Lack of Forethought

I love living in Southern California but, I do have one major complaint. They build things as if it will never rain. Today, we got less than 1/10 of an inch of rain and yet, I had to wade through puddles at the post office. There are no storm drains and the parking lot is built such that the water pools right where the trunk of your car lines up. So...you cannot avoid soaking your feet when you get the packages out of your trunk.

Can you imagine if we actually had a downpour?

I totally understand brother!!  Stormwatch!!!LOL

just imagine living in an area where it does rain a lot and rain water still pools up like that. 

it's rained almost every single day for the past 2 weeks or so in the Philly area...

No kidding. We get less rain in a year than I sometimes experienced in a day while living in Chicago. Whenever there is significant rainfall here, it is major trouble (mud slides, sink holes etc).

One of the reasons why, i don't at all miss living in L.A.

From my Tab through the Tap

(04-25-2015, 05:41 PM)C-NoEviL Wrote: One of the reasons why, i don't at all miss living in L.A.

From my Tab through the Tap

HA! To get away from the rain you moved to Washington State. 

(04-25-2015, 10:37 PM)Johnny Wrote:

(04-25-2015, 05:41 PM)C-NoEviL Wrote: One of the reasons why, i don't at all miss living in L.A.

From my Tab through the Tap

HA! To get away from the rain you moved to Washington State. 

Heh, only because of love, Johnny!

That would never work, here, in Vancouver! 

It's not like we are in a cyclical drought exasperated  by a massive population increase. The rapidly emptying aquifers have physically collapsed
with measurements of up to several feet lower elevation in many areas. There is so much manmade construction rainwater has difficulty percolating down to any intact aquifers anyway and largely washes to the ocean along with contaminants. Meanwhile, we suck on plastic water bottles with enough discarded to make 60 roundtrips to the moon if laid end to end but instead eventually becoming the most predominant particulate in our oceans after salt.
Ah, but William Shatner is promoting a 4 BILLION dollar pipeline from Washington state to SOCAL. Bill says it is being wasted up there- knowing less about temperate rainforest water cycling than horses ( I worked on his ranch and he couldn't sort out his own irrigation system AFTER discovering he didn't own the water rights).
There is a massive archaeological complex in New Mexico's Chaco Canyon. It was home to a pre-Columbian civilization that did intensive irrigation and water cachment. And, like all civilizations they pushed their population just beyond carrying capacity as a longterm drought hit. These became the ANAZASI- remembered in those Kokopelli windchimes blowing across the southwest by swimming pools. What people forget, those Anazasi lived in cliff dwellings for defense and there were periods of cannibalism.
KOYANNISQUATSI

I have no idea what ya'll are talking about....what's rain?

(04-27-2015, 01:08 PM)DoctorShaveGood Wrote: I have no idea what ya'll are talking about....what's rain?

You know, that stuff you get just before or after your tornado.

I thought that's why every one moved there. "it never rains in Southern California" can't please all the people all the time. Jus t don't try running a pipe to the great lakes. Johnny and I wouldn't like that.

(04-26-2015, 07:00 PM)kav Wrote: It's not like we are in a cyclical drought exasperated  by a massive population increase. The rapidly emptying aquifers have physically collapsed
with measurements of up to several feet lower elevation in many areas. There is so much manmade construction rainwater has difficulty percolating down to any intact aquifers anyway and largely washes to the ocean along with contaminants. Meanwhile, we suck on plastic water bottles with enough discarded to make 60 roundtrips to the moon if laid end to end but instead eventually becoming the most predominant particulate in our oceans after salt.
Ah, but William Shatner is promoting a 4 BILLION dollar pipeline from Washington state to SOCAL. Bill says it is being wasted up there- knowing less about temperate rainforest water cycling than horses ( I worked on his ranch and he couldn't sort out his own irrigation system AFTER discovering he didn't own the water rights).
There is a massive archaeological complex in New Mexico's Chaco Canyon. It was home to a pre-Columbian civilization that did intensive irrigation and water cachment. And, like all civilizations they pushed their population just beyond carrying capacity as a longterm drought hit. These became the ANAZASI- remembered in those Kokopelli windchimes blowing across the southwest by swimming pools. What people forget, those Anazasi lived in cliff dwellings for defense and there were periods of cannibalism.
KOYANNISQUATSI

Bravo! 

Not much sympathy from us in the Pacific Northwest. I'm fascinated by someone who would take a photo of that piddly amount of rain. My suggestion would be, next Spring, when you might get your next rainstorm, do what the postal trucks did in the photo, back into the space so that your feet stay dry when unloading from the trunk. 

(04-27-2015, 03:21 PM)evnpar Wrote: Not much sympathy from us in the Pacific Northwest. I'm fascinated by someone who would take a photo of that piddly amount of rain. My suggestion would be, next Spring, when you might get your next rainstorm, do what the postal trucks did in the photo, back into the space so that your feet stay dry when unloading from the trunk. 

Rain? That isn't rain! Wait until you experience 29 straight days of rain! 

(04-27-2015, 03:21 PM)evnpar Wrote: Not much sympathy from us in the Pacific Northwest. I'm fascinated by someone who would take a photo of that piddly amount of rain. My suggestion would be, next Spring, when you might get your next rainstorm, do what the postal trucks did in the photo, back into the space so that your feet stay dry when unloading from the trunk. 

The point was there was a piddly amount of rain and yet, there were puddles. This just demonstrates the total lack of drainage and the total lack of planning. When we get an inch of rain, there are flash floods. No storm drains and no pitching on highways or in this case, parking lots.

I went to law school out in Malibu and we got some pretty serious rain and mudslides while I was out there.  Also, a hearty New Englander, I used to scoff at how everyone freaked out on the freeways and ran into each other when it rained.  But its because there is so little rain that all the oil builds up over time and gets released when it rains and it does get very slick.  I still would scoff but not as heartily as I used to.

Up in the San Gabriel's an old horse stable is an object of ridicule for local architectural students touring our famous buildings. It is adobe, thick walled and COOL. But there are these funny walls running for a good 24' tapering from near the roofline to a single end cap block. I did a nearby excavation and listened to comments including ' dumb Mexicans can't even build a level wall.  What was it, a firing barricade against Apaches'?  or ' Why did they build the ramp to have roof access? They could have used ladders'? I grew tired, explaining it is 'earthquake architecture' and the buttresses located in perfect alignment with the local fault line. 
These are the dummies who's buildings failed in the Northridge earthquake and cannot properly grade an asphalt parking lot for drainage.Phil, In Germany they pioneered perforated surfaces to allow for percolation and heat transpiration from the subsoils.

(04-28-2015, 06:26 AM)bullgoose Wrote:

(04-27-2015, 03:21 PM)evnpar Wrote: Not much sympathy from us in the Pacific Northwest. I'm fascinated by someone who would take a photo of that piddly amount of rain. My suggestion would be, next Spring, when you might get your next rainstorm, do what the postal trucks did in the photo, back into the space so that your feet stay dry when unloading from the trunk. 

The point was there was a piddly amount of rain and yet, there were puddles. This just demonstrates the total lack of drainage and the total lack of planning. When we get an inch of rain, there are flash floods. No storm drains and no pitching on highways or in this case, parking lots.

I worked for a civil engineer back in the 80's. Our job was to create a pitch in the parking lot, road or ditch to drain water properly away so you would not get puddling, etc. It's not a hard thing to draw and engineer. The one to blame is the guy that's drunk and driving the bulldozer.     

Phil, this reminds me of some older car designs. Remember when you couldn't open your car window, even just a crack for ventilation, when it rained? The channel they built into the roof above the door never seemed to do its job - soak city!