The first of a series of El Niño-related storms hit Southern California on Monday, drenching highways and soaking potentially unstable hillsides, authorities said.
Though there were only a few crashes reported on the freeways and no reports of significant flooding, cities along the Angeles National Forest foothills warned residents to begin preparing for a weeklong deluge that could lead to mud flows.
Projections of future water supplies and demand reveal a shortage of billions of gallons by 2040, a shortage that Orange County water managers say must be filled in the coming years.
More water is needed – or at least more money needs to be spent curtailing increases in demand.
To help figure out how to fill that shortfall, the Municipal Water District of Orange County is preparing a study that predicts how much water Mother Nature will supply in the coming decades and offers methods for determining which water supply projects – desalination plants, recycling facilities, water storage and many others – the county can build to bank and even supplement nature’s gifts.
The Water News Network is San Diego County’s source for water news and information.
