for raising awareness, not only in the over consumption of water, but mass consumption in general.
Rather than a completed series of images, I see the Virtual Water Photographic Project as the beginning of something much bigger. I plan to continue finding new and important project research material and hopefully raise awareness regarding one of the Earths most precious resources. - See more at: http://www.rps.org/technical/gallery?a=%7B3B70C1C2-5CF5-4AE0-AE25-88682217C699%7D#sthash.xpBPdK5k.dpuf
VIRTUAL WATER PHOTOGRAPHY PROJECT -FINAL PROJECT REPORT - MARCUS DOYLE
From the onset I knew documenting California’s current drought would be no easy task. The sheer vastness of the state meant that I could only pick out certain key areas in what would be a relatively short space of time.
Prior to my trip I had mapped out what I called, The Drought Loop. Starting from Palm Springs I would work my way north through the desert to the direct source of California’s main water supplies in the form of lakes and reservoirs. From there I would travel back along the coast and through the farmland areas of the Kern Valley finishing in Los Angeles.
This final report is based on my four week journey.
My proposed project to document the ongoing drought in California began in Palm Springs, located within the Cochella Valley region of Western California.
Although I had originally planned on shooting the images in July through August, little appeared to have changed. It was still very hot, and of course, very dry with an average temperature of 105 degrees.
Unlike other parts of the USA the golf courses and outdoor leisure activities in Palm Springs continue throughout autumn and the winter months due to the warmer temperatures.
Palm Springs has a total of 47 golf courses using millions of gallons water every day. Water (which comes from the Coachella Valley’s groundwater basin) is not recycled in any form and comes from the same source as drinking water with as much as 20 percent evaporating before it is soaked into the ground.
Many of the large ponds within the golf courses had dried up (unlike the swimming pools the pond water is not recycled). Despite this, the watering of the golf lawns continued.
One thing that did stand out was that all the commercial car washes were now closed during the drought although I couldn’t help thinking this was all for show as people would probably wash their cars elsewhere. An empty car wash is easier to spot than a private golf club.
It was easy to see how the drought had affected this area of the west and I soon realised the drought may have been played down from the American media as the conditions were far worse than I had discovered in my research leading up to the trip.
In 2005 I was witness to one of the hottest summers on record in Los Angeles California. For two weeks in August there were stories of people’s dustbins melting in the street and power grids overheating with the overuse of air conditioning units. Some people claimed it was so hot that their thermometer readings did not go high enough, yet on all of the new channels the temperatures were played down. Apparently this happened quite often in an attempt not to cause a mass panic and I was now quite sure that the same had been done regarding the drought.
It was quite clear after three days shooting out of Palm Springs that little had changed to combat the ongoing effects of the Californian drought now in its third year.
Joshua T National Park.
In the first instance it would seem odd to be documenting the effects of a drought in the desert. But these delicate eco systems are often the first to be effected by severe lack of water.
At Joshua Tree National Park, east of Los Angeles, the last decade was the hottest on record. Trees at the park have been able to survive because their roots are capable of finding water deep in the desert ground. But there are indications that rising temperatures and a drought may have dried out their water source.
Upon arrival into the park little seemed to have changed from my last trip there in the summer of 2014. However, upon closer inspection many more of the Joshua Trees appeared to charcoal black and limp. This was not, as one would imagine caused by fire, but lack of water. The tree (a member of the Yucca Palm family) survives by holding water in its trunk. If there is no water the tree turns black and is unable to support itself. But this is not the only problem for the Joshua Tree as animals native to the area have begun to gnaw at the base of the trees in a desperate attempt to obtain water, in turn killing the tree. As the park is the only place in the world where Joshua Trees grow, it is a very real concern for the trees survival.
The Salton Sea
The Salton Sea is an area I am most familiar with. Although I had spent a lot of time there in the past producing the Thursdays by The Sea project in 2008, I thought it was important to revisit the site all be it with a different outlook.
Although I had read that the area was undergoing extensive rejuvenation, I actually found the area to be more decayed looking than before. This however was partly due to the fact that the sea itself had shrunk by almost a third in size (due to evaporation) revealing more of the now heavily decayed town it once covered in the 80’s flood. . Although polluted, the source of the sea is used for crop irrigation and fishing as well as water sports, but for such a small town dependant on this crude water source this shortage had caused obvious problems in this already blighted area of California. It now seemed that the Salton Sea was past the point of no return.
It was not just the gold rush that left many small towns part or uninhabited. Many of today's ghost towns are the result of their main water supply being 'diverted' to larger cities like Los Angeles. The town of Keeler located between the edge of Death Valley and Owens Lake is a good example.
Owens Dry Lake
Although classed as a dry lake, Owens Lake it has always contained water up until a few years ago. As the lake water diminished dust from the lake caused the highest level of dust pollution in the U.S. carried by strong winds across the state. This became such a problem that in 2013 engineering work began in an attempt to control the dust problem. Salt Grass is currently being planted across the whole of the lakebed in a project that will take two years to complete. The grass is irrigated with fresh water and cattle have been introduced to keep the grass at a manageable level.
Although the Salt Grass is said to control the dust problem, excess water usage is now in full swing to feed cattle and grass within an area of very limited water supply.
A few miles away, the town of Lone Pine has one of the highest water restrictions in the state with each home metered (unlike many small towns in the west). Despite this, the Crystal Geyser water-bottling plant is located just a few miles away and is the only bottled water available in Lone Pine which retails at 99 cents for a 1.25 liter bottle. The company claims to bottle their water direct from the source although it is unclear where their exact source is.
Death Valley
Death Valley National Park normally gets about 2 inches of rain each year. The mountains that buffer the valley cause drought conditions by inhibiting storm movement, which weakens storms before they reach the valley, and this results in less rain. Given that the annual evaporation rate, or evaporation potential, is about 150 inches of water, a deficit of nearly 148 inches a year results. Thus, Death Valley National Park earns its notoriety as the “hottest, driest place in North America.”
Because Death Valley is so dry, the water consumption level is much higher. This prompted the Xanterra Resort Group to cut back on its water consumption for the 18 hole golf course at Furnace Creek by 35 million gallons a year simply be relocating and decreasing its course irrigation. Despite this, I was shocked to see how much water the course green needed, as the sprinklers were more like water canons.
Panamint Springs is the highest point in Death Valley. Its water supply is solely from Darwin Falls, a fifteenth minute drive and one of the very few natural sources of water in the valley. I was told the Falls had run dry over six months ago. Water was now being diverted from the same source as Furnace Creek during the holiday season, which runs from October to April.
Reservoirs
For the final leg of my journey I wanted to head straight to the source of California's water supply and headed north to photograph the reservoirs and lakes.
As most of California's water comes from ground water, the reservoirs are a good indicator of how much water the state actually has left. Once these lakes are empty, the only other option is to move onto another.
My first port of call was San Luis Opisbo, easily the most photogenic of all the Californian reservoirs. The low level of the lake had made way for a nice series of images, which would not of been possible if the lake was full. Although quite a dark subject matter, it was always my intention to make appealing imagery so as to draw people in.
Because the drought in California has been so widely photographed, especially in regards to the reservoirs, it was important for me to approach my subject matter in a different way.
Throughout my research I was constantly finding images of the reservoirs throughout California. Although a necessary part of the project I wanted to photograph these in a different way that was already shown (mainly shot form the air). My idea was to photograph the dry parts of the reservoirs from ground level. This would hopefully give a better idea of how the drought was affecting its surroundings. As a result, the images I came away with looked more like a desert setting, than any reservoir.
Lake San Antonio is located South of King City CA and is a popular destination for water-based activities. Like Palm Springs, the current conditions had a huge effect on leisure and tourism activities. Of all the reservoirs I had researched, this appeared to be the one most covered in news stories. Boats appeared run aground and jetty’s looked like they were stuck in the mud. It was as if the tide had gone out. However,
Of all the reservoirs I visited, Lake Folsom looked to be the most effected by the drought. At the time of shooting the lake was apparently only at 15 percent, although their was some debate over this as the locals claimed it was 25 percent and that the levels went up and down all the time. However, upon arrival my suspicions were confirmed as it was by far the driest I had seen.
Whilst making images at the base of the now dry Folsom Lake reservoir I was asked by a local lady walking her dog what I was doing. When I told her I was documenting the drought and water levels she appeared confused and said;
“Will they not just fill the lake up again?”
I asked her where she thought the water came from and the fact that there was no water left to fill to lake. She was also unaware that her drinking water came from the reservoir.
This was just one of the many examples of how the media had held back on how serious conditions had become. One only had to look at the amount of shrubs and grasses that had been growing in the base of the lake to know it had been dry for some time. But for people walking their dogs it was quite normal and not something to be concerned about.
Although quite shocking to behold the ‘almost’ empty reservoirs of California and the realisation that once these were empty there would be more water. The biggest eye opener for me was photographing the farming areas of California; in particular those located Kern County. This was not something I had planned to document in detail, but it became, what I consider, the most important part of the project.
80 percent of California’s water consumption comes from watering food crops. Farmers who had relied on as much water as they needed from the government had now being told they would receive no more water. This has in effect created a scene like the dust bowl of the 1920’s great depression. Crops that notoriously needed a lot of water to produce, in particular Almonds, are now suffering greatly although the knock on effect in the market place has yet to be seen.
The importance of documenting the drought now seemed more important than ever and I was reminded that people are more likely to believe something if they can actually see it.
Although I had set out in a somewhat subtle manner, I could not but help make the more obvious imagery I was originally trying to avoid. There were, and still are many examples of Virtual Water I would of liked to have tackled in more depth, in particular Bushfires and Food Production.
In the last two years, as the land becomes even drier with extended temperatures into the autumn months, bushfires have also become more frequent and harder to control. The relevant images in the Virtual Water project were made in Malibu along the Pacific Coast Highway. It is the first time they have had bush fires in this area of California. The flames moved fast and even jumped the width of the road (approximately 50ft). Bushfires were something I had not even considered relating to the drought and it was only by chance that I happened to be in the area at the time with my camera.
Although I had researched food production, in particular the water footprint used to produce certain foods such as beef. I realised the subject was too great to tackle along side my other subjects. I did however begin with the city of Vernon located five miles south of downtown Los Angeles. Despite its population of 112 and being the smallest of any incorporated city in the state (5.2 sq miles), it has the highest water consumption in California. This is mainly due to the city being almost entirely made up of food processing factories. This is a subject I may well indeed return to in more depth at a later date.
Bottled Water
It is shocking to think although most of California has free flowing clean water straight from the tap Americans still spend hundreds of dollars a year on bottled water. Most Americans claim that bottled water must be better and cleaner because ‘they are paying more for it.’ (Bottled water has a mark-up of 99 percent) Little do most know that the source of their bottled water is often the same as their tap water.
Many attempts have been made to introduce alternative measures regarding drinking water, but a huge percentage of Californians are sticking with the bottle claiming that recycled water is dirty (although often cleaner once fully processed), and desalination (the process of processing drinking water from sea water) is too expensive and bad tasting.
I have come to realise that the water bottling industry, which is worth billions of dollars a year, has monopolized the water industry convincing Americans that bottled water is the only solution.
Conclusion
Although the initial lack of rain and snowfall has created the worst drought in more than a century, it is now my understanding that irresponsible water management has created most of the problems associated with drought in California. Other countries with less rainfall and longer drought periods have resorted to recycled and desalination with great success. In California golf courses continue to waste millions of gallons a day, while people choose to drink bottled water sourced directly from low-level reservoirs. Water is not recycled in any form and almost all towns in California have an unlimited, un-metered water supply.
I feel like I have only cracked the surface of what is a huge subject with many sub sections and things I simply had no idea about concerning water consumption in the USA. With this in mind I see the project as a tool for raising awareness, not only in the over consumption of water, but mass consumption in general.
Rather than a completed series of images, I see the Virtual Water Photographic Project as the beginning of something much bigger. I plan to continue finding new and important project research material and hopefully raise awareness regarding one of the Earths most precious resources. - See more at: http://www.rps.org/technical/gallery?a=%7B3B70C1C2-5CF5-4AE0-AE25-88682217C699%7D#sthash.xpBPdK5k.dpuf
From the onset I knew documenting California’s current drought would be no easy task. The sheer vastness of the state meant that I could only pick out certain key areas in what would be a relatively short space of time.
Prior to my trip I had mapped out what I called, The Drought Loop. Starting from Palm Springs I would work my way north through the desert to the direct source of California’s main water supplies in the form of lakes and reservoirs. From there I would travel back along the coast and through the farmland areas of the Kern Valley finishing in Los Angeles.
This final report is based on my four week journey.
My proposed project to document the ongoing drought in California began in Palm Springs, located within the Cochella Valley region of Western California.
Although I had originally planned on shooting the images in July through August, little appeared to have changed. It was still very hot, and of course, very dry with an average temperature of 105 degrees.
Unlike other parts of the USA the golf courses and outdoor leisure activities in Palm Springs continue throughout autumn and the winter months due to the warmer temperatures.
Palm Springs has a total of 47 golf courses using millions of gallons water every day. Water (which comes from the Coachella Valley’s groundwater basin) is not recycled in any form and comes from the same source as drinking water with as much as 20 percent evaporating before it is soaked into the ground.
Many of the large ponds within the golf courses had dried up (unlike the swimming pools the pond water is not recycled). Despite this, the watering of the golf lawns continued.
One thing that did stand out was that all the commercial car washes were now closed during the drought although I couldn’t help thinking this was all for show as people would probably wash their cars elsewhere. An empty car wash is easier to spot than a private golf club.
It was easy to see how the drought had affected this area of the west and I soon realised the drought may have been played down from the American media as the conditions were far worse than I had discovered in my research leading up to the trip.
In 2005 I was witness to one of the hottest summers on record in Los Angeles California. For two weeks in August there were stories of people’s dustbins melting in the street and power grids overheating with the overuse of air conditioning units. Some people claimed it was so hot that their thermometer readings did not go high enough, yet on all of the new channels the temperatures were played down. Apparently this happened quite often in an attempt not to cause a mass panic and I was now quite sure that the same had been done regarding the drought.
It was quite clear after three days shooting out of Palm Springs that little had changed to combat the ongoing effects of the Californian drought now in its third year.
Joshua T National Park.
In the first instance it would seem odd to be documenting the effects of a drought in the desert. But these delicate eco systems are often the first to be effected by severe lack of water.
At Joshua Tree National Park, east of Los Angeles, the last decade was the hottest on record. Trees at the park have been able to survive because their roots are capable of finding water deep in the desert ground. But there are indications that rising temperatures and a drought may have dried out their water source.
Upon arrival into the park little seemed to have changed from my last trip there in the summer of 2014. However, upon closer inspection many more of the Joshua Trees appeared to charcoal black and limp. This was not, as one would imagine caused by fire, but lack of water. The tree (a member of the Yucca Palm family) survives by holding water in its trunk. If there is no water the tree turns black and is unable to support itself. But this is not the only problem for the Joshua Tree as animals native to the area have begun to gnaw at the base of the trees in a desperate attempt to obtain water, in turn killing the tree. As the park is the only place in the world where Joshua Trees grow, it is a very real concern for the trees survival.
The Salton Sea
The Salton Sea is an area I am most familiar with. Although I had spent a lot of time there in the past producing the Thursdays by The Sea project in 2008, I thought it was important to revisit the site all be it with a different outlook.
Although I had read that the area was undergoing extensive rejuvenation, I actually found the area to be more decayed looking than before. This however was partly due to the fact that the sea itself had shrunk by almost a third in size (due to evaporation) revealing more of the now heavily decayed town it once covered in the 80’s flood. . Although polluted, the source of the sea is used for crop irrigation and fishing as well as water sports, but for such a small town dependant on this crude water source this shortage had caused obvious problems in this already blighted area of California. It now seemed that the Salton Sea was past the point of no return.
It was not just the gold rush that left many small towns part or uninhabited. Many of today's ghost towns are the result of their main water supply being 'diverted' to larger cities like Los Angeles. The town of Keeler located between the edge of Death Valley and Owens Lake is a good example.
Owens Dry Lake
Although classed as a dry lake, Owens Lake it has always contained water up until a few years ago. As the lake water diminished dust from the lake caused the highest level of dust pollution in the U.S. carried by strong winds across the state. This became such a problem that in 2013 engineering work began in an attempt to control the dust problem. Salt Grass is currently being planted across the whole of the lakebed in a project that will take two years to complete. The grass is irrigated with fresh water and cattle have been introduced to keep the grass at a manageable level.
Although the Salt Grass is said to control the dust problem, excess water usage is now in full swing to feed cattle and grass within an area of very limited water supply.
A few miles away, the town of Lone Pine has one of the highest water restrictions in the state with each home metered (unlike many small towns in the west). Despite this, the Crystal Geyser water-bottling plant is located just a few miles away and is the only bottled water available in Lone Pine which retails at 99 cents for a 1.25 liter bottle. The company claims to bottle their water direct from the source although it is unclear where their exact source is.
Death Valley
Death Valley National Park normally gets about 2 inches of rain each year. The mountains that buffer the valley cause drought conditions by inhibiting storm movement, which weakens storms before they reach the valley, and this results in less rain. Given that the annual evaporation rate, or evaporation potential, is about 150 inches of water, a deficit of nearly 148 inches a year results. Thus, Death Valley National Park earns its notoriety as the “hottest, driest place in North America.”
Because Death Valley is so dry, the water consumption level is much higher. This prompted the Xanterra Resort Group to cut back on its water consumption for the 18 hole golf course at Furnace Creek by 35 million gallons a year simply be relocating and decreasing its course irrigation. Despite this, I was shocked to see how much water the course green needed, as the sprinklers were more like water canons.
Panamint Springs is the highest point in Death Valley. Its water supply is solely from Darwin Falls, a fifteenth minute drive and one of the very few natural sources of water in the valley. I was told the Falls had run dry over six months ago. Water was now being diverted from the same source as Furnace Creek during the holiday season, which runs from October to April.
Reservoirs
For the final leg of my journey I wanted to head straight to the source of California's water supply and headed north to photograph the reservoirs and lakes.
As most of California's water comes from ground water, the reservoirs are a good indicator of how much water the state actually has left. Once these lakes are empty, the only other option is to move onto another.
My first port of call was San Luis Opisbo, easily the most photogenic of all the Californian reservoirs. The low level of the lake had made way for a nice series of images, which would not of been possible if the lake was full. Although quite a dark subject matter, it was always my intention to make appealing imagery so as to draw people in.
Because the drought in California has been so widely photographed, especially in regards to the reservoirs, it was important for me to approach my subject matter in a different way.
Throughout my research I was constantly finding images of the reservoirs throughout California. Although a necessary part of the project I wanted to photograph these in a different way that was already shown (mainly shot form the air). My idea was to photograph the dry parts of the reservoirs from ground level. This would hopefully give a better idea of how the drought was affecting its surroundings. As a result, the images I came away with looked more like a desert setting, than any reservoir.
Lake San Antonio is located South of King City CA and is a popular destination for water-based activities. Like Palm Springs, the current conditions had a huge effect on leisure and tourism activities. Of all the reservoirs I had researched, this appeared to be the one most covered in news stories. Boats appeared run aground and jetty’s looked like they were stuck in the mud. It was as if the tide had gone out. However,
Of all the reservoirs I visited, Lake Folsom looked to be the most effected by the drought. At the time of shooting the lake was apparently only at 15 percent, although their was some debate over this as the locals claimed it was 25 percent and that the levels went up and down all the time. However, upon arrival my suspicions were confirmed as it was by far the driest I had seen.
Whilst making images at the base of the now dry Folsom Lake reservoir I was asked by a local lady walking her dog what I was doing. When I told her I was documenting the drought and water levels she appeared confused and said;
“Will they not just fill the lake up again?”
I asked her where she thought the water came from and the fact that there was no water left to fill to lake. She was also unaware that her drinking water came from the reservoir.
This was just one of the many examples of how the media had held back on how serious conditions had become. One only had to look at the amount of shrubs and grasses that had been growing in the base of the lake to know it had been dry for some time. But for people walking their dogs it was quite normal and not something to be concerned about.
Although quite shocking to behold the ‘almost’ empty reservoirs of California and the realisation that once these were empty there would be more water. The biggest eye opener for me was photographing the farming areas of California; in particular those located Kern County. This was not something I had planned to document in detail, but it became, what I consider, the most important part of the project.
80 percent of California’s water consumption comes from watering food crops. Farmers who had relied on as much water as they needed from the government had now being told they would receive no more water. This has in effect created a scene like the dust bowl of the 1920’s great depression. Crops that notoriously needed a lot of water to produce, in particular Almonds, are now suffering greatly although the knock on effect in the market place has yet to be seen.
The importance of documenting the drought now seemed more important than ever and I was reminded that people are more likely to believe something if they can actually see it.
Although I had set out in a somewhat subtle manner, I could not but help make the more obvious imagery I was originally trying to avoid. There were, and still are many examples of Virtual Water I would of liked to have tackled in more depth, in particular Bushfires and Food Production.
In the last two years, as the land becomes even drier with extended temperatures into the autumn months, bushfires have also become more frequent and harder to control. The relevant images in the Virtual Water project were made in Malibu along the Pacific Coast Highway. It is the first time they have had bush fires in this area of California. The flames moved fast and even jumped the width of the road (approximately 50ft). Bushfires were something I had not even considered relating to the drought and it was only by chance that I happened to be in the area at the time with my camera.
Although I had researched food production, in particular the water footprint used to produce certain foods such as beef. I realised the subject was too great to tackle along side my other subjects. I did however begin with the city of Vernon located five miles south of downtown Los Angeles. Despite its population of 112 and being the smallest of any incorporated city in the state (5.2 sq miles), it has the highest water consumption in California. This is mainly due to the city being almost entirely made up of food processing factories. This is a subject I may well indeed return to in more depth at a later date.
Bottled Water
It is shocking to think although most of California has free flowing clean water straight from the tap Americans still spend hundreds of dollars a year on bottled water. Most Americans claim that bottled water must be better and cleaner because ‘they are paying more for it.’ (Bottled water has a mark-up of 99 percent) Little do most know that the source of their bottled water is often the same as their tap water.
Many attempts have been made to introduce alternative measures regarding drinking water, but a huge percentage of Californians are sticking with the bottle claiming that recycled water is dirty (although often cleaner once fully processed), and desalination (the process of processing drinking water from sea water) is too expensive and bad tasting.
I have come to realise that the water bottling industry, which is worth billions of dollars a year, has monopolized the water industry convincing Americans that bottled water is the only solution.
Conclusion
Although the initial lack of rain and snowfall has created the worst drought in more than a century, it is now my understanding that irresponsible water management has created most of the problems associated with drought in California. Other countries with less rainfall and longer drought periods have resorted to recycled and desalination with great success. In California golf courses continue to waste millions of gallons a day, while people choose to drink bottled water sourced directly from low-level reservoirs. Water is not recycled in any form and almost all towns in California have an unlimited, un-metered water supply.
I feel like I have only cracked the surface of what is a huge subject with many sub sections and things I simply had no idea about concerning water consumption in the USA. With this in mind I see the project as a tool for raising awareness, not only in the over consumption of water, but mass consumption in general.
Rather than a completed series of images, I see the Virtual Water Photographic Project as the beginning of something much bigger. I plan to continue finding new and important project research material and hopefully raise awareness regarding one of the Earths most precious resources. - See more at: http://www.rps.org/technical/gallery?a=%7B3B70C1C2-5CF5-4AE0-AE25-88682217C699%7D#sthash.xpBPdK5k.dpuf
VIRTUAL WATER PHOTOGRAPHY PROJECT -FINAL PROJECT REPORT - MARCUS DOYLE
From the onset I knew documenting California’s current drought would be no easy task. The sheer vastness of the state meant that I could only pick out certain key areas in what would be a relatively short space of time.
Prior to my trip I had mapped out what I called, The Drought Loop. Starting from Palm Springs I would work my way north through the desert to the direct source of California’s main water supplies in the form of lakes and reservoirs. From there I would travel back along the coast and through the farmland areas of the Kern Valley finishing in Los Angeles.
This final report is based on my four week journey.
My proposed project to document the ongoing drought in California began in Palm Springs, located within the Cochella Valley region of Western California.
Although I had originally planned on shooting the images in July through August, little appeared to have changed. It was still very hot, and of course, very dry with an average temperature of 105 degrees.
Unlike other parts of the USA the golf courses and outdoor leisure activities in Palm Springs continue throughout autumn and the winter months due to the warmer temperatures.
Palm Springs has a total of 47 golf courses using millions of gallons water every day. Water (which comes from the Coachella Valley’s groundwater basin) is not recycled in any form and comes from the same source as drinking water with as much as 20 percent evaporating before it is soaked into the ground.
Many of the large ponds within the golf courses had dried up (unlike the swimming pools the pond water is not recycled). Despite this, the watering of the golf lawns continued.
One thing that did stand out was that all the commercial car washes were now closed during the drought although I couldn’t help thinking this was all for show as people would probably wash their cars elsewhere. An empty car wash is easier to spot than a private golf club.
It was easy to see how the drought had affected this area of the west and I soon realised the drought may have been played down from the American media as the conditions were far worse than I had discovered in my research leading up to the trip.
In 2005 I was witness to one of the hottest summers on record in Los Angeles California. For two weeks in August there were stories of people’s dustbins melting in the street and power grids overheating with the overuse of air conditioning units. Some people claimed it was so hot that their thermometer readings did not go high enough, yet on all of the new channels the temperatures were played down. Apparently this happened quite often in an attempt not to cause a mass panic and I was now quite sure that the same had been done regarding the drought.
It was quite clear after three days shooting out of Palm Springs that little had changed to combat the ongoing effects of the Californian drought now in its third year.
Joshua T National Park.
In the first instance it would seem odd to be documenting the effects of a drought in the desert. But these delicate eco systems are often the first to be effected by severe lack of water.
At Joshua Tree National Park, east of Los Angeles, the last decade was the hottest on record. Trees at the park have been able to survive because their roots are capable of finding water deep in the desert ground. But there are indications that rising temperatures and a drought may have dried out their water source.
Upon arrival into the park little seemed to have changed from my last trip there in the summer of 2014. However, upon closer inspection many more of the Joshua Trees appeared to charcoal black and limp. This was not, as one would imagine caused by fire, but lack of water. The tree (a member of the Yucca Palm family) survives by holding water in its trunk. If there is no water the tree turns black and is unable to support itself. But this is not the only problem for the Joshua Tree as animals native to the area have begun to gnaw at the base of the trees in a desperate attempt to obtain water, in turn killing the tree. As the park is the only place in the world where Joshua Trees grow, it is a very real concern for the trees survival.
The Salton Sea
The Salton Sea is an area I am most familiar with. Although I had spent a lot of time there in the past producing the Thursdays by The Sea project in 2008, I thought it was important to revisit the site all be it with a different outlook.
Although I had read that the area was undergoing extensive rejuvenation, I actually found the area to be more decayed looking than before. This however was partly due to the fact that the sea itself had shrunk by almost a third in size (due to evaporation) revealing more of the now heavily decayed town it once covered in the 80’s flood. . Although polluted, the source of the sea is used for crop irrigation and fishing as well as water sports, but for such a small town dependant on this crude water source this shortage had caused obvious problems in this already blighted area of California. It now seemed that the Salton Sea was past the point of no return.
It was not just the gold rush that left many small towns part or uninhabited. Many of today's ghost towns are the result of their main water supply being 'diverted' to larger cities like Los Angeles. The town of Keeler located between the edge of Death Valley and Owens Lake is a good example.
Owens Dry Lake
Although classed as a dry lake, Owens Lake it has always contained water up until a few years ago. As the lake water diminished dust from the lake caused the highest level of dust pollution in the U.S. carried by strong winds across the state. This became such a problem that in 2013 engineering work began in an attempt to control the dust problem. Salt Grass is currently being planted across the whole of the lakebed in a project that will take two years to complete. The grass is irrigated with fresh water and cattle have been introduced to keep the grass at a manageable level.
Although the Salt Grass is said to control the dust problem, excess water usage is now in full swing to feed cattle and grass within an area of very limited water supply.
A few miles away, the town of Lone Pine has one of the highest water restrictions in the state with each home metered (unlike many small towns in the west). Despite this, the Crystal Geyser water-bottling plant is located just a few miles away and is the only bottled water available in Lone Pine which retails at 99 cents for a 1.25 liter bottle. The company claims to bottle their water direct from the source although it is unclear where their exact source is.
Death Valley
Death Valley National Park normally gets about 2 inches of rain each year. The mountains that buffer the valley cause drought conditions by inhibiting storm movement, which weakens storms before they reach the valley, and this results in less rain. Given that the annual evaporation rate, or evaporation potential, is about 150 inches of water, a deficit of nearly 148 inches a year results. Thus, Death Valley National Park earns its notoriety as the “hottest, driest place in North America.”
Because Death Valley is so dry, the water consumption level is much higher. This prompted the Xanterra Resort Group to cut back on its water consumption for the 18 hole golf course at Furnace Creek by 35 million gallons a year simply be relocating and decreasing its course irrigation. Despite this, I was shocked to see how much water the course green needed, as the sprinklers were more like water canons.
Panamint Springs is the highest point in Death Valley. Its water supply is solely from Darwin Falls, a fifteenth minute drive and one of the very few natural sources of water in the valley. I was told the Falls had run dry over six months ago. Water was now being diverted from the same source as Furnace Creek during the holiday season, which runs from October to April.
Reservoirs
For the final leg of my journey I wanted to head straight to the source of California's water supply and headed north to photograph the reservoirs and lakes.
As most of California's water comes from ground water, the reservoirs are a good indicator of how much water the state actually has left. Once these lakes are empty, the only other option is to move onto another.
My first port of call was San Luis Opisbo, easily the most photogenic of all the Californian reservoirs. The low level of the lake had made way for a nice series of images, which would not of been possible if the lake was full. Although quite a dark subject matter, it was always my intention to make appealing imagery so as to draw people in.
Because the drought in California has been so widely photographed, especially in regards to the reservoirs, it was important for me to approach my subject matter in a different way.
Throughout my research I was constantly finding images of the reservoirs throughout California. Although a necessary part of the project I wanted to photograph these in a different way that was already shown (mainly shot form the air). My idea was to photograph the dry parts of the reservoirs from ground level. This would hopefully give a better idea of how the drought was affecting its surroundings. As a result, the images I came away with looked more like a desert setting, than any reservoir.
Lake San Antonio is located South of King City CA and is a popular destination for water-based activities. Like Palm Springs, the current conditions had a huge effect on leisure and tourism activities. Of all the reservoirs I had researched, this appeared to be the one most covered in news stories. Boats appeared run aground and jetty’s looked like they were stuck in the mud. It was as if the tide had gone out. However,
Of all the reservoirs I visited, Lake Folsom looked to be the most effected by the drought. At the time of shooting the lake was apparently only at 15 percent, although their was some debate over this as the locals claimed it was 25 percent and that the levels went up and down all the time. However, upon arrival my suspicions were confirmed as it was by far the driest I had seen.
Whilst making images at the base of the now dry Folsom Lake reservoir I was asked by a local lady walking her dog what I was doing. When I told her I was documenting the drought and water levels she appeared confused and said;
“Will they not just fill the lake up again?”
I asked her where she thought the water came from and the fact that there was no water left to fill to lake. She was also unaware that her drinking water came from the reservoir.
This was just one of the many examples of how the media had held back on how serious conditions had become. One only had to look at the amount of shrubs and grasses that had been growing in the base of the lake to know it had been dry for some time. But for people walking their dogs it was quite normal and not something to be concerned about.
Although quite shocking to behold the ‘almost’ empty reservoirs of California and the realisation that once these were empty there would be more water. The biggest eye opener for me was photographing the farming areas of California; in particular those located Kern County. This was not something I had planned to document in detail, but it became, what I consider, the most important part of the project.
80 percent of California’s water consumption comes from watering food crops. Farmers who had relied on as much water as they needed from the government had now being told they would receive no more water. This has in effect created a scene like the dust bowl of the 1920’s great depression. Crops that notoriously needed a lot of water to produce, in particular Almonds, are now suffering greatly although the knock on effect in the market place has yet to be seen.
The importance of documenting the drought now seemed more important than ever and I was reminded that people are more likely to believe something if they can actually see it.
Although I had set out in a somewhat subtle manner, I could not but help make the more obvious imagery I was originally trying to avoid. There were, and still are many examples of Virtual Water I would of liked to have tackled in more depth, in particular Bushfires and Food Production.
In the last two years, as the land becomes even drier with extended temperatures into the autumn months, bushfires have also become more frequent and harder to control. The relevant images in the Virtual Water project were made in Malibu along the Pacific Coast Highway. It is the first time they have had bush fires in this area of California. The flames moved fast and even jumped the width of the road (approximately 50ft). Bushfires were something I had not even considered relating to the drought and it was only by chance that I happened to be in the area at the time with my camera.
Although I had researched food production, in particular the water footprint used to produce certain foods such as beef. I realised the subject was too great to tackle along side my other subjects. I did however begin with the city of Vernon located five miles south of downtown Los Angeles. Despite its population of 112 and being the smallest of any incorporated city in the state (5.2 sq miles), it has the highest water consumption in California. This is mainly due to the city being almost entirely made up of food processing factories. This is a subject I may well indeed return to in more depth at a later date.
Bottled Water
It is shocking to think although most of California has free flowing clean water straight from the tap Americans still spend hundreds of dollars a year on bottled water. Most Americans claim that bottled water must be better and cleaner because ‘they are paying more for it.’ (Bottled water has a mark-up of 99 percent) Little do most know that the source of their bottled water is often the same as their tap water.
Many attempts have been made to introduce alternative measures regarding drinking water, but a huge percentage of Californians are sticking with the bottle claiming that recycled water is dirty (although often cleaner once fully processed), and desalination (the process of processing drinking water from sea water) is too expensive and bad tasting.
I have come to realise that the water bottling industry, which is worth billions of dollars a year, has monopolized the water industry convincing Americans that bottled water is the only solution.
Conclusion
Although the initial lack of rain and snowfall has created the worst drought in more than a century, it is now my understanding that irresponsible water management has created most of the problems associated with drought in California. Other countries with less rainfall and longer drought periods have resorted to recycled and desalination with great success. In California golf courses continue to waste millions of gallons a day, while people choose to drink bottled water sourced directly from low-level reservoirs. Water is not recycled in any form and almost all towns in California have an unlimited, un-metered water supply.
I feel like I have only cracked the surface of what is a huge subject with many sub sections and things I simply had no idea about concerning water consumption in the USA. With this in mind I see the project as a tool for raising awareness, not only in the over consumption of water, but mass consumption in general.
Rather than a completed series of images, I see the Virtual Water Photographic Project as the beginning of something much bigger. I plan to continue finding new and important project research material and hopefully raise awareness regarding one of the Earths most precious resources. - See more at: http://www.rps.org/technical/gallery?a=%7B3B70C1C2-5CF5-4AE0-AE25-88682217C699%7D#sthash.xpBPdK5k.dpuf
From the onset I knew documenting California’s current drought would be no easy task. The sheer vastness of the state meant that I could only pick out certain key areas in what would be a relatively short space of time.
Prior to my trip I had mapped out what I called, The Drought Loop. Starting from Palm Springs I would work my way north through the desert to the direct source of California’s main water supplies in the form of lakes and reservoirs. From there I would travel back along the coast and through the farmland areas of the Kern Valley finishing in Los Angeles.
This final report is based on my four week journey.
My proposed project to document the ongoing drought in California began in Palm Springs, located within the Cochella Valley region of Western California.
Although I had originally planned on shooting the images in July through August, little appeared to have changed. It was still very hot, and of course, very dry with an average temperature of 105 degrees.
Unlike other parts of the USA the golf courses and outdoor leisure activities in Palm Springs continue throughout autumn and the winter months due to the warmer temperatures.
Palm Springs has a total of 47 golf courses using millions of gallons water every day. Water (which comes from the Coachella Valley’s groundwater basin) is not recycled in any form and comes from the same source as drinking water with as much as 20 percent evaporating before it is soaked into the ground.
Many of the large ponds within the golf courses had dried up (unlike the swimming pools the pond water is not recycled). Despite this, the watering of the golf lawns continued.
One thing that did stand out was that all the commercial car washes were now closed during the drought although I couldn’t help thinking this was all for show as people would probably wash their cars elsewhere. An empty car wash is easier to spot than a private golf club.
It was easy to see how the drought had affected this area of the west and I soon realised the drought may have been played down from the American media as the conditions were far worse than I had discovered in my research leading up to the trip.
In 2005 I was witness to one of the hottest summers on record in Los Angeles California. For two weeks in August there were stories of people’s dustbins melting in the street and power grids overheating with the overuse of air conditioning units. Some people claimed it was so hot that their thermometer readings did not go high enough, yet on all of the new channels the temperatures were played down. Apparently this happened quite often in an attempt not to cause a mass panic and I was now quite sure that the same had been done regarding the drought.
It was quite clear after three days shooting out of Palm Springs that little had changed to combat the ongoing effects of the Californian drought now in its third year.
Joshua T National Park.
In the first instance it would seem odd to be documenting the effects of a drought in the desert. But these delicate eco systems are often the first to be effected by severe lack of water.
At Joshua Tree National Park, east of Los Angeles, the last decade was the hottest on record. Trees at the park have been able to survive because their roots are capable of finding water deep in the desert ground. But there are indications that rising temperatures and a drought may have dried out their water source.
Upon arrival into the park little seemed to have changed from my last trip there in the summer of 2014. However, upon closer inspection many more of the Joshua Trees appeared to charcoal black and limp. This was not, as one would imagine caused by fire, but lack of water. The tree (a member of the Yucca Palm family) survives by holding water in its trunk. If there is no water the tree turns black and is unable to support itself. But this is not the only problem for the Joshua Tree as animals native to the area have begun to gnaw at the base of the trees in a desperate attempt to obtain water, in turn killing the tree. As the park is the only place in the world where Joshua Trees grow, it is a very real concern for the trees survival.
The Salton Sea
The Salton Sea is an area I am most familiar with. Although I had spent a lot of time there in the past producing the Thursdays by The Sea project in 2008, I thought it was important to revisit the site all be it with a different outlook.
Although I had read that the area was undergoing extensive rejuvenation, I actually found the area to be more decayed looking than before. This however was partly due to the fact that the sea itself had shrunk by almost a third in size (due to evaporation) revealing more of the now heavily decayed town it once covered in the 80’s flood. . Although polluted, the source of the sea is used for crop irrigation and fishing as well as water sports, but for such a small town dependant on this crude water source this shortage had caused obvious problems in this already blighted area of California. It now seemed that the Salton Sea was past the point of no return.
It was not just the gold rush that left many small towns part or uninhabited. Many of today's ghost towns are the result of their main water supply being 'diverted' to larger cities like Los Angeles. The town of Keeler located between the edge of Death Valley and Owens Lake is a good example.
Owens Dry Lake
Although classed as a dry lake, Owens Lake it has always contained water up until a few years ago. As the lake water diminished dust from the lake caused the highest level of dust pollution in the U.S. carried by strong winds across the state. This became such a problem that in 2013 engineering work began in an attempt to control the dust problem. Salt Grass is currently being planted across the whole of the lakebed in a project that will take two years to complete. The grass is irrigated with fresh water and cattle have been introduced to keep the grass at a manageable level.
Although the Salt Grass is said to control the dust problem, excess water usage is now in full swing to feed cattle and grass within an area of very limited water supply.
A few miles away, the town of Lone Pine has one of the highest water restrictions in the state with each home metered (unlike many small towns in the west). Despite this, the Crystal Geyser water-bottling plant is located just a few miles away and is the only bottled water available in Lone Pine which retails at 99 cents for a 1.25 liter bottle. The company claims to bottle their water direct from the source although it is unclear where their exact source is.
Death Valley
Death Valley National Park normally gets about 2 inches of rain each year. The mountains that buffer the valley cause drought conditions by inhibiting storm movement, which weakens storms before they reach the valley, and this results in less rain. Given that the annual evaporation rate, or evaporation potential, is about 150 inches of water, a deficit of nearly 148 inches a year results. Thus, Death Valley National Park earns its notoriety as the “hottest, driest place in North America.”
Because Death Valley is so dry, the water consumption level is much higher. This prompted the Xanterra Resort Group to cut back on its water consumption for the 18 hole golf course at Furnace Creek by 35 million gallons a year simply be relocating and decreasing its course irrigation. Despite this, I was shocked to see how much water the course green needed, as the sprinklers were more like water canons.
Panamint Springs is the highest point in Death Valley. Its water supply is solely from Darwin Falls, a fifteenth minute drive and one of the very few natural sources of water in the valley. I was told the Falls had run dry over six months ago. Water was now being diverted from the same source as Furnace Creek during the holiday season, which runs from October to April.
Reservoirs
For the final leg of my journey I wanted to head straight to the source of California's water supply and headed north to photograph the reservoirs and lakes.
As most of California's water comes from ground water, the reservoirs are a good indicator of how much water the state actually has left. Once these lakes are empty, the only other option is to move onto another.
My first port of call was San Luis Opisbo, easily the most photogenic of all the Californian reservoirs. The low level of the lake had made way for a nice series of images, which would not of been possible if the lake was full. Although quite a dark subject matter, it was always my intention to make appealing imagery so as to draw people in.
Because the drought in California has been so widely photographed, especially in regards to the reservoirs, it was important for me to approach my subject matter in a different way.
Throughout my research I was constantly finding images of the reservoirs throughout California. Although a necessary part of the project I wanted to photograph these in a different way that was already shown (mainly shot form the air). My idea was to photograph the dry parts of the reservoirs from ground level. This would hopefully give a better idea of how the drought was affecting its surroundings. As a result, the images I came away with looked more like a desert setting, than any reservoir.
Lake San Antonio is located South of King City CA and is a popular destination for water-based activities. Like Palm Springs, the current conditions had a huge effect on leisure and tourism activities. Of all the reservoirs I had researched, this appeared to be the one most covered in news stories. Boats appeared run aground and jetty’s looked like they were stuck in the mud. It was as if the tide had gone out. However,
Of all the reservoirs I visited, Lake Folsom looked to be the most effected by the drought. At the time of shooting the lake was apparently only at 15 percent, although their was some debate over this as the locals claimed it was 25 percent and that the levels went up and down all the time. However, upon arrival my suspicions were confirmed as it was by far the driest I had seen.
Whilst making images at the base of the now dry Folsom Lake reservoir I was asked by a local lady walking her dog what I was doing. When I told her I was documenting the drought and water levels she appeared confused and said;
“Will they not just fill the lake up again?”
I asked her where she thought the water came from and the fact that there was no water left to fill to lake. She was also unaware that her drinking water came from the reservoir.
This was just one of the many examples of how the media had held back on how serious conditions had become. One only had to look at the amount of shrubs and grasses that had been growing in the base of the lake to know it had been dry for some time. But for people walking their dogs it was quite normal and not something to be concerned about.
Although quite shocking to behold the ‘almost’ empty reservoirs of California and the realisation that once these were empty there would be more water. The biggest eye opener for me was photographing the farming areas of California; in particular those located Kern County. This was not something I had planned to document in detail, but it became, what I consider, the most important part of the project.
80 percent of California’s water consumption comes from watering food crops. Farmers who had relied on as much water as they needed from the government had now being told they would receive no more water. This has in effect created a scene like the dust bowl of the 1920’s great depression. Crops that notoriously needed a lot of water to produce, in particular Almonds, are now suffering greatly although the knock on effect in the market place has yet to be seen.
The importance of documenting the drought now seemed more important than ever and I was reminded that people are more likely to believe something if they can actually see it.
Although I had set out in a somewhat subtle manner, I could not but help make the more obvious imagery I was originally trying to avoid. There were, and still are many examples of Virtual Water I would of liked to have tackled in more depth, in particular Bushfires and Food Production.
In the last two years, as the land becomes even drier with extended temperatures into the autumn months, bushfires have also become more frequent and harder to control. The relevant images in the Virtual Water project were made in Malibu along the Pacific Coast Highway. It is the first time they have had bush fires in this area of California. The flames moved fast and even jumped the width of the road (approximately 50ft). Bushfires were something I had not even considered relating to the drought and it was only by chance that I happened to be in the area at the time with my camera.
Although I had researched food production, in particular the water footprint used to produce certain foods such as beef. I realised the subject was too great to tackle along side my other subjects. I did however begin with the city of Vernon located five miles south of downtown Los Angeles. Despite its population of 112 and being the smallest of any incorporated city in the state (5.2 sq miles), it has the highest water consumption in California. This is mainly due to the city being almost entirely made up of food processing factories. This is a subject I may well indeed return to in more depth at a later date.
Bottled Water
It is shocking to think although most of California has free flowing clean water straight from the tap Americans still spend hundreds of dollars a year on bottled water. Most Americans claim that bottled water must be better and cleaner because ‘they are paying more for it.’ (Bottled water has a mark-up of 99 percent) Little do most know that the source of their bottled water is often the same as their tap water.
Many attempts have been made to introduce alternative measures regarding drinking water, but a huge percentage of Californians are sticking with the bottle claiming that recycled water is dirty (although often cleaner once fully processed), and desalination (the process of processing drinking water from sea water) is too expensive and bad tasting.
I have come to realise that the water bottling industry, which is worth billions of dollars a year, has monopolized the water industry convincing Americans that bottled water is the only solution.
Conclusion
Although the initial lack of rain and snowfall has created the worst drought in more than a century, it is now my understanding that irresponsible water management has created most of the problems associated with drought in California. Other countries with less rainfall and longer drought periods have resorted to recycled and desalination with great success. In California golf courses continue to waste millions of gallons a day, while people choose to drink bottled water sourced directly from low-level reservoirs. Water is not recycled in any form and almost all towns in California have an unlimited, un-metered water supply.
I feel like I have only cracked the surface of what is a huge subject with many sub sections and things I simply had no idea about concerning water consumption in the USA. With this in mind I see the project as a tool for raising awareness, not only in the over consumption of water, but mass consumption in general.
Rather than a completed series of images, I see the Virtual Water Photographic Project as the beginning of something much bigger. I plan to continue finding new and important project research material and hopefully raise awareness regarding one of the Earths most precious resources. - See more at: http://www.rps.org/technical/gallery?a=%7B3B70C1C2-5CF5-4AE0-AE25-88682217C699%7D#sthash.xpBPdK5k.dpuf
VIRTUAL WATER PHOTOGRAPHY PROJECT -FINAL PROJECT REPORT - MARCUS DOYLE
From the onset I knew documenting California’s current drought would be no easy task. The sheer vastness of the state meant that I could only pick out certain key areas in what would be a relatively short space of time.
Prior to my trip I had mapped out what I called, The Drought Loop. Starting from Palm Springs I would work my way north through the desert to the direct source of California’s main water supplies in the form of lakes and reservoirs. From there I would travel back along the coast and through the farmland areas of the Kern Valley finishing in Los Angeles.
This final report is based on my four week journey.
My proposed project to document the ongoing drought in California began in Palm Springs, located within the Cochella Valley region of Western California.
Although I had originally planned on shooting the images in July through August, little appeared to have changed. It was still very hot, and of course, very dry with an average temperature of 105 degrees.
Unlike other parts of the USA the golf courses and outdoor leisure activities in Palm Springs continue throughout autumn and the winter months due to the warmer temperatures.
Palm Springs has a total of 47 golf courses using millions of gallons water every day. Water (which comes from the Coachella Valley’s groundwater basin) is not recycled in any form and comes from the same source as drinking water with as much as 20 percent evaporating before it is soaked into the ground.
Many of the large ponds within the golf courses had dried up (unlike the swimming pools the pond water is not recycled). Despite this, the watering of the golf lawns continued.
One thing that did stand out was that all the commercial car washes were now closed during the drought although I couldn’t help thinking this was all for show as people would probably wash their cars elsewhere. An empty car wash is easier to spot than a private golf club.
It was easy to see how the drought had affected this area of the west and I soon realised the drought may have been played down from the American media as the conditions were far worse than I had discovered in my research leading up to the trip.
In 2005 I was witness to one of the hottest summers on record in Los Angeles California. For two weeks in August there were stories of people’s dustbins melting in the street and power grids overheating with the overuse of air conditioning units. Some people claimed it was so hot that their thermometer readings did not go high enough, yet on all of the new channels the temperatures were played down. Apparently this happened quite often in an attempt not to cause a mass panic and I was now quite sure that the same had been done regarding the drought.
It was quite clear after three days shooting out of Palm Springs that little had changed to combat the ongoing effects of the Californian drought now in its third year.
Joshua T National Park.
In the first instance it would seem odd to be documenting the effects of a drought in the desert. But these delicate eco systems are often the first to be effected by severe lack of water.
At Joshua Tree National Park, east of Los Angeles, the last decade was the hottest on record. Trees at the park have been able to survive because their roots are capable of finding water deep in the desert ground. But there are indications that rising temperatures and a drought may have dried out their water source.
Upon arrival into the park little seemed to have changed from my last trip there in the summer of 2014. However, upon closer inspection many more of the Joshua Trees appeared to charcoal black and limp. This was not, as one would imagine caused by fire, but lack of water. The tree (a member of the Yucca Palm family) survives by holding water in its trunk. If there is no water the tree turns black and is unable to support itself. But this is not the only problem for the Joshua Tree as animals native to the area have begun to gnaw at the base of the trees in a desperate attempt to obtain water, in turn killing the tree. As the park is the only place in the world where Joshua Trees grow, it is a very real concern for the trees survival.
The Salton Sea
The Salton Sea is an area I am most familiar with. Although I had spent a lot of time there in the past producing the Thursdays by The Sea project in 2008, I thought it was important to revisit the site all be it with a different outlook.
Although I had read that the area was undergoing extensive rejuvenation, I actually found the area to be more decayed looking than before. This however was partly due to the fact that the sea itself had shrunk by almost a third in size (due to evaporation) revealing more of the now heavily decayed town it once covered in the 80’s flood. . Although polluted, the source of the sea is used for crop irrigation and fishing as well as water sports, but for such a small town dependant on this crude water source this shortage had caused obvious problems in this already blighted area of California. It now seemed that the Salton Sea was past the point of no return.
It was not just the gold rush that left many small towns part or uninhabited. Many of today's ghost towns are the result of their main water supply being 'diverted' to larger cities like Los Angeles. The town of Keeler located between the edge of Death Valley and Owens Lake is a good example.
Owens Dry Lake
Although classed as a dry lake, Owens Lake it has always contained water up until a few years ago. As the lake water diminished dust from the lake caused the highest level of dust pollution in the U.S. carried by strong winds across the state. This became such a problem that in 2013 engineering work began in an attempt to control the dust problem. Salt Grass is currently being planted across the whole of the lakebed in a project that will take two years to complete. The grass is irrigated with fresh water and cattle have been introduced to keep the grass at a manageable level.
Although the Salt Grass is said to control the dust problem, excess water usage is now in full swing to feed cattle and grass within an area of very limited water supply.
A few miles away, the town of Lone Pine has one of the highest water restrictions in the state with each home metered (unlike many small towns in the west). Despite this, the Crystal Geyser water-bottling plant is located just a few miles away and is the only bottled water available in Lone Pine which retails at 99 cents for a 1.25 liter bottle. The company claims to bottle their water direct from the source although it is unclear where their exact source is.
Death Valley
Death Valley National Park normally gets about 2 inches of rain each year. The mountains that buffer the valley cause drought conditions by inhibiting storm movement, which weakens storms before they reach the valley, and this results in less rain. Given that the annual evaporation rate, or evaporation potential, is about 150 inches of water, a deficit of nearly 148 inches a year results. Thus, Death Valley National Park earns its notoriety as the “hottest, driest place in North America.”
Because Death Valley is so dry, the water consumption level is much higher. This prompted the Xanterra Resort Group to cut back on its water consumption for the 18 hole golf course at Furnace Creek by 35 million gallons a year simply be relocating and decreasing its course irrigation. Despite this, I was shocked to see how much water the course green needed, as the sprinklers were more like water canons.
Panamint Springs is the highest point in Death Valley. Its water supply is solely from Darwin Falls, a fifteenth minute drive and one of the very few natural sources of water in the valley. I was told the Falls had run dry over six months ago. Water was now being diverted from the same source as Furnace Creek during the holiday season, which runs from October to April.
Reservoirs
For the final leg of my journey I wanted to head straight to the source of California's water supply and headed north to photograph the reservoirs and lakes.
As most of California's water comes from ground water, the reservoirs are a good indicator of how much water the state actually has left. Once these lakes are empty, the only other option is to move onto another.
My first port of call was San Luis Opisbo, easily the most photogenic of all the Californian reservoirs. The low level of the lake had made way for a nice series of images, which would not of been possible if the lake was full. Although quite a dark subject matter, it was always my intention to make appealing imagery so as to draw people in.
Because the drought in California has been so widely photographed, especially in regards to the reservoirs, it was important for me to approach my subject matter in a different way.
Throughout my research I was constantly finding images of the reservoirs throughout California. Although a necessary part of the project I wanted to photograph these in a different way that was already shown (mainly shot form the air). My idea was to photograph the dry parts of the reservoirs from ground level. This would hopefully give a better idea of how the drought was affecting its surroundings. As a result, the images I came away with looked more like a desert setting, than any reservoir.
Lake San Antonio is located South of King City CA and is a popular destination for water-based activities. Like Palm Springs, the current conditions had a huge effect on leisure and tourism activities. Of all the reservoirs I had researched, this appeared to be the one most covered in news stories. Boats appeared run aground and jetty’s looked like they were stuck in the mud. It was as if the tide had gone out. However,
Of all the reservoirs I visited, Lake Folsom looked to be the most effected by the drought. At the time of shooting the lake was apparently only at 15 percent, although their was some debate over this as the locals claimed it was 25 percent and that the levels went up and down all the time. However, upon arrival my suspicions were confirmed as it was by far the driest I had seen.
Whilst making images at the base of the now dry Folsom Lake reservoir I was asked by a local lady walking her dog what I was doing. When I told her I was documenting the drought and water levels she appeared confused and said;
“Will they not just fill the lake up again?”
I asked her where she thought the water came from and the fact that there was no water left to fill to lake. She was also unaware that her drinking water came from the reservoir.
This was just one of the many examples of how the media had held back on how serious conditions had become. One only had to look at the amount of shrubs and grasses that had been growing in the base of the lake to know it had been dry for some time. But for people walking their dogs it was quite normal and not something to be concerned about.
Although quite shocking to behold the ‘almost’ empty reservoirs of California and the realisation that once these were empty there would be more water. The biggest eye opener for me was photographing the farming areas of California; in particular those located Kern County. This was not something I had planned to document in detail, but it became, what I consider, the most important part of the project.
80 percent of California’s water consumption comes from watering food crops. Farmers who had relied on as much water as they needed from the government had now being told they would receive no more water. This has in effect created a scene like the dust bowl of the 1920’s great depression. Crops that notoriously needed a lot of water to produce, in particular Almonds, are now suffering greatly although the knock on effect in the market place has yet to be seen.
The importance of documenting the drought now seemed more important than ever and I was reminded that people are more likely to believe something if they can actually see it.
Although I had set out in a somewhat subtle manner, I could not but help make the more obvious imagery I was originally trying to avoid. There were, and still are many examples of Virtual Water I would of liked to have tackled in more depth, in particular Bushfires and Food Production.
In the last two years, as the land becomes even drier with extended temperatures into the autumn months, bushfires have also become more frequent and harder to control. The relevant images in the Virtual Water project were made in Malibu along the Pacific Coast Highway. It is the first time they have had bush fires in this area of California. The flames moved fast and even jumped the width of the road (approximately 50ft). Bushfires were something I had not even considered relating to the drought and it was only by chance that I happened to be in the area at the time with my camera.
Although I had researched food production, in particular the water footprint used to produce certain foods such as beef. I realised the subject was too great to tackle along side my other subjects. I did however begin with the city of Vernon located five miles south of downtown Los Angeles. Despite its population of 112 and being the smallest of any incorporated city in the state (5.2 sq miles), it has the highest water consumption in California. This is mainly due to the city being almost entirely made up of food processing factories. This is a subject I may well indeed return to in more depth at a later date.
Bottled Water
It is shocking to think although most of California has free flowing clean water straight from the tap Americans still spend hundreds of dollars a year on bottled water. Most Americans claim that bottled water must be better and cleaner because ‘they are paying more for it.’ (Bottled water has a mark-up of 99 percent) Little do most know that the source of their bottled water is often the same as their tap water.
Many attempts have been made to introduce alternative measures regarding drinking water, but a huge percentage of Californians are sticking with the bottle claiming that recycled water is dirty (although often cleaner once fully processed), and desalination (the process of processing drinking water from sea water) is too expensive and bad tasting.
I have come to realise that the water bottling industry, which is worth billions of dollars a year, has monopolized the water industry convincing Americans that bottled water is the only solution.
Conclusion
Although the initial lack of rain and snowfall has created the worst drought in more than a century, it is now my understanding that irresponsible water management has created most of the problems associated with drought in California. Other countries with less rainfall and longer drought periods have resorted to recycled and desalination with great success. In California golf courses continue to waste millions of gallons a day, while people choose to drink bottled water sourced directly from low-level reservoirs. Water is not recycled in any form and almost all towns in California have an unlimited, un-metered water supply.
I feel like I have only cracked the surface of what is a huge subject with many sub sections and things I simply had no idea about concerning water consumption in the USA. With this in mind I see the project as a tool for raising awareness, not only in the over consumption of water, but mass consumption in general.
Rather than a completed series of images, I see the Virtual Water Photographic Project as the beginning of something much bigger. I plan to continue finding new and important project research material and hopefully raise awareness regarding one of the Earths most precious resources. - See more at: http://www.rps.org/technical/gallery?a=%7B3B70C1C2-5CF5-4AE0-AE25-88682217C699%7D#sthash.xpBPdK5k.dpuf
From the onset I knew documenting California’s current drought would be no easy task. The sheer vastness of the state meant that I could only pick out certain key areas in what would be a relatively short space of time.
Prior to my trip I had mapped out what I called, The Drought Loop. Starting from Palm Springs I would work my way north through the desert to the direct source of California’s main water supplies in the form of lakes and reservoirs. From there I would travel back along the coast and through the farmland areas of the Kern Valley finishing in Los Angeles.
This final report is based on my four week journey.
My proposed project to document the ongoing drought in California began in Palm Springs, located within the Cochella Valley region of Western California.
Although I had originally planned on shooting the images in July through August, little appeared to have changed. It was still very hot, and of course, very dry with an average temperature of 105 degrees.
Unlike other parts of the USA the golf courses and outdoor leisure activities in Palm Springs continue throughout autumn and the winter months due to the warmer temperatures.
Palm Springs has a total of 47 golf courses using millions of gallons water every day. Water (which comes from the Coachella Valley’s groundwater basin) is not recycled in any form and comes from the same source as drinking water with as much as 20 percent evaporating before it is soaked into the ground.
Many of the large ponds within the golf courses had dried up (unlike the swimming pools the pond water is not recycled). Despite this, the watering of the golf lawns continued.
One thing that did stand out was that all the commercial car washes were now closed during the drought although I couldn’t help thinking this was all for show as people would probably wash their cars elsewhere. An empty car wash is easier to spot than a private golf club.
It was easy to see how the drought had affected this area of the west and I soon realised the drought may have been played down from the American media as the conditions were far worse than I had discovered in my research leading up to the trip.
In 2005 I was witness to one of the hottest summers on record in Los Angeles California. For two weeks in August there were stories of people’s dustbins melting in the street and power grids overheating with the overuse of air conditioning units. Some people claimed it was so hot that their thermometer readings did not go high enough, yet on all of the new channels the temperatures were played down. Apparently this happened quite often in an attempt not to cause a mass panic and I was now quite sure that the same had been done regarding the drought.
It was quite clear after three days shooting out of Palm Springs that little had changed to combat the ongoing effects of the Californian drought now in its third year.
Joshua T National Park.
In the first instance it would seem odd to be documenting the effects of a drought in the desert. But these delicate eco systems are often the first to be effected by severe lack of water.
At Joshua Tree National Park, east of Los Angeles, the last decade was the hottest on record. Trees at the park have been able to survive because their roots are capable of finding water deep in the desert ground. But there are indications that rising temperatures and a drought may have dried out their water source.
Upon arrival into the park little seemed to have changed from my last trip there in the summer of 2014. However, upon closer inspection many more of the Joshua Trees appeared to charcoal black and limp. This was not, as one would imagine caused by fire, but lack of water. The tree (a member of the Yucca Palm family) survives by holding water in its trunk. If there is no water the tree turns black and is unable to support itself. But this is not the only problem for the Joshua Tree as animals native to the area have begun to gnaw at the base of the trees in a desperate attempt to obtain water, in turn killing the tree. As the park is the only place in the world where Joshua Trees grow, it is a very real concern for the trees survival.
The Salton Sea
The Salton Sea is an area I am most familiar with. Although I had spent a lot of time there in the past producing the Thursdays by The Sea project in 2008, I thought it was important to revisit the site all be it with a different outlook.
Although I had read that the area was undergoing extensive rejuvenation, I actually found the area to be more decayed looking than before. This however was partly due to the fact that the sea itself had shrunk by almost a third in size (due to evaporation) revealing more of the now heavily decayed town it once covered in the 80’s flood. . Although polluted, the source of the sea is used for crop irrigation and fishing as well as water sports, but for such a small town dependant on this crude water source this shortage had caused obvious problems in this already blighted area of California. It now seemed that the Salton Sea was past the point of no return.
It was not just the gold rush that left many small towns part or uninhabited. Many of today's ghost towns are the result of their main water supply being 'diverted' to larger cities like Los Angeles. The town of Keeler located between the edge of Death Valley and Owens Lake is a good example.
Owens Dry Lake
Although classed as a dry lake, Owens Lake it has always contained water up until a few years ago. As the lake water diminished dust from the lake caused the highest level of dust pollution in the U.S. carried by strong winds across the state. This became such a problem that in 2013 engineering work began in an attempt to control the dust problem. Salt Grass is currently being planted across the whole of the lakebed in a project that will take two years to complete. The grass is irrigated with fresh water and cattle have been introduced to keep the grass at a manageable level.
Although the Salt Grass is said to control the dust problem, excess water usage is now in full swing to feed cattle and grass within an area of very limited water supply.
A few miles away, the town of Lone Pine has one of the highest water restrictions in the state with each home metered (unlike many small towns in the west). Despite this, the Crystal Geyser water-bottling plant is located just a few miles away and is the only bottled water available in Lone Pine which retails at 99 cents for a 1.25 liter bottle. The company claims to bottle their water direct from the source although it is unclear where their exact source is.
Death Valley
Death Valley National Park normally gets about 2 inches of rain each year. The mountains that buffer the valley cause drought conditions by inhibiting storm movement, which weakens storms before they reach the valley, and this results in less rain. Given that the annual evaporation rate, or evaporation potential, is about 150 inches of water, a deficit of nearly 148 inches a year results. Thus, Death Valley National Park earns its notoriety as the “hottest, driest place in North America.”
Because Death Valley is so dry, the water consumption level is much higher. This prompted the Xanterra Resort Group to cut back on its water consumption for the 18 hole golf course at Furnace Creek by 35 million gallons a year simply be relocating and decreasing its course irrigation. Despite this, I was shocked to see how much water the course green needed, as the sprinklers were more like water canons.
Panamint Springs is the highest point in Death Valley. Its water supply is solely from Darwin Falls, a fifteenth minute drive and one of the very few natural sources of water in the valley. I was told the Falls had run dry over six months ago. Water was now being diverted from the same source as Furnace Creek during the holiday season, which runs from October to April.
Reservoirs
For the final leg of my journey I wanted to head straight to the source of California's water supply and headed north to photograph the reservoirs and lakes.
As most of California's water comes from ground water, the reservoirs are a good indicator of how much water the state actually has left. Once these lakes are empty, the only other option is to move onto another.
My first port of call was San Luis Opisbo, easily the most photogenic of all the Californian reservoirs. The low level of the lake had made way for a nice series of images, which would not of been possible if the lake was full. Although quite a dark subject matter, it was always my intention to make appealing imagery so as to draw people in.
Because the drought in California has been so widely photographed, especially in regards to the reservoirs, it was important for me to approach my subject matter in a different way.
Throughout my research I was constantly finding images of the reservoirs throughout California. Although a necessary part of the project I wanted to photograph these in a different way that was already shown (mainly shot form the air). My idea was to photograph the dry parts of the reservoirs from ground level. This would hopefully give a better idea of how the drought was affecting its surroundings. As a result, the images I came away with looked more like a desert setting, than any reservoir.
Lake San Antonio is located South of King City CA and is a popular destination for water-based activities. Like Palm Springs, the current conditions had a huge effect on leisure and tourism activities. Of all the reservoirs I had researched, this appeared to be the one most covered in news stories. Boats appeared run aground and jetty’s looked like they were stuck in the mud. It was as if the tide had gone out. However,
Of all the reservoirs I visited, Lake Folsom looked to be the most effected by the drought. At the time of shooting the lake was apparently only at 15 percent, although their was some debate over this as the locals claimed it was 25 percent and that the levels went up and down all the time. However, upon arrival my suspicions were confirmed as it was by far the driest I had seen.
Whilst making images at the base of the now dry Folsom Lake reservoir I was asked by a local lady walking her dog what I was doing. When I told her I was documenting the drought and water levels she appeared confused and said;
“Will they not just fill the lake up again?”
I asked her where she thought the water came from and the fact that there was no water left to fill to lake. She was also unaware that her drinking water came from the reservoir.
This was just one of the many examples of how the media had held back on how serious conditions had become. One only had to look at the amount of shrubs and grasses that had been growing in the base of the lake to know it had been dry for some time. But for people walking their dogs it was quite normal and not something to be concerned about.
Although quite shocking to behold the ‘almost’ empty reservoirs of California and the realisation that once these were empty there would be more water. The biggest eye opener for me was photographing the farming areas of California; in particular those located Kern County. This was not something I had planned to document in detail, but it became, what I consider, the most important part of the project.
80 percent of California’s water consumption comes from watering food crops. Farmers who had relied on as much water as they needed from the government had now being told they would receive no more water. This has in effect created a scene like the dust bowl of the 1920’s great depression. Crops that notoriously needed a lot of water to produce, in particular Almonds, are now suffering greatly although the knock on effect in the market place has yet to be seen.
The importance of documenting the drought now seemed more important than ever and I was reminded that people are more likely to believe something if they can actually see it.
Although I had set out in a somewhat subtle manner, I could not but help make the more obvious imagery I was originally trying to avoid. There were, and still are many examples of Virtual Water I would of liked to have tackled in more depth, in particular Bushfires and Food Production.
In the last two years, as the land becomes even drier with extended temperatures into the autumn months, bushfires have also become more frequent and harder to control. The relevant images in the Virtual Water project were made in Malibu along the Pacific Coast Highway. It is the first time they have had bush fires in this area of California. The flames moved fast and even jumped the width of the road (approximately 50ft). Bushfires were something I had not even considered relating to the drought and it was only by chance that I happened to be in the area at the time with my camera.
Although I had researched food production, in particular the water footprint used to produce certain foods such as beef. I realised the subject was too great to tackle along side my other subjects. I did however begin with the city of Vernon located five miles south of downtown Los Angeles. Despite its population of 112 and being the smallest of any incorporated city in the state (5.2 sq miles), it has the highest water consumption in California. This is mainly due to the city being almost entirely made up of food processing factories. This is a subject I may well indeed return to in more depth at a later date.
Bottled Water
It is shocking to think although most of California has free flowing clean water straight from the tap Americans still spend hundreds of dollars a year on bottled water. Most Americans claim that bottled water must be better and cleaner because ‘they are paying more for it.’ (Bottled water has a mark-up of 99 percent) Little do most know that the source of their bottled water is often the same as their tap water.
Many attempts have been made to introduce alternative measures regarding drinking water, but a huge percentage of Californians are sticking with the bottle claiming that recycled water is dirty (although often cleaner once fully processed), and desalination (the process of processing drinking water from sea water) is too expensive and bad tasting.
I have come to realise that the water bottling industry, which is worth billions of dollars a year, has monopolized the water industry convincing Americans that bottled water is the only solution.
Conclusion
Although the initial lack of rain and snowfall has created the worst drought in more than a century, it is now my understanding that irresponsible water management has created most of the problems associated with drought in California. Other countries with less rainfall and longer drought periods have resorted to recycled and desalination with great success. In California golf courses continue to waste millions of gallons a day, while people choose to drink bottled water sourced directly from low-level reservoirs. Water is not recycled in any form and almost all towns in California have an unlimited, un-metered water supply.
I feel like I have only cracked the surface of what is a huge subject with many sub sections and things I simply had no idea about concerning water consumption in the USA. With this in mind I see the project as a tool for raising awareness, not only in the over consumption of water, but mass consumption in general.
Rather than a completed series of images, I see the Virtual Water Photographic Project as the beginning of something much bigger. I plan to continue finding new and important project research material and hopefully raise awareness regarding one of the Earths most precious resources. - See more at: http://www.rps.org/technical/gallery?a=%7B3B70C1C2-5CF5-4AE0-AE25-88682217C699%7D#sthash.xpBPdK5k.dpuf
VIRTUAL WATER PHOTOGRAPHY PROJECT -FINAL PROJECT REPORT - MARCUS DOYLE
From the onset I knew documenting California’s current drought would be no easy task. The sheer vastness of the state meant that I could only pick out certain key areas in what would be a relatively short space of time.
Prior to my trip I had mapped out what I called, The Drought Loop. Starting from Palm Springs I would work my way north through the desert to the direct source of California’s main water supplies in the form of lakes and reservoirs. From there I would travel back along the coast and through the farmland areas of the Kern Valley finishing in Los Angeles.
This final report is based on my four week journey.
My proposed project to document the ongoing drought in California began in Palm Springs, located within the Cochella Valley region of Western California.
Although I had originally planned on shooting the images in July through August, little appeared to have changed. It was still very hot, and of course, very dry with an average temperature of 105 degrees.
Unlike other parts of the USA the golf courses and outdoor leisure activities in Palm Springs continue throughout autumn and the winter months due to the warmer temperatures.
Palm Springs has a total of 47 golf courses using millions of gallons water every day. Water (which comes from the Coachella Valley’s groundwater basin) is not recycled in any form and comes from the same source as drinking water with as much as 20 percent evaporating before it is soaked into the ground.
Many of the large ponds within the golf courses had dried up (unlike the swimming pools the pond water is not recycled). Despite this, the watering of the golf lawns continued.
One thing that did stand out was that all the commercial car washes were now closed during the drought although I couldn’t help thinking this was all for show as people would probably wash their cars elsewhere. An empty car wash is easier to spot than a private golf club.
It was easy to see how the drought had affected this area of the west and I soon realised the drought may have been played down from the American media as the conditions were far worse than I had discovered in my research leading up to the trip.
In 2005 I was witness to one of the hottest summers on record in Los Angeles California. For two weeks in August there were stories of people’s dustbins melting in the street and power grids overheating with the overuse of air conditioning units. Some people claimed it was so hot that their thermometer readings did not go high enough, yet on all of the new channels the temperatures were played down. Apparently this happened quite often in an attempt not to cause a mass panic and I was now quite sure that the same had been done regarding the drought.
It was quite clear after three days shooting out of Palm Springs that little had changed to combat the ongoing effects of the Californian drought now in its third year.
Joshua T National Park.
In the first instance it would seem odd to be documenting the effects of a drought in the desert. But these delicate eco systems are often the first to be effected by severe lack of water.
At Joshua Tree National Park, east of Los Angeles, the last decade was the hottest on record. Trees at the park have been able to survive because their roots are capable of finding water deep in the desert ground. But there are indications that rising temperatures and a drought may have dried out their water source.
Upon arrival into the park little seemed to have changed from my last trip there in the summer of 2014. However, upon closer inspection many more of the Joshua Trees appeared to charcoal black and limp. This was not, as one would imagine caused by fire, but lack of water. The tree (a member of the Yucca Palm family) survives by holding water in its trunk. If there is no water the tree turns black and is unable to support itself. But this is not the only problem for the Joshua Tree as animals native to the area have begun to gnaw at the base of the trees in a desperate attempt to obtain water, in turn killing the tree. As the park is the only place in the world where Joshua Trees grow, it is a very real concern for the trees survival.
The Salton Sea
The Salton Sea is an area I am most familiar with. Although I had spent a lot of time there in the past producing the Thursdays by The Sea project in 2008, I thought it was important to revisit the site all be it with a different outlook.
Although I had read that the area was undergoing extensive rejuvenation, I actually found the area to be more decayed looking than before. This however was partly due to the fact that the sea itself had shrunk by almost a third in size (due to evaporation) revealing more of the now heavily decayed town it once covered in the 80’s flood. . Although polluted, the source of the sea is used for crop irrigation and fishing as well as water sports, but for such a small town dependant on this crude water source this shortage had caused obvious problems in this already blighted area of California. It now seemed that the Salton Sea was past the point of no return.
It was not just the gold rush that left many small towns part or uninhabited. Many of today's ghost towns are the result of their main water supply being 'diverted' to larger cities like Los Angeles. The town of Keeler located between the edge of Death Valley and Owens Lake is a good example.
Owens Dry Lake
Although classed as a dry lake, Owens Lake it has always contained water up until a few years ago. As the lake water diminished dust from the lake caused the highest level of dust pollution in the U.S. carried by strong winds across the state. This became such a problem that in 2013 engineering work began in an attempt to control the dust problem. Salt Grass is currently being planted across the whole of the lakebed in a project that will take two years to complete. The grass is irrigated with fresh water and cattle have been introduced to keep the grass at a manageable level.
Although the Salt Grass is said to control the dust problem, excess water usage is now in full swing to feed cattle and grass within an area of very limited water supply.
A few miles away, the town of Lone Pine has one of the highest water restrictions in the state with each home metered (unlike many small towns in the west). Despite this, the Crystal Geyser water-bottling plant is located just a few miles away and is the only bottled water available in Lone Pine which retails at 99 cents for a 1.25 liter bottle. The company claims to bottle their water direct from the source although it is unclear where their exact source is.
Death Valley
Death Valley National Park normally gets about 2 inches of rain each year. The mountains that buffer the valley cause drought conditions by inhibiting storm movement, which weakens storms before they reach the valley, and this results in less rain. Given that the annual evaporation rate, or evaporation potential, is about 150 inches of water, a deficit of nearly 148 inches a year results. Thus, Death Valley National Park earns its notoriety as the “hottest, driest place in North America.”
Because Death Valley is so dry, the water consumption level is much higher. This prompted the Xanterra Resort Group to cut back on its water consumption for the 18 hole golf course at Furnace Creek by 35 million gallons a year simply be relocating and decreasing its course irrigation. Despite this, I was shocked to see how much water the course green needed, as the sprinklers were more like water canons.
Panamint Springs is the highest point in Death Valley. Its water supply is solely from Darwin Falls, a fifteenth minute drive and one of the very few natural sources of water in the valley. I was told the Falls had run dry over six months ago. Water was now being diverted from the same source as Furnace Creek during the holiday season, which runs from October to April.
Reservoirs
For the final leg of my journey I wanted to head straight to the source of California's water supply and headed north to photograph the reservoirs and lakes.
As most of California's water comes from ground water, the reservoirs are a good indicator of how much water the state actually has left. Once these lakes are empty, the only other option is to move onto another.
My first port of call was San Luis Opisbo, easily the most photogenic of all the Californian reservoirs. The low level of the lake had made way for a nice series of images, which would not of been possible if the lake was full. Although quite a dark subject matter, it was always my intention to make appealing imagery so as to draw people in.
Because the drought in California has been so widely photographed, especially in regards to the reservoirs, it was important for me to approach my subject matter in a different way.
Throughout my research I was constantly finding images of the reservoirs throughout California. Although a necessary part of the project I wanted to photograph these in a different way that was already shown (mainly shot form the air). My idea was to photograph the dry parts of the reservoirs from ground level. This would hopefully give a better idea of how the drought was affecting its surroundings. As a result, the images I came away with looked more like a desert setting, than any reservoir.
Lake San Antonio is located South of King City CA and is a popular destination for water-based activities. Like Palm Springs, the current conditions had a huge effect on leisure and tourism activities. Of all the reservoirs I had researched, this appeared to be the one most covered in news stories. Boats appeared run aground and jetty’s looked like they were stuck in the mud. It was as if the tide had gone out. However,
Of all the reservoirs I visited, Lake Folsom looked to be the most effected by the drought. At the time of shooting the lake was apparently only at 15 percent, although their was some debate over this as the locals claimed it was 25 percent and that the levels went up and down all the time. However, upon arrival my suspicions were confirmed as it was by far the driest I had seen.
Whilst making images at the base of the now dry Folsom Lake reservoir I was asked by a local lady walking her dog what I was doing. When I told her I was documenting the drought and water levels she appeared confused and said;
“Will they not just fill the lake up again?”
I asked her where she thought the water came from and the fact that there was no water left to fill to lake. She was also unaware that her drinking water came from the reservoir.
This was just one of the many examples of how the media had held back on how serious conditions had become. One only had to look at the amount of shrubs and grasses that had been growing in the base of the lake to know it had been dry for some time. But for people walking their dogs it was quite normal and not something to be concerned about.
Although quite shocking to behold the ‘almost’ empty reservoirs of California and the realisation that once these were empty there would be more water. The biggest eye opener for me was photographing the farming areas of California; in particular those located Kern County. This was not something I had planned to document in detail, but it became, what I consider, the most important part of the project.
80 percent of California’s water consumption comes from watering food crops. Farmers who had relied on as much water as they needed from the government had now being told they would receive no more water. This has in effect created a scene like the dust bowl of the 1920’s great depression. Crops that notoriously needed a lot of water to produce, in particular Almonds, are now suffering greatly although the knock on effect in the market place has yet to be seen.
The importance of documenting the drought now seemed more important than ever and I was reminded that people are more likely to believe something if they can actually see it.
Although I had set out in a somewhat subtle manner, I could not but help make the more obvious imagery I was originally trying to avoid. There were, and still are many examples of Virtual Water I would of liked to have tackled in more depth, in particular Bushfires and Food Production.
In the last two years, as the land becomes even drier with extended temperatures into the autumn months, bushfires have also become more frequent and harder to control. The relevant images in the Virtual Water project were made in Malibu along the Pacific Coast Highway. It is the first time they have had bush fires in this area of California. The flames moved fast and even jumped the width of the road (approximately 50ft). Bushfires were something I had not even considered relating to the drought and it was only by chance that I happened to be in the area at the time with my camera.
Although I had researched food production, in particular the water footprint used to produce certain foods such as beef. I realised the subject was too great to tackle along side my other subjects. I did however begin with the city of Vernon located five miles south of downtown Los Angeles. Despite its population of 112 and being the smallest of any incorporated city in the state (5.2 sq miles), it has the highest water consumption in California. This is mainly due to the city being almost entirely made up of food processing factories. This is a subject I may well indeed return to in more depth at a later date.
Bottled Water
It is shocking to think although most of California has free flowing clean water straight from the tap Americans still spend hundreds of dollars a year on bottled water. Most Americans claim that bottled water must be better and cleaner because ‘they are paying more for it.’ (Bottled water has a mark-up of 99 percent) Little do most know that the source of their bottled water is often the same as their tap water.
Many attempts have been made to introduce alternative measures regarding drinking water, but a huge percentage of Californians are sticking with the bottle claiming that recycled water is dirty (although often cleaner once fully processed), and desalination (the process of processing drinking water from sea water) is too expensive and bad tasting.
I have come to realise that the water bottling industry, which is worth billions of dollars a year, has monopolized the water industry convincing Americans that bottled water is the only solution.
Conclusion
Although the initial lack of rain and snowfall has created the worst drought in more than a century, it is now my understanding that irresponsible water management has created most of the problems associated with drought in California. Other countries with less rainfall and longer drought periods have resorted to recycled and desalination with great success. In California golf courses continue to waste millions of gallons a day, while people choose to drink bottled water sourced directly from low-level reservoirs. Water is not recycled in any form and almost all towns in California have an unlimited, un-metered water supply.
I feel like I have only cracked the surface of what is a huge subject with many sub sections and things I simply had no idea about concerning water consumption in the USA. With this in mind I see the project as a tool for raising awareness, not only in the over consumption of water, but mass consumption in general.
Rather than a completed series of images, I see the Virtual Water Photographic Project as the beginning of something much bigger. I plan to continue finding new and important project research material and hopefully raise awareness regarding one of the Earths most precious resources. - See more at: http://www.rps.org/technical/gallery?a=%7B3B70C1C2-5CF5-4AE0-AE25-88682217C699%7D#sthash.xpBPdK5k.dpuf
From the onset I knew documenting California’s current drought would be no easy task. The sheer vastness of the state meant that I could only pick out certain key areas in what would be a relatively short space of time.
Prior to my trip I had mapped out what I called, The Drought Loop. Starting from Palm Springs I would work my way north through the desert to the direct source of California’s main water supplies in the form of lakes and reservoirs. From there I would travel back along the coast and through the farmland areas of the Kern Valley finishing in Los Angeles.
This final report is based on my four week journey.
My proposed project to document the ongoing drought in California began in Palm Springs, located within the Cochella Valley region of Western California.
Although I had originally planned on shooting the images in July through August, little appeared to have changed. It was still very hot, and of course, very dry with an average temperature of 105 degrees.
Unlike other parts of the USA the golf courses and outdoor leisure activities in Palm Springs continue throughout autumn and the winter months due to the warmer temperatures.
Palm Springs has a total of 47 golf courses using millions of gallons water every day. Water (which comes from the Coachella Valley’s groundwater basin) is not recycled in any form and comes from the same source as drinking water with as much as 20 percent evaporating before it is soaked into the ground.
Many of the large ponds within the golf courses had dried up (unlike the swimming pools the pond water is not recycled). Despite this, the watering of the golf lawns continued.
One thing that did stand out was that all the commercial car washes were now closed during the drought although I couldn’t help thinking this was all for show as people would probably wash their cars elsewhere. An empty car wash is easier to spot than a private golf club.
It was easy to see how the drought had affected this area of the west and I soon realised the drought may have been played down from the American media as the conditions were far worse than I had discovered in my research leading up to the trip.
In 2005 I was witness to one of the hottest summers on record in Los Angeles California. For two weeks in August there were stories of people’s dustbins melting in the street and power grids overheating with the overuse of air conditioning units. Some people claimed it was so hot that their thermometer readings did not go high enough, yet on all of the new channels the temperatures were played down. Apparently this happened quite often in an attempt not to cause a mass panic and I was now quite sure that the same had been done regarding the drought.
It was quite clear after three days shooting out of Palm Springs that little had changed to combat the ongoing effects of the Californian drought now in its third year.
Joshua T National Park.
In the first instance it would seem odd to be documenting the effects of a drought in the desert. But these delicate eco systems are often the first to be effected by severe lack of water.
At Joshua Tree National Park, east of Los Angeles, the last decade was the hottest on record. Trees at the park have been able to survive because their roots are capable of finding water deep in the desert ground. But there are indications that rising temperatures and a drought may have dried out their water source.
Upon arrival into the park little seemed to have changed from my last trip there in the summer of 2014. However, upon closer inspection many more of the Joshua Trees appeared to charcoal black and limp. This was not, as one would imagine caused by fire, but lack of water. The tree (a member of the Yucca Palm family) survives by holding water in its trunk. If there is no water the tree turns black and is unable to support itself. But this is not the only problem for the Joshua Tree as animals native to the area have begun to gnaw at the base of the trees in a desperate attempt to obtain water, in turn killing the tree. As the park is the only place in the world where Joshua Trees grow, it is a very real concern for the trees survival.
The Salton Sea
The Salton Sea is an area I am most familiar with. Although I had spent a lot of time there in the past producing the Thursdays by The Sea project in 2008, I thought it was important to revisit the site all be it with a different outlook.
Although I had read that the area was undergoing extensive rejuvenation, I actually found the area to be more decayed looking than before. This however was partly due to the fact that the sea itself had shrunk by almost a third in size (due to evaporation) revealing more of the now heavily decayed town it once covered in the 80’s flood. . Although polluted, the source of the sea is used for crop irrigation and fishing as well as water sports, but for such a small town dependant on this crude water source this shortage had caused obvious problems in this already blighted area of California. It now seemed that the Salton Sea was past the point of no return.
It was not just the gold rush that left many small towns part or uninhabited. Many of today's ghost towns are the result of their main water supply being 'diverted' to larger cities like Los Angeles. The town of Keeler located between the edge of Death Valley and Owens Lake is a good example.
Owens Dry Lake
Although classed as a dry lake, Owens Lake it has always contained water up until a few years ago. As the lake water diminished dust from the lake caused the highest level of dust pollution in the U.S. carried by strong winds across the state. This became such a problem that in 2013 engineering work began in an attempt to control the dust problem. Salt Grass is currently being planted across the whole of the lakebed in a project that will take two years to complete. The grass is irrigated with fresh water and cattle have been introduced to keep the grass at a manageable level.
Although the Salt Grass is said to control the dust problem, excess water usage is now in full swing to feed cattle and grass within an area of very limited water supply.
A few miles away, the town of Lone Pine has one of the highest water restrictions in the state with each home metered (unlike many small towns in the west). Despite this, the Crystal Geyser water-bottling plant is located just a few miles away and is the only bottled water available in Lone Pine which retails at 99 cents for a 1.25 liter bottle. The company claims to bottle their water direct from the source although it is unclear where their exact source is.
Death Valley
Death Valley National Park normally gets about 2 inches of rain each year. The mountains that buffer the valley cause drought conditions by inhibiting storm movement, which weakens storms before they reach the valley, and this results in less rain. Given that the annual evaporation rate, or evaporation potential, is about 150 inches of water, a deficit of nearly 148 inches a year results. Thus, Death Valley National Park earns its notoriety as the “hottest, driest place in North America.”
Because Death Valley is so dry, the water consumption level is much higher. This prompted the Xanterra Resort Group to cut back on its water consumption for the 18 hole golf course at Furnace Creek by 35 million gallons a year simply be relocating and decreasing its course irrigation. Despite this, I was shocked to see how much water the course green needed, as the sprinklers were more like water canons.
Panamint Springs is the highest point in Death Valley. Its water supply is solely from Darwin Falls, a fifteenth minute drive and one of the very few natural sources of water in the valley. I was told the Falls had run dry over six months ago. Water was now being diverted from the same source as Furnace Creek during the holiday season, which runs from October to April.
Reservoirs
For the final leg of my journey I wanted to head straight to the source of California's water supply and headed north to photograph the reservoirs and lakes.
As most of California's water comes from ground water, the reservoirs are a good indicator of how much water the state actually has left. Once these lakes are empty, the only other option is to move onto another.
My first port of call was San Luis Opisbo, easily the most photogenic of all the Californian reservoirs. The low level of the lake had made way for a nice series of images, which would not of been possible if the lake was full. Although quite a dark subject matter, it was always my intention to make appealing imagery so as to draw people in.
Because the drought in California has been so widely photographed, especially in regards to the reservoirs, it was important for me to approach my subject matter in a different way.
Throughout my research I was constantly finding images of the reservoirs throughout California. Although a necessary part of the project I wanted to photograph these in a different way that was already shown (mainly shot form the air). My idea was to photograph the dry parts of the reservoirs from ground level. This would hopefully give a better idea of how the drought was affecting its surroundings. As a result, the images I came away with looked more like a desert setting, than any reservoir.
Lake San Antonio is located South of King City CA and is a popular destination for water-based activities. Like Palm Springs, the current conditions had a huge effect on leisure and tourism activities. Of all the reservoirs I had researched, this appeared to be the one most covered in news stories. Boats appeared run aground and jetty’s looked like they were stuck in the mud. It was as if the tide had gone out. However,
Of all the reservoirs I visited, Lake Folsom looked to be the most effected by the drought. At the time of shooting the lake was apparently only at 15 percent, although their was some debate over this as the locals claimed it was 25 percent and that the levels went up and down all the time. However, upon arrival my suspicions were confirmed as it was by far the driest I had seen.
Whilst making images at the base of the now dry Folsom Lake reservoir I was asked by a local lady walking her dog what I was doing. When I told her I was documenting the drought and water levels she appeared confused and said;
“Will they not just fill the lake up again?”
I asked her where she thought the water came from and the fact that there was no water left to fill to lake. She was also unaware that her drinking water came from the reservoir.
This was just one of the many examples of how the media had held back on how serious conditions had become. One only had to look at the amount of shrubs and grasses that had been growing in the base of the lake to know it had been dry for some time. But for people walking their dogs it was quite normal and not something to be concerned about.
Although quite shocking to behold the ‘almost’ empty reservoirs of California and the realisation that once these were empty there would be more water. The biggest eye opener for me was photographing the farming areas of California; in particular those located Kern County. This was not something I had planned to document in detail, but it became, what I consider, the most important part of the project.
80 percent of California’s water consumption comes from watering food crops. Farmers who had relied on as much water as they needed from the government had now being told they would receive no more water. This has in effect created a scene like the dust bowl of the 1920’s great depression. Crops that notoriously needed a lot of water to produce, in particular Almonds, are now suffering greatly although the knock on effect in the market place has yet to be seen.
The importance of documenting the drought now seemed more important than ever and I was reminded that people are more likely to believe something if they can actually see it.
Although I had set out in a somewhat subtle manner, I could not but help make the more obvious imagery I was originally trying to avoid. There were, and still are many examples of Virtual Water I would of liked to have tackled in more depth, in particular Bushfires and Food Production.
In the last two years, as the land becomes even drier with extended temperatures into the autumn months, bushfires have also become more frequent and harder to control. The relevant images in the Virtual Water project were made in Malibu along the Pacific Coast Highway. It is the first time they have had bush fires in this area of California. The flames moved fast and even jumped the width of the road (approximately 50ft). Bushfires were something I had not even considered relating to the drought and it was only by chance that I happened to be in the area at the time with my camera.
Although I had researched food production, in particular the water footprint used to produce certain foods such as beef. I realised the subject was too great to tackle along side my other subjects. I did however begin with the city of Vernon located five miles south of downtown Los Angeles. Despite its population of 112 and being the smallest of any incorporated city in the state (5.2 sq miles), it has the highest water consumption in California. This is mainly due to the city being almost entirely made up of food processing factories. This is a subject I may well indeed return to in more depth at a later date.
Bottled Water
It is shocking to think although most of California has free flowing clean water straight from the tap Americans still spend hundreds of dollars a year on bottled water. Most Americans claim that bottled water must be better and cleaner because ‘they are paying more for it.’ (Bottled water has a mark-up of 99 percent) Little do most know that the source of their bottled water is often the same as their tap water.
Many attempts have been made to introduce alternative measures regarding drinking water, but a huge percentage of Californians are sticking with the bottle claiming that recycled water is dirty (although often cleaner once fully processed), and desalination (the process of processing drinking water from sea water) is too expensive and bad tasting.
I have come to realise that the water bottling industry, which is worth billions of dollars a year, has monopolized the water industry convincing Americans that bottled water is the only solution.
Conclusion
Although the initial lack of rain and snowfall has created the worst drought in more than a century, it is now my understanding that irresponsible water management has created most of the problems associated with drought in California. Other countries with less rainfall and longer drought periods have resorted to recycled and desalination with great success. In California golf courses continue to waste millions of gallons a day, while people choose to drink bottled water sourced directly from low-level reservoirs. Water is not recycled in any form and almost all towns in California have an unlimited, un-metered water supply.
I feel like I have only cracked the surface of what is a huge subject with many sub sections and things I simply had no idea about concerning water consumption in the USA. With this in mind I see the project as a tool for raising awareness, not only in the over consumption of water, but mass consumption in general.
Rather than a completed series of images, I see the Virtual Water Photographic Project as the beginning of something much bigger. I plan to continue finding new and important project research material and hopefully raise awareness regarding one of the Earths most precious resources. - See more at: http://www.rps.org/technical/gallery?a=%7B3B70C1C2-5CF5-4AE0-AE25-88682217C699%7D#sthash.xpBPdK5k.dpuf
VIRTUAL WATER PHOTOGRAPHY PROJECT -FINAL PROJECT REPORT - MARCUS DOYLE
From the onset I knew documenting California’s current drought would be no easy task. The sheer vastness of the state meant that I could only pick out certain key areas in what would be a relatively short space of time.
Prior to my trip I had mapped out what I called, The Drought Loop. Starting from Palm Springs I would work my way north through the desert to the direct source of California’s main water supplies in the form of lakes and reservoirs. From there I would travel back along the coast and through the farmland areas of the Kern Valley finishing in Los Angeles.
This final report is based on my four week journey.
My proposed project to document the ongoing drought in California began in Palm Springs, located within the Cochella Valley region of Western California.
Although I had originally planned on shooting the images in July through August, little appeared to have changed. It was still very hot, and of course, very dry with an average temperature of 105 degrees.
Unlike other parts of the USA the golf courses and outdoor leisure activities in Palm Springs continue throughout autumn and the winter months due to the warmer temperatures.
Palm Springs has a total of 47 golf courses using millions of gallons water every day. Water (which comes from the Coachella Valley’s groundwater basin) is not recycled in any form and comes from the same source as drinking water with as much as 20 percent evaporating before it is soaked into the ground.
Many of the large ponds within the golf courses had dried up (unlike the swimming pools the pond water is not recycled). Despite this, the watering of the golf lawns continued.
One thing that did stand out was that all the commercial car washes were now closed during the drought although I couldn’t help thinking this was all for show as people would probably wash their cars elsewhere. An empty car wash is easier to spot than a private golf club.
It was easy to see how the drought had affected this area of the west and I soon realised the drought may have been played down from the American media as the conditions were far worse than I had discovered in my research leading up to the trip.
In 2005 I was witness to one of the hottest summers on record in Los Angeles California. For two weeks in August there were stories of people’s dustbins melting in the street and power grids overheating with the overuse of air conditioning units. Some people claimed it was so hot that their thermometer readings did not go high enough, yet on all of the new channels the temperatures were played down. Apparently this happened quite often in an attempt not to cause a mass panic and I was now quite sure that the same had been done regarding the drought.
It was quite clear after three days shooting out of Palm Springs that little had changed to combat the ongoing effects of the Californian drought now in its third year.
Joshua T National Park.
In the first instance it would seem odd to be documenting the effects of a drought in the desert. But these delicate eco systems are often the first to be effected by severe lack of water.
At Joshua Tree National Park, east of Los Angeles, the last decade was the hottest on record. Trees at the park have been able to survive because their roots are capable of finding water deep in the desert ground. But there are indications that rising temperatures and a drought may have dried out their water source.
Upon arrival into the park little seemed to have changed from my last trip there in the summer of 2014. However, upon closer inspection many more of the Joshua Trees appeared to charcoal black and limp. This was not, as one would imagine caused by fire, but lack of water. The tree (a member of the Yucca Palm family) survives by holding water in its trunk. If there is no water the tree turns black and is unable to support itself. But this is not the only problem for the Joshua Tree as animals native to the area have begun to gnaw at the base of the trees in a desperate attempt to obtain water, in turn killing the tree. As the park is the only place in the world where Joshua Trees grow, it is a very real concern for the trees survival.
The Salton Sea
The Salton Sea is an area I am most familiar with. Although I had spent a lot of time there in the past producing the Thursdays by The Sea project in 2008, I thought it was important to revisit the site all be it with a different outlook.
Although I had read that the area was undergoing extensive rejuvenation, I actually found the area to be more decayed looking than before. This however was partly due to the fact that the sea itself had shrunk by almost a third in size (due to evaporation) revealing more of the now heavily decayed town it once covered in the 80’s flood. . Although polluted, the source of the sea is used for crop irrigation and fishing as well as water sports, but for such a small town dependant on this crude water source this shortage had caused obvious problems in this already blighted area of California. It now seemed that the Salton Sea was past the point of no return.
It was not just the gold rush that left many small towns part or uninhabited. Many of today's ghost towns are the result of their main water supply being 'diverted' to larger cities like Los Angeles. The town of Keeler located between the edge of Death Valley and Owens Lake is a good example.
Owens Dry Lake
Although classed as a dry lake, Owens Lake it has always contained water up until a few years ago. As the lake water diminished dust from the lake caused the highest level of dust pollution in the U.S. carried by strong winds across the state. This became such a problem that in 2013 engineering work began in an attempt to control the dust problem. Salt Grass is currently being planted across the whole of the lakebed in a project that will take two years to complete. The grass is irrigated with fresh water and cattle have been introduced to keep the grass at a manageable level.
Although the Salt Grass is said to control the dust problem, excess water usage is now in full swing to feed cattle and grass within an area of very limited water supply.
A few miles away, the town of Lone Pine has one of the highest water restrictions in the state with each home metered (unlike many small towns in the west). Despite this, the Crystal Geyser water-bottling plant is located just a few miles away and is the only bottled water available in Lone Pine which retails at 99 cents for a 1.25 liter bottle. The company claims to bottle their water direct from the source although it is unclear where their exact source is.
Death Valley
Death Valley National Park normally gets about 2 inches of rain each year. The mountains that buffer the valley cause drought conditions by inhibiting storm movement, which weakens storms before they reach the valley, and this results in less rain. Given that the annual evaporation rate, or evaporation potential, is about 150 inches of water, a deficit of nearly 148 inches a year results. Thus, Death Valley National Park earns its notoriety as the “hottest, driest place in North America.”
Because Death Valley is so dry, the water consumption level is much higher. This prompted the Xanterra Resort Group to cut back on its water consumption for the 18 hole golf course at Furnace Creek by 35 million gallons a year simply be relocating and decreasing its course irrigation. Despite this, I was shocked to see how much water the course green needed, as the sprinklers were more like water canons.
Panamint Springs is the highest point in Death Valley. Its water supply is solely from Darwin Falls, a fifteenth minute drive and one of the very few natural sources of water in the valley. I was told the Falls had run dry over six months ago. Water was now being diverted from the same source as Furnace Creek during the holiday season, which runs from October to April.
Reservoirs
For the final leg of my journey I wanted to head straight to the source of California's water supply and headed north to photograph the reservoirs and lakes.
As most of California's water comes from ground water, the reservoirs are a good indicator of how much water the state actually has left. Once these lakes are empty, the only other option is to move onto another.
My first port of call was San Luis Opisbo, easily the most photogenic of all the Californian reservoirs. The low level of the lake had made way for a nice series of images, which would not of been possible if the lake was full. Although quite a dark subject matter, it was always my intention to make appealing imagery so as to draw people in.
Because the drought in California has been so widely photographed, especially in regards to the reservoirs, it was important for me to approach my subject matter in a different way.
Throughout my research I was constantly finding images of the reservoirs throughout California. Although a necessary part of the project I wanted to photograph these in a different way that was already shown (mainly shot form the air). My idea was to photograph the dry parts of the reservoirs from ground level. This would hopefully give a better idea of how the drought was affecting its surroundings. As a result, the images I came away with looked more like a desert setting, than any reservoir.
Lake San Antonio is located South of King City CA and is a popular destination for water-based activities. Like Palm Springs, the current conditions had a huge effect on leisure and tourism activities. Of all the reservoirs I had researched, this appeared to be the one most covered in news stories. Boats appeared run aground and jetty’s looked like they were stuck in the mud. It was as if the tide had gone out. However,
Of all the reservoirs I visited, Lake Folsom looked to be the most effected by the drought. At the time of shooting the lake was apparently only at 15 percent, although their was some debate over this as the locals claimed it was 25 percent and that the levels went up and down all the time. However, upon arrival my suspicions were confirmed as it was by far the driest I had seen.
Whilst making images at the base of the now dry Folsom Lake reservoir I was asked by a local lady walking her dog what I was doing. When I told her I was documenting the drought and water levels she appeared confused and said;
“Will they not just fill the lake up again?”
I asked her where she thought the water came from and the fact that there was no water left to fill to lake. She was also unaware that her drinking water came from the reservoir.
This was just one of the many examples of how the media had held back on how serious conditions had become. One only had to look at the amount of shrubs and grasses that had been growing in the base of the lake to know it had been dry for some time. But for people walking their dogs it was quite normal and not something to be concerned about.
Although quite shocking to behold the ‘almost’ empty reservoirs of California and the realisation that once these were empty there would be more water. The biggest eye opener for me was photographing the farming areas of California; in particular those located Kern County. This was not something I had planned to document in detail, but it became, what I consider, the most important part of the project.
80 percent of California’s water consumption comes from watering food crops. Farmers who had relied on as much water as they needed from the government had now being told they would receive no more water. This has in effect created a scene like the dust bowl of the 1920’s great depression. Crops that notoriously needed a lot of water to produce, in particular Almonds, are now suffering greatly although the knock on effect in the market place has yet to be seen.
The importance of documenting the drought now seemed more important than ever and I was reminded that people are more likely to believe something if they can actually see it.
Although I had set out in a somewhat subtle manner, I could not but help make the more obvious imagery I was originally trying to avoid. There were, and still are many examples of Virtual Water I would of liked to have tackled in more depth, in particular Bushfires and Food Production.
In the last two years, as the land becomes even drier with extended temperatures into the autumn months, bushfires have also become more frequent and harder to control. The relevant images in the Virtual Water project were made in Malibu along the Pacific Coast Highway. It is the first time they have had bush fires in this area of California. The flames moved fast and even jumped the width of the road (approximately 50ft). Bushfires were something I had not even considered relating to the drought and it was only by chance that I happened to be in the area at the time with my camera.
Although I had researched food production, in particular the water footprint used to produce certain foods such as beef. I realised the subject was too great to tackle along side my other subjects. I did however begin with the city of Vernon located five miles south of downtown Los Angeles. Despite its population of 112 and being the smallest of any incorporated city in the state (5.2 sq miles), it has the highest water consumption in California. This is mainly due to the city being almost entirely made up of food processing factories. This is a subject I may well indeed return to in more depth at a later date.
Bottled Water
It is shocking to think although most of California has free flowing clean water straight from the tap Americans still spend hundreds of dollars a year on bottled water. Most Americans claim that bottled water must be better and cleaner because ‘they are paying more for it.’ (Bottled water has a mark-up of 99 percent) Little do most know that the source of their bottled water is often the same as their tap water.
Many attempts have been made to introduce alternative measures regarding drinking water, but a huge percentage of Californians are sticking with the bottle claiming that recycled water is dirty (although often cleaner once fully processed), and desalination (the process of processing drinking water from sea water) is too expensive and bad tasting.
I have come to realise that the water bottling industry, which is worth billions of dollars a year, has monopolized the water industry convincing Americans that bottled water is the only solution.
Conclusion
Although the initial lack of rain and snowfall has created the worst drought in more than a century, it is now my understanding that irresponsible water management has created most of the problems associated with drought in California. Other countries with less rainfall and longer drought periods have resorted to recycled and desalination with great success. In California golf courses continue to waste millions of gallons a day, while people choose to drink bottled water sourced directly from low-level reservoirs. Water is not recycled in any form and almost all towns in California have an unlimited, un-metered water supply.
I feel like I have only cracked the surface of what is a huge subject with many sub sections and things I simply had no idea about concerning water consumption in the USA. With this in mind I see the project as a tool for raising awareness, not only in the over consumption of water, but mass consumption in general.
Rather than a completed series of images, I see the Virtual Water Photographic Project as the beginning of something much bigger. I plan to continue finding new and important project research material and hopefully raise awareness regarding one of the Earths most precious resources. - See more at: http://www.rps.org/technical/gallery?a=%7B3B70C1C2-5CF5-4AE0-AE25-88682217C699%7D#sthash.xpBPdK5k.dpuf
From the onset I knew documenting California’s current drought would be no easy task. The sheer vastness of the state meant that I could only pick out certain key areas in what would be a relatively short space of time.
Prior to my trip I had mapped out what I called, The Drought Loop. Starting from Palm Springs I would work my way north through the desert to the direct source of California’s main water supplies in the form of lakes and reservoirs. From there I would travel back along the coast and through the farmland areas of the Kern Valley finishing in Los Angeles.
This final report is based on my four week journey.
My proposed project to document the ongoing drought in California began in Palm Springs, located within the Cochella Valley region of Western California.
Although I had originally planned on shooting the images in July through August, little appeared to have changed. It was still very hot, and of course, very dry with an average temperature of 105 degrees.
Unlike other parts of the USA the golf courses and outdoor leisure activities in Palm Springs continue throughout autumn and the winter months due to the warmer temperatures.
Palm Springs has a total of 47 golf courses using millions of gallons water every day. Water (which comes from the Coachella Valley’s groundwater basin) is not recycled in any form and comes from the same source as drinking water with as much as 20 percent evaporating before it is soaked into the ground.
Many of the large ponds within the golf courses had dried up (unlike the swimming pools the pond water is not recycled). Despite this, the watering of the golf lawns continued.
One thing that did stand out was that all the commercial car washes were now closed during the drought although I couldn’t help thinking this was all for show as people would probably wash their cars elsewhere. An empty car wash is easier to spot than a private golf club.
It was easy to see how the drought had affected this area of the west and I soon realised the drought may have been played down from the American media as the conditions were far worse than I had discovered in my research leading up to the trip.
In 2005 I was witness to one of the hottest summers on record in Los Angeles California. For two weeks in August there were stories of people’s dustbins melting in the street and power grids overheating with the overuse of air conditioning units. Some people claimed it was so hot that their thermometer readings did not go high enough, yet on all of the new channels the temperatures were played down. Apparently this happened quite often in an attempt not to cause a mass panic and I was now quite sure that the same had been done regarding the drought.
It was quite clear after three days shooting out of Palm Springs that little had changed to combat the ongoing effects of the Californian drought now in its third year.
Joshua T National Park.
In the first instance it would seem odd to be documenting the effects of a drought in the desert. But these delicate eco systems are often the first to be effected by severe lack of water.
At Joshua Tree National Park, east of Los Angeles, the last decade was the hottest on record. Trees at the park have been able to survive because their roots are capable of finding water deep in the desert ground. But there are indications that rising temperatures and a drought may have dried out their water source.
Upon arrival into the park little seemed to have changed from my last trip there in the summer of 2014. However, upon closer inspection many more of the Joshua Trees appeared to charcoal black and limp. This was not, as one would imagine caused by fire, but lack of water. The tree (a member of the Yucca Palm family) survives by holding water in its trunk. If there is no water the tree turns black and is unable to support itself. But this is not the only problem for the Joshua Tree as animals native to the area have begun to gnaw at the base of the trees in a desperate attempt to obtain water, in turn killing the tree. As the park is the only place in the world where Joshua Trees grow, it is a very real concern for the trees survival.
The Salton Sea
The Salton Sea is an area I am most familiar with. Although I had spent a lot of time there in the past producing the Thursdays by The Sea project in 2008, I thought it was important to revisit the site all be it with a different outlook.
Although I had read that the area was undergoing extensive rejuvenation, I actually found the area to be more decayed looking than before. This however was partly due to the fact that the sea itself had shrunk by almost a third in size (due to evaporation) revealing more of the now heavily decayed town it once covered in the 80’s flood. . Although polluted, the source of the sea is used for crop irrigation and fishing as well as water sports, but for such a small town dependant on this crude water source this shortage had caused obvious problems in this already blighted area of California. It now seemed that the Salton Sea was past the point of no return.
It was not just the gold rush that left many small towns part or uninhabited. Many of today's ghost towns are the result of their main water supply being 'diverted' to larger cities like Los Angeles. The town of Keeler located between the edge of Death Valley and Owens Lake is a good example.
Owens Dry Lake
Although classed as a dry lake, Owens Lake it has always contained water up until a few years ago. As the lake water diminished dust from the lake caused the highest level of dust pollution in the U.S. carried by strong winds across the state. This became such a problem that in 2013 engineering work began in an attempt to control the dust problem. Salt Grass is currently being planted across the whole of the lakebed in a project that will take two years to complete. The grass is irrigated with fresh water and cattle have been introduced to keep the grass at a manageable level.
Although the Salt Grass is said to control the dust problem, excess water usage is now in full swing to feed cattle and grass within an area of very limited water supply.
A few miles away, the town of Lone Pine has one of the highest water restrictions in the state with each home metered (unlike many small towns in the west). Despite this, the Crystal Geyser water-bottling plant is located just a few miles away and is the only bottled water available in Lone Pine which retails at 99 cents for a 1.25 liter bottle. The company claims to bottle their water direct from the source although it is unclear where their exact source is.
Death Valley
Death Valley National Park normally gets about 2 inches of rain each year. The mountains that buffer the valley cause drought conditions by inhibiting storm movement, which weakens storms before they reach the valley, and this results in less rain. Given that the annual evaporation rate, or evaporation potential, is about 150 inches of water, a deficit of nearly 148 inches a year results. Thus, Death Valley National Park earns its notoriety as the “hottest, driest place in North America.”
Because Death Valley is so dry, the water consumption level is much higher. This prompted the Xanterra Resort Group to cut back on its water consumption for the 18 hole golf course at Furnace Creek by 35 million gallons a year simply be relocating and decreasing its course irrigation. Despite this, I was shocked to see how much water the course green needed, as the sprinklers were more like water canons.
Panamint Springs is the highest point in Death Valley. Its water supply is solely from Darwin Falls, a fifteenth minute drive and one of the very few natural sources of water in the valley. I was told the Falls had run dry over six months ago. Water was now being diverted from the same source as Furnace Creek during the holiday season, which runs from October to April.
Reservoirs
For the final leg of my journey I wanted to head straight to the source of California's water supply and headed north to photograph the reservoirs and lakes.
As most of California's water comes from ground water, the reservoirs are a good indicator of how much water the state actually has left. Once these lakes are empty, the only other option is to move onto another.
My first port of call was San Luis Opisbo, easily the most photogenic of all the Californian reservoirs. The low level of the lake had made way for a nice series of images, which would not of been possible if the lake was full. Although quite a dark subject matter, it was always my intention to make appealing imagery so as to draw people in.
Because the drought in California has been so widely photographed, especially in regards to the reservoirs, it was important for me to approach my subject matter in a different way.
Throughout my research I was constantly finding images of the reservoirs throughout California. Although a necessary part of the project I wanted to photograph these in a different way that was already shown (mainly shot form the air). My idea was to photograph the dry parts of the reservoirs from ground level. This would hopefully give a better idea of how the drought was affecting its surroundings. As a result, the images I came away with looked more like a desert setting, than any reservoir.
Lake San Antonio is located South of King City CA and is a popular destination for water-based activities. Like Palm Springs, the current conditions had a huge effect on leisure and tourism activities. Of all the reservoirs I had researched, this appeared to be the one most covered in news stories. Boats appeared run aground and jetty’s looked like they were stuck in the mud. It was as if the tide had gone out. However,
Of all the reservoirs I visited, Lake Folsom looked to be the most effected by the drought. At the time of shooting the lake was apparently only at 15 percent, although their was some debate over this as the locals claimed it was 25 percent and that the levels went up and down all the time. However, upon arrival my suspicions were confirmed as it was by far the driest I had seen.
Whilst making images at the base of the now dry Folsom Lake reservoir I was asked by a local lady walking her dog what I was doing. When I told her I was documenting the drought and water levels she appeared confused and said;
“Will they not just fill the lake up again?”
I asked her where she thought the water came from and the fact that there was no water left to fill to lake. She was also unaware that her drinking water came from the reservoir.
This was just one of the many examples of how the media had held back on how serious conditions had become. One only had to look at the amount of shrubs and grasses that had been growing in the base of the lake to know it had been dry for some time. But for people walking their dogs it was quite normal and not something to be concerned about.
Although quite shocking to behold the ‘almost’ empty reservoirs of California and the realisation that once these were empty there would be more water. The biggest eye opener for me was photographing the farming areas of California; in particular those located Kern County. This was not something I had planned to document in detail, but it became, what I consider, the most important part of the project.
80 percent of California’s water consumption comes from watering food crops. Farmers who had relied on as much water as they needed from the government had now being told they would receive no more water. This has in effect created a scene like the dust bowl of the 1920’s great depression. Crops that notoriously needed a lot of water to produce, in particular Almonds, are now suffering greatly although the knock on effect in the market place has yet to be seen.
The importance of documenting the drought now seemed more important than ever and I was reminded that people are more likely to believe something if they can actually see it.
Although I had set out in a somewhat subtle manner, I could not but help make the more obvious imagery I was originally trying to avoid. There were, and still are many examples of Virtual Water I would of liked to have tackled in more depth, in particular Bushfires and Food Production.
In the last two years, as the land becomes even drier with extended temperatures into the autumn months, bushfires have also become more frequent and harder to control. The relevant images in the Virtual Water project were made in Malibu along the Pacific Coast Highway. It is the first time they have had bush fires in this area of California. The flames moved fast and even jumped the width of the road (approximately 50ft). Bushfires were something I had not even considered relating to the drought and it was only by chance that I happened to be in the area at the time with my camera.
Although I had researched food production, in particular the water footprint used to produce certain foods such as beef. I realised the subject was too great to tackle along side my other subjects. I did however begin with the city of Vernon located five miles south of downtown Los Angeles. Despite its population of 112 and being the smallest of any incorporated city in the state (5.2 sq miles), it has the highest water consumption in California. This is mainly due to the city being almost entirely made up of food processing factories. This is a subject I may well indeed return to in more depth at a later date.
Bottled Water
It is shocking to think although most of California has free flowing clean water straight from the tap Americans still spend hundreds of dollars a year on bottled water. Most Americans claim that bottled water must be better and cleaner because ‘they are paying more for it.’ (Bottled water has a mark-up of 99 percent) Little do most know that the source of their bottled water is often the same as their tap water.
Many attempts have been made to introduce alternative measures regarding drinking water, but a huge percentage of Californians are sticking with the bottle claiming that recycled water is dirty (although often cleaner once fully processed), and desalination (the process of processing drinking water from sea water) is too expensive and bad tasting.
I have come to realise that the water bottling industry, which is worth billions of dollars a year, has monopolized the water industry convincing Americans that bottled water is the only solution.
Conclusion
Although the initial lack of rain and snowfall has created the worst drought in more than a century, it is now my understanding that irresponsible water management has created most of the problems associated with drought in California. Other countries with less rainfall and longer drought periods have resorted to recycled and desalination with great success. In California golf courses continue to waste millions of gallons a day, while people choose to drink bottled water sourced directly from low-level reservoirs. Water is not recycled in any form and almost all towns in California have an unlimited, un-metered water supply.
I feel like I have only cracked the surface of what is a huge subject with many sub sections and things I simply had no idea about concerning water consumption in the USA. With this in mind I see the project as a tool for raising awareness, not only in the over consumption of water, but mass consumption in general.
Rather than a completed series of images, I see the Virtual Water Photographic Project as the beginning of something much bigger. I plan to continue finding new and important project research material and hopefully raise awareness regarding one of the Earths most precious resources. - See more at: http://www.rps.org/technical/gallery?a=%7B3B70C1C2-5CF5-4AE0-AE25-88682217C699%7D#sthash.xpBPdK5k.dpuf
VIRTUAL WATER PHOTOGRAPHY PROJECT -FINAL PROJECT REPORT - MARCUS DOYLE
From the onset I knew documenting California’s current drought would be no easy task. The sheer vastness of the state meant that I could only pick out certain key areas in what would be a relatively short space of time.
Prior to my trip I had mapped out what I called, The Drought Loop. Starting from Palm Springs I would work my way north through the desert to the direct source of California’s main water supplies in the form of lakes and reservoirs. From there I would travel back along the coast and through the farmland areas of the Kern Valley finishing in Los Angeles.
This final report is based on my four week journey.
My proposed project to document the ongoing drought in California began in Palm Springs, located within the Cochella Valley region of Western California.
Although I had originally planned on shooting the images in July through August, little appeared to have changed. It was still very hot, and of course, very dry with an average temperature of 105 degrees.
Unlike other parts of the USA the golf courses and outdoor leisure activities in Palm Springs continue throughout autumn and the winter months due to the warmer temperatures.
Palm Springs has a total of 47 golf courses using millions of gallons water every day. Water (which comes from the Coachella Valley’s groundwater basin) is not recycled in any form and comes from the same source as drinking water with as much as 20 percent evaporating before it is soaked into the ground.
Many of the large ponds within the golf courses had dried up (unlike the swimming pools the pond water is not recycled). Despite this, the watering of the golf lawns continued.
One thing that did stand out was that all the commercial car washes were now closed during the drought although I couldn’t help thinking this was all for show as people would probably wash their cars elsewhere. An empty car wash is easier to spot than a private golf club.
It was easy to see how the drought had affected this area of the west and I soon realised the drought may have been played down from the American media as the conditions were far worse than I had discovered in my research leading up to the trip.
In 2005 I was witness to one of the hottest summers on record in Los Angeles California. For two weeks in August there were stories of people’s dustbins melting in the street and power grids overheating with the overuse of air conditioning units. Some people claimed it was so hot that their thermometer readings did not go high enough, yet on all of the new channels the temperatures were played down. Apparently this happened quite often in an attempt not to cause a mass panic and I was now quite sure that the same had been done regarding the drought.
It was quite clear after three days shooting out of Palm Springs that little had changed to combat the ongoing effects of the Californian drought now in its third year.
Joshua T National Park.
In the first instance it would seem odd to be documenting the effects of a drought in the desert. But these delicate eco systems are often the first to be effected by severe lack of water.
At Joshua Tree National Park, east of Los Angeles, the last decade was the hottest on record. Trees at the park have been able to survive because their roots are capable of finding water deep in the desert ground. But there are indications that rising temperatures and a drought may have dried out their water source.
Upon arrival into the park little seemed to have changed from my last trip there in the summer of 2014. However, upon closer inspection many more of the Joshua Trees appeared to charcoal black and limp. This was not, as one would imagine caused by fire, but lack of water. The tree (a member of the Yucca Palm family) survives by holding water in its trunk. If there is no water the tree turns black and is unable to support itself. But this is not the only problem for the Joshua Tree as animals native to the area have begun to gnaw at the base of the trees in a desperate attempt to obtain water, in turn killing the tree. As the park is the only place in the world where Joshua Trees grow, it is a very real concern for the trees survival.
The Salton Sea
The Salton Sea is an area I am most familiar with. Although I had spent a lot of time there in the past producing the Thursdays by The Sea project in 2008, I thought it was important to revisit the site all be it with a different outlook.
Although I had read that the area was undergoing extensive rejuvenation, I actually found the area to be more decayed looking than before. This however was partly due to the fact that the sea itself had shrunk by almost a third in size (due to evaporation) revealing more of the now heavily decayed town it once covered in the 80’s flood. . Although polluted, the source of the sea is used for crop irrigation and fishing as well as water sports, but for such a small town dependant on this crude water source this shortage had caused obvious problems in this already blighted area of California. It now seemed that the Salton Sea was past the point of no return.
It was not just the gold rush that left many small towns part or uninhabited. Many of today's ghost towns are the result of their main water supply being 'diverted' to larger cities like Los Angeles. The town of Keeler located between the edge of Death Valley and Owens Lake is a good example.
Owens Dry Lake
Although classed as a dry lake, Owens Lake it has always contained water up until a few years ago. As the lake water diminished dust from the lake caused the highest level of dust pollution in the U.S. carried by strong winds across the state. This became such a problem that in 2013 engineering work began in an attempt to control the dust problem. Salt Grass is currently being planted across the whole of the lakebed in a project that will take two years to complete. The grass is irrigated with fresh water and cattle have been introduced to keep the grass at a manageable level.
Although the Salt Grass is said to control the dust problem, excess water usage is now in full swing to feed cattle and grass within an area of very limited water supply.
A few miles away, the town of Lone Pine has one of the highest water restrictions in the state with each home metered (unlike many small towns in the west). Despite this, the Crystal Geyser water-bottling plant is located just a few miles away and is the only bottled water available in Lone Pine which retails at 99 cents for a 1.25 liter bottle. The company claims to bottle their water direct from the source although it is unclear where their exact source is.
Death Valley
Death Valley National Park normally gets about 2 inches of rain each year. The mountains that buffer the valley cause drought conditions by inhibiting storm movement, which weakens storms before they reach the valley, and this results in less rain. Given that the annual evaporation rate, or evaporation potential, is about 150 inches of water, a deficit of nearly 148 inches a year results. Thus, Death Valley National Park earns its notoriety as the “hottest, driest place in North America.”
Because Death Valley is so dry, the water consumption level is much higher. This prompted the Xanterra Resort Group to cut back on its water consumption for the 18 hole golf course at Furnace Creek by 35 million gallons a year simply be relocating and decreasing its course irrigation. Despite this, I was shocked to see how much water the course green needed, as the sprinklers were more like water canons.
Panamint Springs is the highest point in Death Valley. Its water supply is solely from Darwin Falls, a fifteenth minute drive and one of the very few natural sources of water in the valley. I was told the Falls had run dry over six months ago. Water was now being diverted from the same source as Furnace Creek during the holiday season, which runs from October to April.
Reservoirs
For the final leg of my journey I wanted to head straight to the source of California's water supply and headed north to photograph the reservoirs and lakes.
As most of California's water comes from ground water, the reservoirs are a good indicator of how much water the state actually has left. Once these lakes are empty, the only other option is to move onto another.
My first port of call was San Luis Opisbo, easily the most photogenic of all the Californian reservoirs. The low level of the lake had made way for a nice series of images, which would not of been possible if the lake was full. Although quite a dark subject matter, it was always my intention to make appealing imagery so as to draw people in.
Because the drought in California has been so widely photographed, especially in regards to the reservoirs, it was important for me to approach my subject matter in a different way.
Throughout my research I was constantly finding images of the reservoirs throughout California. Although a necessary part of the project I wanted to photograph these in a different way that was already shown (mainly shot form the air). My idea was to photograph the dry parts of the reservoirs from ground level. This would hopefully give a better idea of how the drought was affecting its surroundings. As a result, the images I came away with looked more like a desert setting, than any reservoir.
Lake San Antonio is located South of King City CA and is a popular destination for water-based activities. Like Palm Springs, the current conditions had a huge effect on leisure and tourism activities. Of all the reservoirs I had researched, this appeared to be the one most covered in news stories. Boats appeared run aground and jetty’s looked like they were stuck in the mud. It was as if the tide had gone out. However,
Of all the reservoirs I visited, Lake Folsom looked to be the most effected by the drought. At the time of shooting the lake was apparently only at 15 percent, although their was some debate over this as the locals claimed it was 25 percent and that the levels went up and down all the time. However, upon arrival my suspicions were confirmed as it was by far the driest I had seen.
Whilst making images at the base of the now dry Folsom Lake reservoir I was asked by a local lady walking her dog what I was doing. When I told her I was documenting the drought and water levels she appeared confused and said;
“Will they not just fill the lake up again?”
I asked her where she thought the water came from and the fact that there was no water left to fill to lake. She was also unaware that her drinking water came from the reservoir.
This was just one of the many examples of how the media had held back on how serious conditions had become. One only had to look at the amount of shrubs and grasses that had been growing in the base of the lake to know it had been dry for some time. But for people walking their dogs it was quite normal and not something to be concerned about.
Although quite shocking to behold the ‘almost’ empty reservoirs of California and the realisation that once these were empty there would be more water. The biggest eye opener for me was photographing the farming areas of California; in particular those located Kern County. This was not something I had planned to document in detail, but it became, what I consider, the most important part of the project.
80 percent of California’s water consumption comes from watering food crops. Farmers who had relied on as much water as they needed from the government had now being told they would receive no more water. This has in effect created a scene like the dust bowl of the 1920’s great depression. Crops that notoriously needed a lot of water to produce, in particular Almonds, are now suffering greatly although the knock on effect in the market place has yet to be seen.
The importance of documenting the drought now seemed more important than ever and I was reminded that people are more likely to believe something if they can actually see it.
Although I had set out in a somewhat subtle manner, I could not but help make the more obvious imagery I was originally trying to avoid. There were, and still are many examples of Virtual Water I would of liked to have tackled in more depth, in particular Bushfires and Food Production.
In the last two years, as the land becomes even drier with extended temperatures into the autumn months, bushfires have also become more frequent and harder to control. The relevant images in the Virtual Water project were made in Malibu along the Pacific Coast Highway. It is the first time they have had bush fires in this area of California. The flames moved fast and even jumped the width of the road (approximately 50ft). Bushfires were something I had not even considered relating to the drought and it was only by chance that I happened to be in the area at the time with my camera.
Although I had researched food production, in particular the water footprint used to produce certain foods such as beef. I realised the subject was too great to tackle along side my other subjects. I did however begin with the city of Vernon located five miles south of downtown Los Angeles. Despite its population of 112 and being the smallest of any incorporated city in the state (5.2 sq miles), it has the highest water consumption in California. This is mainly due to the city being almost entirely made up of food processing factories. This is a subject I may well indeed return to in more depth at a later date.
Bottled Water
It is shocking to think although most of California has free flowing clean water straight from the tap Americans still spend hundreds of dollars a year on bottled water. Most Americans claim that bottled water must be better and cleaner because ‘they are paying more for it.’ (Bottled water has a mark-up of 99 percent) Little do most know that the source of their bottled water is often the same as their tap water.
Many attempts have been made to introduce alternative measures regarding drinking water, but a huge percentage of Californians are sticking with the bottle claiming that recycled water is dirty (although often cleaner once fully processed), and desalination (the process of processing drinking water from sea water) is too expensive and bad tasting.
I have come to realise that the water bottling industry, which is worth billions of dollars a year, has monopolized the water industry convincing Americans that bottled water is the only solution.
Conclusion
Although the initial lack of rain and snowfall has created the worst drought in more than a century, it is now my understanding that irresponsible water management has created most of the problems associated with drought in California. Other countries with less rainfall and longer drought periods have resorted to recycled and desalination with great success. In California golf courses continue to waste millions of gallons a day, while people choose to drink bottled water sourced directly from low-level reservoirs. Water is not recycled in any form and almost all towns in California have an unlimited, un-metered water supply.
I feel like I have only cracked the surface of what is a huge subject with many sub sections and things I simply had no idea about concerning water consumption in the USA. With this in mind I see the project as a tool for raising awareness, not only in the over consumption of water, but mass consumption in general.
Rather than a completed series of images, I see the Virtual Water Photographic Project as the beginning of something much bigger. I plan to continue finding new and important project research material and hopefully raise awareness regarding one of the Earths most precious resources. - See more at: http://www.rps.org/technical/gallery?a=%7B3B70C1C2-5CF5-4AE0-AE25-88682217C699%7D#sthash.xpBPdK5k.dpuf
From the onset I knew documenting California’s current drought would be no easy task. The sheer vastness of the state meant that I could only pick out certain key areas in what would be a relatively short space of time.
Prior to my trip I had mapped out what I called, The Drought Loop. Starting from Palm Springs I would work my way north through the desert to the direct source of California’s main water supplies in the form of lakes and reservoirs. From there I would travel back along the coast and through the farmland areas of the Kern Valley finishing in Los Angeles.
This final report is based on my four week journey.
My proposed project to document the ongoing drought in California began in Palm Springs, located within the Cochella Valley region of Western California.
Although I had originally planned on shooting the images in July through August, little appeared to have changed. It was still very hot, and of course, very dry with an average temperature of 105 degrees.
Unlike other parts of the USA the golf courses and outdoor leisure activities in Palm Springs continue throughout autumn and the winter months due to the warmer temperatures.
Palm Springs has a total of 47 golf courses using millions of gallons water every day. Water (which comes from the Coachella Valley’s groundwater basin) is not recycled in any form and comes from the same source as drinking water with as much as 20 percent evaporating before it is soaked into the ground.
Many of the large ponds within the golf courses had dried up (unlike the swimming pools the pond water is not recycled). Despite this, the watering of the golf lawns continued.
One thing that did stand out was that all the commercial car washes were now closed during the drought although I couldn’t help thinking this was all for show as people would probably wash their cars elsewhere. An empty car wash is easier to spot than a private golf club.
It was easy to see how the drought had affected this area of the west and I soon realised the drought may have been played down from the American media as the conditions were far worse than I had discovered in my research leading up to the trip.
In 2005 I was witness to one of the hottest summers on record in Los Angeles California. For two weeks in August there were stories of people’s dustbins melting in the street and power grids overheating with the overuse of air conditioning units. Some people claimed it was so hot that their thermometer readings did not go high enough, yet on all of the new channels the temperatures were played down. Apparently this happened quite often in an attempt not to cause a mass panic and I was now quite sure that the same had been done regarding the drought.
It was quite clear after three days shooting out of Palm Springs that little had changed to combat the ongoing effects of the Californian drought now in its third year.
Joshua T National Park.
In the first instance it would seem odd to be documenting the effects of a drought in the desert. But these delicate eco systems are often the first to be effected by severe lack of water.
At Joshua Tree National Park, east of Los Angeles, the last decade was the hottest on record. Trees at the park have been able to survive because their roots are capable of finding water deep in the desert ground. But there are indications that rising temperatures and a drought may have dried out their water source.
Upon arrival into the park little seemed to have changed from my last trip there in the summer of 2014. However, upon closer inspection many more of the Joshua Trees appeared to charcoal black and limp. This was not, as one would imagine caused by fire, but lack of water. The tree (a member of the Yucca Palm family) survives by holding water in its trunk. If there is no water the tree turns black and is unable to support itself. But this is not the only problem for the Joshua Tree as animals native to the area have begun to gnaw at the base of the trees in a desperate attempt to obtain water, in turn killing the tree. As the park is the only place in the world where Joshua Trees grow, it is a very real concern for the trees survival.
The Salton Sea
The Salton Sea is an area I am most familiar with. Although I had spent a lot of time there in the past producing the Thursdays by The Sea project in 2008, I thought it was important to revisit the site all be it with a different outlook.
Although I had read that the area was undergoing extensive rejuvenation, I actually found the area to be more decayed looking than before. This however was partly due to the fact that the sea itself had shrunk by almost a third in size (due to evaporation) revealing more of the now heavily decayed town it once covered in the 80’s flood. . Although polluted, the source of the sea is used for crop irrigation and fishing as well as water sports, but for such a small town dependant on this crude water source this shortage had caused obvious problems in this already blighted area of California. It now seemed that the Salton Sea was past the point of no return.
It was not just the gold rush that left many small towns part or uninhabited. Many of today's ghost towns are the result of their main water supply being 'diverted' to larger cities like Los Angeles. The town of Keeler located between the edge of Death Valley and Owens Lake is a good example.
Owens Dry Lake
Although classed as a dry lake, Owens Lake it has always contained water up until a few years ago. As the lake water diminished dust from the lake caused the highest level of dust pollution in the U.S. carried by strong winds across the state. This became such a problem that in 2013 engineering work began in an attempt to control the dust problem. Salt Grass is currently being planted across the whole of the lakebed in a project that will take two years to complete. The grass is irrigated with fresh water and cattle have been introduced to keep the grass at a manageable level.
Although the Salt Grass is said to control the dust problem, excess water usage is now in full swing to feed cattle and grass within an area of very limited water supply.
A few miles away, the town of Lone Pine has one of the highest water restrictions in the state with each home metered (unlike many small towns in the west). Despite this, the Crystal Geyser water-bottling plant is located just a few miles away and is the only bottled water available in Lone Pine which retails at 99 cents for a 1.25 liter bottle. The company claims to bottle their water direct from the source although it is unclear where their exact source is.
Death Valley
Death Valley National Park normally gets about 2 inches of rain each year. The mountains that buffer the valley cause drought conditions by inhibiting storm movement, which weakens storms before they reach the valley, and this results in less rain. Given that the annual evaporation rate, or evaporation potential, is about 150 inches of water, a deficit of nearly 148 inches a year results. Thus, Death Valley National Park earns its notoriety as the “hottest, driest place in North America.”
Because Death Valley is so dry, the water consumption level is much higher. This prompted the Xanterra Resort Group to cut back on its water consumption for the 18 hole golf course at Furnace Creek by 35 million gallons a year simply be relocating and decreasing its course irrigation. Despite this, I was shocked to see how much water the course green needed, as the sprinklers were more like water canons.
Panamint Springs is the highest point in Death Valley. Its water supply is solely from Darwin Falls, a fifteenth minute drive and one of the very few natural sources of water in the valley. I was told the Falls had run dry over six months ago. Water was now being diverted from the same source as Furnace Creek during the holiday season, which runs from October to April.
Reservoirs
For the final leg of my journey I wanted to head straight to the source of California's water supply and headed north to photograph the reservoirs and lakes.
As most of California's water comes from ground water, the reservoirs are a good indicator of how much water the state actually has left. Once these lakes are empty, the only other option is to move onto another.
My first port of call was San Luis Opisbo, easily the most photogenic of all the Californian reservoirs. The low level of the lake had made way for a nice series of images, which would not of been possible if the lake was full. Although quite a dark subject matter, it was always my intention to make appealing imagery so as to draw people in.
Because the drought in California has been so widely photographed, especially in regards to the reservoirs, it was important for me to approach my subject matter in a different way.
Throughout my research I was constantly finding images of the reservoirs throughout California. Although a necessary part of the project I wanted to photograph these in a different way that was already shown (mainly shot form the air). My idea was to photograph the dry parts of the reservoirs from ground level. This would hopefully give a better idea of how the drought was affecting its surroundings. As a result, the images I came away with looked more like a desert setting, than any reservoir.
Lake San Antonio is located South of King City CA and is a popular destination for water-based activities. Like Palm Springs, the current conditions had a huge effect on leisure and tourism activities. Of all the reservoirs I had researched, this appeared to be the one most covered in news stories. Boats appeared run aground and jetty’s looked like they were stuck in the mud. It was as if the tide had gone out. However,
Of all the reservoirs I visited, Lake Folsom looked to be the most effected by the drought. At the time of shooting the lake was apparently only at 15 percent, although their was some debate over this as the locals claimed it was 25 percent and that the levels went up and down all the time. However, upon arrival my suspicions were confirmed as it was by far the driest I had seen.
Whilst making images at the base of the now dry Folsom Lake reservoir I was asked by a local lady walking her dog what I was doing. When I told her I was documenting the drought and water levels she appeared confused and said;
“Will they not just fill the lake up again?”
I asked her where she thought the water came from and the fact that there was no water left to fill to lake. She was also unaware that her drinking water came from the reservoir.
This was just one of the many examples of how the media had held back on how serious conditions had become. One only had to look at the amount of shrubs and grasses that had been growing in the base of the lake to know it had been dry for some time. But for people walking their dogs it was quite normal and not something to be concerned about.
Although quite shocking to behold the ‘almost’ empty reservoirs of California and the realisation that once these were empty there would be more water. The biggest eye opener for me was photographing the farming areas of California; in particular those located Kern County. This was not something I had planned to document in detail, but it became, what I consider, the most important part of the project.
80 percent of California’s water consumption comes from watering food crops. Farmers who had relied on as much water as they needed from the government had now being told they would receive no more water. This has in effect created a scene like the dust bowl of the 1920’s great depression. Crops that notoriously needed a lot of water to produce, in particular Almonds, are now suffering greatly although the knock on effect in the market place has yet to be seen.
The importance of documenting the drought now seemed more important than ever and I was reminded that people are more likely to believe something if they can actually see it.
Although I had set out in a somewhat subtle manner, I could not but help make the more obvious imagery I was originally trying to avoid. There were, and still are many examples of Virtual Water I would of liked to have tackled in more depth, in particular Bushfires and Food Production.
In the last two years, as the land becomes even drier with extended temperatures into the autumn months, bushfires have also become more frequent and harder to control. The relevant images in the Virtual Water project were made in Malibu along the Pacific Coast Highway. It is the first time they have had bush fires in this area of California. The flames moved fast and even jumped the width of the road (approximately 50ft). Bushfires were something I had not even considered relating to the drought and it was only by chance that I happened to be in the area at the time with my camera.
Although I had researched food production, in particular the water footprint used to produce certain foods such as beef. I realised the subject was too great to tackle along side my other subjects. I did however begin with the city of Vernon located five miles south of downtown Los Angeles. Despite its population of 112 and being the smallest of any incorporated city in the state (5.2 sq miles), it has the highest water consumption in California. This is mainly due to the city being almost entirely made up of food processing factories. This is a subject I may well indeed return to in more depth at a later date.
Bottled Water
It is shocking to think although most of California has free flowing clean water straight from the tap Americans still spend hundreds of dollars a year on bottled water. Most Americans claim that bottled water must be better and cleaner because ‘they are paying more for it.’ (Bottled water has a mark-up of 99 percent) Little do most know that the source of their bottled water is often the same as their tap water.
Many attempts have been made to introduce alternative measures regarding drinking water, but a huge percentage of Californians are sticking with the bottle claiming that recycled water is dirty (although often cleaner once fully processed), and desalination (the process of processing drinking water from sea water) is too expensive and bad tasting.
I have come to realise that the water bottling industry, which is worth billions of dollars a year, has monopolized the water industry convincing Americans that bottled water is the only solution.
Conclusion
Although the initial lack of rain and snowfall has created the worst drought in more than a century, it is now my understanding that irresponsible water management has created most of the problems associated with drought in California. Other countries with less rainfall and longer drought periods have resorted to recycled and desalination with great success. In California golf courses continue to waste millions of gallons a day, while people choose to drink bottled water sourced directly from low-level reservoirs. Water is not recycled in any form and almost all towns in California have an unlimited, un-metered water supply.
I feel like I have only cracked the surface of what is a huge subject with many sub sections and things I simply had no idea about concerning water consumption in the USA. With this in mind I see the project as a tool for raising awareness, not only in the over consumption of water, but mass consumption in general.
Rather than a completed series of images, I see the Virtual Water Photographic Project as the beginning of something much bigger. I plan to continue finding new and important project research material and hopefully raise awareness regarding one of the Earths most precious resources. - See more at: http://www.rps.org/technical/gallery?a=%7B3B70C1C2-5CF5-4AE0-AE25-88682217C699%7D#sthash.xpBPdK5k.dpuf
