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In its first year of operations, the nation’s largest and most technologically advanced seawater desalination plant produced enough high-quality, drought-proof water from the Pacific Ocean to meet approximately 10 percent of the region’s demand. The Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant quickly generated significant benefits by relieving pressure on imported water supplies, reducing state mandates for emergency conservation measures in March and helping the region pass the state’s stringent water supply stress test in June. After completing construction on schedule, the plant was dedicated on Dec. 14, 2015, in front of more than 600 elected officials, community leaders and project partners.

 

Even before another rain storm brings more water between now and the Rose Parade, residents of Orange County can shout“Hurray!” for the County rising to the level of merely “extreme drought” from “exceptional drought.” Here is the official California Drought Map as of today, Thursday, Dec. 28, 2016: Last week’s map showed northwest Orange County still trapped in exceptional drought. A portion of south County preceded the remainder of the County in leaving the worst drought category.

Los Angeles County could see between a quarter-inch and half-inch of rain Friday as the first of two anticipated storm systems passes through the region this weekend, according to the National Weather Service. The rainfall will add to what is already the wettest month recorded in downtown Los Angeles since December 2010, said David Sweet, a weather service meteorologist. So far this month, the area has seen 4 inches of rain, nearly double the historical average for December. On Friday, there’s an 80% chance of rain forecast at 4 a.m., with a possibility of showers returning Friday night, Sweet said.

 

Many years ago, leaders in our region came together to figure out how to ensure a reliable water supply for the future. They recognized not just the importance of water to our quality of life, but how essential it is for a healthy economy.

Los Angeles received about five times the amount of rain this December than it did during the same month last year. William Patzert, a climatologist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, has attributed our wetter weather to several changes, including a dissipated “blob” and an absent La Niña condition. Though this is good news, Patzert said it’ll take more than a single rainy season to quench California’s drought.