Many lakes and reservoirs have been slowly rising since October as Northern California saw increases in rain and snow. But January has been particularly wet thanks to “atmospheric river” storms. Lake Oroville, Lake Shasta and other reservoirs in Northern California are key pieces of the state’s water system, which moves the resource from the Sierra Nevada to cities and farmlands.
With another round of winter storms hitting California this week, the question isn’t just how much rain and snow they will dump, but how cold they will be. The coldness of storms can make the difference between one that adds to the fast-rising snowpack — an essential source of water for the state — and one that also leaves a wet mess. Northern California was pulled out of a five-year drought by a series of storms over the last few weeks that deposited huge amounts of snow over hundreds of miles of the state’s greatest mountain range, the Sierra Nevada.
Prolific rain and snow storms in Northern California during recent weeks offer hope that the state’s six-year drought will finally end in 2017. Even if that’s the case, the year ahead will be filled with major water-related issues that will impact the region’s residential and commercial water users. For starters, the state is expected to release emergency water-use regulations this month.
A series of three storms, the first arriving late Wednesday, is expected to drench Southern California — but one group that’s welcomed California’s recent wet weather is citrus growers. The drought has had a big impact on the state’s citrus industry, but now Bob Blakely with California Citrus Mutual, an advocacy group for the state’s citrus growers, says that this year’s wet weather has been a big positive.
Amid drenching rains and heavy snowfall this winter, California is moving to ease up a little on its statewide water conservation rules – although not drop them entirely. On Tuesday, the staff of the State Water Resources Control Board recommended that the less-stringent rules the agency put in place last summer should continue at least through May, when they can be re-evaluated after the winter rainy season is over.
A trio of storms now headed for Southern California will bring dangerous surf, strong winds and up to 6 inches of rain by early next week, according to the National Weather Service. The storms are similar to those that rocked Northern California recently by flooding rivers, blocking mountain passes and causing several deaths. This latest round, however, is expected to pack less of a wallop, forecasters say. The first storm should arrive Wednesday night and is expected to drop between 0.75 and 1.25 inches of rain in the foothills and valleys through Thursday, said Stuart Seto of the National Weather Service in Oxnard.
California water suppliers pleaded with state water officials on Wednesday to end a statewide emergency water conservation regulation. Nearly half of the state is out of drought as much of Northern California has been socked with one of its wettest years in decades. Late Wednesday afternoon, the Department of Water Resources announced plans to increase water deliveries from Northern California via the State Water Project from 45 percent to 60 percent of requests to 29 contractors from Plumas to San Diego counties.
A series of Pacific storms will bring heavy rain, mountain snow and gusty wind to San Diego County starting later this week and extending through early next week. The first storm is expected to hit late Wednesday night, and gusty winds, rain and a slight chance of thunderstorms are expected. Predicted rainfall amounts range from less than two-tenths of an inch in the deserts to one- to two-thirds of an inch of rain west of the mountains to three-quarters of an inch to 1.5 inches in the mountains, according to the National Weather Service.
Southern California’s drought emergency is over, but its overall drought may not be. It depends what you mean by “drought.” Rain caused flooding across the state and began refilling important water reservoirs last week. Big snows in the Rocky and Sierra mountains also seem to ensure Southern California’s two largest sources of drinking water – the Colorado River and the rivers of Northern California – will be flush with snowmelt during the year to come.
When Gov. Jerry Brown released his proposed 2017-2018 budget last week, it didn’t include additional funding for the restoration of the Salton Sea. Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia represents the 56th district, which includes eastern Riverside and Imperial Counties. “On my end, you know, certainly disappointed that right out the gate there wasn’t a funding identified and included in the initial budget demonstrating a commitment to this issue that isn’t just a Southern California issue, but certainly a statewide issue as it relates to water in California,” Garcia said.
