California is in its third year of extreme drought. Given that, is it time to rethink California’s role as the breadbasket of the country? Agriculture brought in $49.1 billion to the state, nearly half of which was money made from exporting crops. But agriculture also uses 80% of the state’s water. Last year the industry lost 87,000 jobs, and crop land totaling an area bigger than Los Angeles went unplanted.
Record temperatures are expected to hit California starting Thursday — right as details emerge about the megadrought ailing the state. As it turns out, the western United States is the driest it’s ever been in at least 1200 years, according to a UCLA analysis.
California’s Sierra snowpack sits at just 38% of its average, which spells trouble for the amount of water the state will have access to this year, says Andrew J. Schwartz. He’s the lead scientist and station manager at University of California, Berkeley’s Central Sierra Snow Lab.
With Gov. Gavin Newsom’s recent executive order calling on local water systems to start conserving more water, we find ourselves in an all-too familiar cycle.
When signs of drought abound, we hope for miraculous storms to parch the land’s thirst. Hope starts to fade, and our agencies pivot into crisis mode, cutting water use in ways that likely won’t impact daily life but will ensure our faucets keep flowing. But what happens if the faucets stop flowing?
Federal officials slated millions of dollars for rural water projects in several states, with the Biden administration looking to shore up infrastructure needs made more urgent by long-term drought conditions that have been exacerbated by climate change.
The U.S. Interior Department announced Thursday that $420 million will be spent on projects in New Mexico, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Iowa.
Although California’s governor has made overtures to conserve water, most of the water districts in San Diego County are already ahead of the game.
Gov. Gavin Newsom recently asked everyone to try to conserve up to 20% of their water as the state endures another drought. The Sweetwater Authority in San Diego’s South Bay area, however, said it’s 200,000 customers are already ahead of those savings.
“We’ve been able to manage this drought pretty well so far because of our local investments and local resources,” said Doug Roberts, a program manager for Sweetwater.
San Diego County high school students whose Instagram Reels and TikTok skills impress their friends can put them to good use and earn scholarship money for their efforts.
The 2022 California Special Districts Association San Diego Chapter video scholarship competition is open through the end of April. The annual “Districts Make The Difference” contest promotes public awareness and understanding of the special districts providing communities with essential services like water, sanitation, healthcare, fire protection, and parks.
Total water usage in California cities and towns decreased by just half a percent in February compared to the same month in 2020, a far cry from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s goal of reducing urban water use by 15%.
Figures released this week by the State Water Resources Control Board showed that even during a third year of drought, Californians have been slow to step up conservation efforts.
A water district serving parts of the Conejo Valley is imposing some of the toughest watering restrictions in the region as a result of the drought. The Las Virgenes Municipal Water District reduced the amount of water customers can use for outdoor irrigation from 75% to 50% of normal.
District officials say if they can decrease water use through the restriction, it could prevent, or at least delay a total ban on outdoor watering.
The Ramona Municipal Water District and the Barona Band of Mission Indians are considering a water sales agreement that would serve a growing reservation population and help the community be better prepared for wildfires, officials said.
The water district’s board of directors will consider the proposal at their meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 12 at the Ramona Community Center, 434 Aqua Lane.
Each morning for months, Amelia Morán Ceja has peered out her window, searching Sonoma’s wine country for dark clouds or the residue of rain on the leaves of her grapevines.
Her searching has proved futile, and now she’s worried as California faces its third consecutive summer with drought.
The dry conditions threaten her thirsty vines at Ceja Vineyards and elevate the risk from fire and heat waves. The triple threat is a “perfect storm during harvest,” she said.
