After record winter rainfall helped alleviate California’s drought, the relentless storms have left some farmers frustrated with the rain’s negative effects on their profit margins. Immanuel Solis, a longtime flower cultivator and merchant from Watsonville, noted that business at the local farmer’s markets has been slow. “[Customers] do not want to bring plants to their homes or gardens because of the rain” he said.
With California now on track to have the rainiest year in its history—on the heels of its worst drought in 500 years—the state has become a daily reminder that extreme weather events are on the rise. And the recent near-collapse of the spillway at California’s massive Oroville Dam put an exclamation point on the potentially catastrophic risks. More than 4,000 dams in the U.S. are now rated unsafe because of structural or other deficiencies. Bringing the entire system of 90,000 dams up to current standards would cost about $79 billion, according to the Association of State Dam Safety Officials.
The Water News Network is San Diego County’s source for water news and information.
