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California Water-Saving Rules to Ease, but Nobody’s Off the Hook

Poised to ease California’s mandatory drought rules after rebounding rain and snow levels this winter, state water officials on Monday made it clear that — even where reservoirs are 100 percent full — no community is likely to get an entirely free pass from conservation targets this summer.

“One average year does not mean that we can forget about saving water,” said Felicia Marcus, chairwoman of the State Water Resources Control Board. “We don’t want to let our guard down.”

Why Southern California May See Easier Water Conservation Goals Despite State Missing Target

Despite record-low water savings in February, winter storms in Northern California filled reservoirs and returned the missing snowpack, easing the drought crisis and triggering softer water conservation targets, state water officials said Monday.

While many parts of the state may be headed into a fifth year of drought, the punch of El Niño that landed upstate will help Southern California communities.

 

Californians Fall a Bit Short of Brown’s Call for 25% Cut in Water Use After 9 Months of Conservation

After nine months of fervent conservation, drought-fatigued Californians narrowly missed meeting the water-savings target set by Gov. Jerry Brown a year ago.

Urban dwellers reduced their consumption by 23.9% between June and February, state regulators said Monday, just short of the 25% cut required under Brown’s executive order. Still, the conservation efforts saved about 368 billion gallons of water, or enough to supply nearly 6 million Californians for a year.

County’s Drought Conservation Plummets

While El Niño has put a dent in California’s historic drought, conservation efforts by urban water users in the state have tapered off in recent months — a trend reflected in San Diego County.

Regulators announced Monday that residents and businesses didn’t meet Gov. Jerry Brown’s mandatory statewide conservation target of 25 percent — on both a monthly and cumulative basis. The customers failed significantly in February, the most recent month for verified data. It was by far the worst monthly showing since the program began last June.

Drought Still Grips Southern California, Keeping Pressure on State Water Supplies

El Niño has been little more than a cruel joke in Southern California this winter. The torrential rains haven’t materialized. Groundwater aquifers have been pumped to near-historic lows. A sizable reservoir two hours east of Los Angeles, built for $2 billion as drought insurance, is two-thirds empty, its boat launch closed.

“It’s actually been a shockingly bad year,” said Jeff Kightlinger, general manager of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the umbrella agency that delivers water to much of the region.

 

BLOG: ENSO the Wet Season Ends (Almost)

March 2016 has been unusually wet, and quite a contrast to February.  The “Godzilla” El Nino this year has been a bit “Gonzo”, but overall has brought a welcome above average precipitation for northern California, after four solid drought years.  The unevenness of the precipitation is some concern, and the depth of remaining surface and subsurface storage drawdown from the drought remains sizable.

Annual precipitation and snowpack are now about average overall for California.  The largest reservoirs in northern California are in good shape, with sizable, about average, snowpacks waiting to trickle down in spring.

Experts: Folsom Lake levels 10 feet higher than Last Month

Folsom Lake is 10 feet higher Sunday as compared to a month ago. “I have seen it go from Desert Folsom to Lake Folsom,” said Stacey Nieporte, who was visiting the lake Sunday from El Dorado Hills.

Folsom Lake now stands at 439 feet deep — that’s 110 percent of the historical average for this date, according to the California Data Exchange Center at the Department of Water Resources. There is now much more water to enjoy for enthusiasts like Mark Wilson, who just bought a jet ski two weeks ago to take advantage of the rising lake levels.

California Leaders Double Down on Dry

The drought, if somewhat ameliorated by a passably wet winter in Northern California, reminds us that aridity defines the West. Our vulnerability is particularly marked here in Southern California, where the local rivers and springs could barely support a few hundred thousand residents, as opposed to the 20 million or so who live here. Bay Area, we’re talking about you, too, since about two-thirds of your drinking water is imported.

 

California Drought Patterns Becoming More Common

Atmospheric scientists have found that California’s highest temperatures are almost always associated with blocking ridges, regions of high atmospheric pressure than can disrupt wind patterns – including one known as the Ridiculously Resilient Ridge. The Triple R, as it’s called, is also linked with California’s drought.

In new research published online this week in the journal Science Advances, a team of researchers led by Stanford University scientist Noah Diffenbaugh analyzed the occurrence of large-scale atmospheric circulation patterns that occurred during California’s historical precipitation and temperature extremes.

OPINION: Feinstein on Water, Supreme Court Nominee and Donald Trump

Sen. Dianne Feinstein visited The Sacramento Bee’s editorial board last week to talk about her drought relief bill and other topics. Here are edited excerpts:

Q: What makes it different this year that this water bill might happen?

A: I think it’s an accumulation of things. First is the population of the state. Today we have 40 million people. And we’ve got huge industries. Everybody concentrates on ag, but we’ve got Silicon Valley, which uses a lot of water. And we simply do not have an adequate water infrastructure.