Here’s some related links:

http://www.scu.edu.au/news/media.php?item_id=1069&action=show_item says it costs 620 gallons

http://www.waterwise.org.uk/ says it costs 634 gallons

http://www.waterfootprint.org/?page=files/productgallery&product=beef
says it takes 464 gallons per quarter pound of beef

So there are a variety of answers out there, but I’m sure these answers are far larger than your initial guess, which I bet was less than 50 gallons.

The reason I’m sticking on this subject is that water is once again becoming a large issue. We need the facts out there so that the public is aware of what’s at stake. The media, including this blog, can help by publishing correct and useful information, which will help them decide on how to vote on such things as water bonds.

Farmers pay the least for water. But dairy farmers and ranchers pay more – unless they are also growing crops.

Even if what you state is true, there are many other costs that go into that burger. They would include labor, transportation, the vegetables and sauces used in the burger, and the bun. That is why a good burger will set you back $4 to $8.

I think Solorio’s statement is ridiculous on its face – just like he has been throughout his undistinguished career in the Legislature.

BTW, have the ding-dongs in Sacramento figured out yet that they have to CUT spending to balance the state budget?

$1 will buy you 750 gallons from the water district.

I really don’t eat many burgers. I tend to eat chicken sandwiches more often than burgers.

That is not the point. The point is, how in the hell does Solorio maintain all those chins on just plain veggies alone? He must be eating blocks of cheese! How much water is THAT wasting!

Let me put this another way. If what Solorio said was true, how could anyone afford to sell a burger for a buck or two? That is simply inconceivable.

We live in a capitalist economy. People who sell meat and who turn said meat into burgers have to make a profit. Using up 700 gallons of water to make ONE burger would mean that burger would cost more than Solorio’s hair cuts! I have a feeling he spends $40 or so every time he trims that pompadour…

According to Wiki Answers, which I found via Google.com, “Dairy cows that are lactating (producing milk) eat approximately 50 pounds of dry matter per day. Converting this to as fed weight of the feed depends on the moisture content of the feedstuffs used. Assuming 50% moisture it would be approximately 100 pounds of feed that a cow would eat per day. She would also consume roughly 50 gallons of water every day while she is lactating. ”

So if they are not lactating they don’t drink as much water. Solorio was referring to burgers, which are not produced, generally, from dairy cows until they are too old to lactate.

There is NO WAY that the meat found in one burger would have used up 700 gallons of water. Consider how many burgers you could make from just one cow! Even the spare parts would make for some tasty sausages and hot dogs. None of the animal is wasted.

I would bet you that it would take MORE water to grow enough rice and soybeans to fill up Solorio, as oppposed to just feeding him a nice steak dinner. Solorio does not, by the way, look like he has been dieting. Somehow he has managed to keep up his manteca quotient even without meat in his diet.

Maybe it is time for you to go on a diet.
http://openthefuture.com/cheeseburger_CF.html

Please see the “While Shopping” section of http://www.monolake.org/waterconservation/ for other stats.

So, please, Art, before you start ridiculing some statistic, research it a bit. The answers might surprise you.