Many farmers in California pump water from underground, with the enormous amounts pulled from aquifers depleting groundwater. WHAT ABOUT LONG-TERM ISSUES LIKE CLIMATE CHANGE?
The recent storms won’t fix that problem. In about 10 days, weather patterns may shift and finally “turn off the spigot,” he said.Īnd the Colorado River, a major source of water for Southern California, has also been stricken by drought that has depleted major reservoirs on that river. The problem is the already wet ground won’t be able to absorb much more water, creating problems with runoff. For some of the biggest, most crucial reservoirs, it may take take five or six such drenchings, he said.ĭavid Novak, director of the National Weather’s Service’s Weather Prediction Center, says the atmospheric rivers still to come will likely be weaker. “Those biggest reservoirs are just so massive it is probably going to take awhile for them to fill,” he said. They move around “like a garden hose if you are spraying it across the yard,” said David Gochis, an expert in how water affects the weather at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado. The atmospheric rivers aren’t striking everywhere. The state’s largest reservoir at Lake Shasta that was at 55% of its historical average on Christmas had risen to 70% by Tuesday - an improvement, but still well below historical averages due to years of water scarcity, according to Haynes. Plus, the storms haven’t dropped as much water on northern California. “We are not out of the drought yet,” said Feinstein. But a few warm, dry months followed, and when snowpack was supposed to peak in early April, it was just 38% of the historic average. Last year, statewide snowpack around this time also looked promising. It’s still early in the winter and it’s unclear what the next few months will bring. “The California system was built for a climate we don’t have any more,” said Laura Feinstein, who leads work on climate resilience and environment at SPUR, a public policy nonprofit. But now that snowpack often melts too quickly and reservoirs aren’t able to capture enough of it. Snowpack is its own type of reservoir, storing moisture that ideally melts slowly into reservoirs, supplying residents with water during the drier months of summer and fall. “What we’ve got so far puts us in good shape, probably for at least the next year,” according to Alan Haynes, the hydrologist in charge of the California Nevada River Forecast Center.
The reservoirs also supply water to millions of people living in coastal cities.įor example, a small reservoir in Sonoma County that was at roughly half its historical average on Christmas had risen to 80% of that average by Monday. The reservoirs are essential for irrigating the Central Valley, a productive stretch of farmland that grows large amounts of fruits, nuts and grains.
Most of the state’s reservoirs remain below average for this time of year, but some have begun to fill, especially those close to the hard-hit Sacramento region and along parts of the Sierra Nevada. The storms have also dumped snow on the Sierra Nevada that run along California’s eastern border. Precipitation is 138% of average for this time of year, officials said. The storms have poured a tremendous amount of water on the state, especially in central California, including the San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento Valley. Gavin Newsom said Tuesday from Santa Cruz County, where raging ocean water damaged an iconic wooden pier. California has experienced six atmospheric rivers in recent weeks and is bracing for as many as three more, with the wild weather set to continue for at least another week, Gov.
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