http://www.salon.com/2015/04/06/desperate_california_farmers_are_relying_on_wastewater_from_chevrons_oil_production/Freshwater, which is typically preferred for use on food crops, is selling for up to 10 times its usual cost. That’s where Chevron, which produces 10 barrels of wastewater for every one barrel of oil, steps in. The company, explains reporter Zoë Schlanger, is selling up to 500,000 barrels of that waste per day back to the Cawelo Water District in Kern County, “essentially ‘at cost,’” for farmers’ use.
Unsurprisingly, this is raising some eyebrows. While oil products are removed, the wastewater isn’t treated — the biggest potential problem stems from its high salt content. In wetter times, the Water District will mix the wastewater with fresh; in the midst of severe drought, the farmers temporarily rely on saltier water, with the expectation that forthcoming rains will flush that salt out and keep it from damaging the soil.
lol, they're literally salting the earth in california
