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OPINION: Northern California Has A Much Different Water Outlook Than L.A.

The premise that Californians should be conserving at the same level as 2015 and that anything less is “backsliding” is ill-conceived. The reality is that our water supply picture — especially in Northern California — is not “precarious” as suggested by State Water Board staff. (“Water conservation improved in September but is still worse than in 2015,” Nov. 1) Conditions improved significantly in 2016, leading the State Water Board to the sound decision to lift mandated conservation for those water suppliers that demonstrated adequate supplies. This allowed local water providers to match their levels of conservation to the reliability of their water supplies.

Forecasters: Wet Winter Odds Aren’t Good

Are you dreaming of a wet winter to turn Kings County’s fallowed fields green and end the drought? Prepare for disappointment. Forecasters are calling for a weak La Nina to last into the spring. That usually means dry conditions in Central California. La Nina refers to cooler sea water surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean. Scott Borgioli, a meteorologist at www.WeatherAg.com, estimated a 75 percent probability that Central California will have below-average precipitation during the upcoming rainy season. Borgioli said that seven of the 11 weak La Nina episodes since 1950 have produced below-average precipitation.

 

Chances For Wet Winter Stands 50 Percent, October Triumphs As Wettest Month

The last couple of weeks were rainy, but the month of October was probably the wettest month the area will experience for the rest of the year. That’s according to Climatologist Dan McEvoy at the Western Regional Climate Center in Reno. Although October is known to be the first water month of the year in the West, it isn’t going to fully mend the drought. However, the rain put many positive impacts on the area, McEvoy said. “The soil is moistening in high elevation before snowfall hits,” he said.

The Dry Facts

Thousands have lived without love; not one without water,” observed W.H. Auden. He omitted to add that, as with love, many people have a strong moral aversion to paying for the life-sustaining liquid. Some feel that water is a right, and should therefore be free. Others lobby governments to subsidise its distribution to favoured groups. All this results in vast and preventable waste. Water covers two-thirds of the Earth’s surface. It is not used up when consumed: it just keeps circulating.