Guest column: All this rain with very little gain
Although Southern California received a fair amount of rainfall this winter, Northern California wasn’t so lucky. For the first time in recorded history, San Francisco saw a January with no measurable rain. The areas that did see rain had most of it wash away as runoff.
The major problem California faces is the lack of snowpack this year. In an average year, California receives 30 percent of its water from snowpack. This water slowly melts from the Sierra Nevadas, filling up lakes and reservoirs across the state throughout the hotter spring and summer months. However, as of early March, California’s snowpack was only at 17 percent of its historic average. This was a result of the subtropical moisture that brought warmer winter storms to California.
California’s lack of a snowpack isn’t the state’s only hurdle in 2015. Every lake and reservoir across the state is below historic averages, and far below their capacity. For instance, Lake Shasta is at 58 percent capacity while Lake Oroville is at 50 percent capacity. In fact, this past week a senior NASA scientist warned that California only has about one year of water in storage and that the state doesn’t have a contingency plan. The prediction states that we simply don’t have enough backup water resources.
Moreover, things do not look like they will improve this spring, because California’s rainy season is between October and March. That means we’ve already seen the vast majority of our annual rainfall. California will need 150 percent of average precipitation levels by September 30 to escape the drought. On top of these estimates, climatologists are predicting that the drought in California and the entire southwest will continue to intensify this summer.
The continuing drought means Poway residents, along with the rest of California, must face the harsh reality that water is an even scarcer resource. The State Water Project normally transports water from Northern California to Southern California. However, due to the persisting drought, water deliveries through the project will be curtailed. The exact reduction will be announced this spring and will take effect this summer. A cut is coming; the unknown is exactly how big it will be. As a region, 60 percent of our water comes from the Colorado River, 20 percent from the State Water Project and 20 percent from local water supplies. Any cut in water received from the State Water Project will translate to less water for all of us.
While the local winter rains allowed residents to turn off their sprinklers and save water, they did not make up for three dry years. We are facing a fourth dry year and must prepare for more. Poway residents are encouraged to make a year-round resolution to save water. With the many resources available to residents (see our website at www.poway.org/waterconservation) we are confident residents will join us in making permanent changes in how we use water. It is up to all of us, as stewards of this precious resource, to conserve water now.