ghoulthebraineater t1_j48u80s wrote
Reply to comment by CakeBrigadier in Nearly all of California exits the worst drought categories in U.S. Drought Monitor by pneumatichorseman
That just isn't practical. One of the big problems with dry ground is water likes to stick to other water molecules. They will work their way into the dry soil but it takes more time. A good example is comparing how much more and how much more quickly a slightly damp sponge will absorb water versus a completely dry one. If you were to pour water on both you'll see that most of the water will just run off the dry sponge.
If were to drill out a few holes in the dry sponge it's not going to really change much. The hole itself might become a small reservoir but it won't change the rate of absorption.
This would scale really poorly in the real world. You'd need so many holes drilled all over the place. It would be incredibly expensive and logistically impossible not to mention insanely dangerous. Having tens of thousands of open wells isn't a great idea.
invincibl_ t1_j496q0m wrote
That's why you plant trees (and don't tear up all your forests) because this is describing exactly what their root systems do. They can even reproduce on their own!
ghoulthebraineater t1_j49785q wrote
Some places can't really support trees.
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