Is it too early to mention the dreaded D-word? Maybe. After five years of drought — Gov. Jerry Brown declared an end to the drought last April — it’s almost unthinkable to imagine we could return to critically dry conditions so soon.But where the heck is the rain?
The Sierra Nevada mountains grew nearly an inch taller during the recent drought and shrank by half an inch when water and snow returned to the area, according to new research from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Cañada Flintridge. Researchers used 1,300 GPS stations throughout the mountain range to closely observe how its elevation changed during the drought. They used the differences in height to estimate that 10.8 cubic miles of water were lost from the mountains between October 2011 and October 2015, enough to supply Los Angeles with water for 45 years.
Another 27 million trees died in California last year due to the lingering effects of drought, according to new aerial survey data from the U.S. Forest Service. That brings the total number of trees killed statewide to a staggering 129 million since 2010. In a typical year, about one million trees die across California. But beginning in 2014, that number began ticking up as aerial surveyors with the U.S. Forest Service started to notice entire hillsides turning yellow, brown and orange.
It’s official: 2017 is the deadliest and most destructive year on record for wildfires in California. Dry conditions, high temperatures, roaring winds and bone-dry trees and brush are all factors responsible for the devastation. But one underlying question is how much of a role has climate change played? “There is no singular cause for any real significant event,” said Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at UCLA. “It’s usually a confluence of factors that are important. And in a lot of cases, global warming definitely plays a role and is one of those factors.”
Why is California burning? One answer is simple: California always burns. But this latest inferno — three wildfires eating at the hills in and around Los Angeles, the nation’s second-largest city — is frightening even for people who are accustomed to big burns. What’s more, it follows the state’s deadliest fire on record by only a few weeks.
Water conservation statewide dipped into single digits during October according to a report issued last week by the State Water Resources Control Board. The water board said on average Californians used 8.5 percent less water than in October 2013, the benchmark pre-drought year. Mandatory water conservation targets and penalties for excessive use were dropped this spring, and the conservation numbers have declined pretty steadily since then.
California’s dam inspectors appear to be doing their jobs well. Unfortunately, too many dam operators aren’t, and could be placing the public at risk. That’s the conclusion we reached after reading a report by The Sacramento Bee’s Ryan Sabalow and Dale Kasler. As the effects of climate change become more pronounced, we’ll be left with no choice except to invest in flood control and other water-related public works – including better maintaining the levees that keep our rivers in their channels and out of our homes.
It is always difficult to reflect back on a year and identify the most notable annual events on any given issue. Water is no different and perhaps more challenging. Progress in the water sector, for the most part, seems at times to move at a glacial pace with a few exceptions. As I look back on 2017, these three issues are worth highlighting.
Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada will continue to see dry conditions for the next week, and possibly longer, according to the National Weather Service. Sunshine and clear skies are in the forecast for the Tahoe Basin through the week. Some clouds could move into the region Friday evening, but they are not expected to bring precipitation. Low temperatures in the region will range from single digits to the high teens, with the exception of Friday, when the low could range from 20 to 30 degrees. High temperatures will range from the mid 40s to low 50s.
