Two Southern California ski areas will open this week despite dry fall weather.
Big Bear Mountain Resorts announced that Friday will be opening day for the general public at Bear Mountain and Snow Summit. Season pass holders will get an early start on Thursday.
Weather across Southern California has been dry and mild but it has been cold enough up in the San Bernardino Mountains for snowmaking.
As the climate continues to warm, more and more of the snow falling on California’s mountains will be replaced by rain. Already in recent decades, the snow season has shrunk by a month, according to one estimate, while snow levels have moved upward by 1,200 feet, according to another.
Scientists and water managers say that at some point California’s snowpack could simply disappear. This would leave the state without the crucial spring and summer melt-off that fills rivers and streams, nourishes plants and animals, and provides a huge chunk of the water supply. It would also be devastating for the ski industry.
Don’t hold your breath for California’s drought ending with this winter’s rains. Instead, you’d do well to hold your shower time to a minimum.
There’s less than a 40% chance of water supplies getting back to normal after this winter, with a slightly better than 50% chance that the state’s drought will worsen, according to forecasters at a Monday, Nov. 22, drought webinar hosted by the National Integrated Drought Information Center. The center is led by NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
“Most of California is in severe drought.”
That was the dire statement from Amy Rocha, communications manager for the West Basin Municipal Water District. Her agency wholesales imported water purchased from Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. The agency provides water to nearly 1 million people in 17 cities and unincorporated areas in Los Angeles County, including Malibu. Rocha emphasized LA County is in “extreme drought,” adding, “Our water supplies are critically low.”
With a severe drought and an increased reliance on groundwater basins, Calif.’s Department of Water Resources released the final version of its California’s Groundwater – Update 2020 report. The report, also known as Bulletin 118, contains critical information about the condition and use of the state’s groundwater, which is especially important as California faces the real-time impacts of climate change and drought.
“Groundwater plays a central role in sustaining our state’s ecosystems, businesses, agriculture and people, with some Californians relying solely on groundwater for drinking water,” said DWR Director Karla Nemeth. “The updated California’s Groundwater provides key information for the state and locals to better understand and manage groundwater as we adapt to variations in climate and navigate a historic drought.”
Two and a half years after signing a deal aimed at averting a damaging crisis along the Colorado River, water officials from California, Arizona and Nevada are discussing plans to take even less water from the shrinking river and leave it in Lake Mead in an effort to prevent the reservoir from falling to dangerously low levels.
Representatives of water agencies from the three states said they are firming up the details of a deal that would leave an additional 500,000 acre-feet of water in the reservoir next year, and the same amount again in 2023 — about double the quantity of water used annually by Las Vegas and the rest of southern Nevada.
State water regulators urged Californians to do more to save water after the latest monthly data showed conservation lagging in September, with statewide water use in cities and towns decreasing 3.9% compared with the same month a year ago.
The reduction in water use was smaller than in August, when Californians used 5% less.
California has not built enough new reservoirs, desalination plants and other water projects because there are too many delays, too many lawsuits and too much red tape.
That’s the message from a growing coalition of Central Valley farmers and Southern California desalination supporters who have begun collecting signatures for a statewide ballot measure that would fast-track big water projects and provide billions of dollars to fund them — potentially setting up a major political showdown with environmentalists next year shaped by the state’s ongoing drought.
As it works to encourage water conservation during California’s drought, the Palmdale Water District is extending its water-saving rebate program from residential to commercial customers, as well.
This is the first time the water provider has offered the rebate program to its commercial and industrial customers, according to a statement from the District.
I am so pleased to announce that the San Diego County Water Authority has distributed $35.9 million more to our 24 member agencies across the region as another piece of our successful rate case litigation. The current payments, combined with another set last February, add up to more than $80 million in rate-case payments we secured on behalf of our member agencies in 2021 as part of our ongoing effort to advocate for the San Diego region.
While the litigation was necessary to protect San Diego County ratepayers, we are looking forward and embracing the new spirit of collaboration at MWD under General Manager Adel Hagekhalil and Board Chair Gloria Gray as we focus on the challenges ahead with a united front. The Water Authority and MWD continue to seek resolution outside of court on remaining issues, and we are building a partnership to address challenging issues in Southern California such as water supply reliability, conservation, affordability, and climate change.
One such challenge is the current drought. The Water Authority’s Board of Directors unanimously voted to activate Level 1 – Voluntary Conservation of our Water Shortage Contingency Plan in support of Governor Gavin Newsom’s efforts to sustain California after two record-dry years. This is the third time this century the plan has been activated due to recurring drought. The Governor extended his drought emergency declaration last month to cover the entire state and directed water suppliers to implement Water Shortage Contingency Plans, which are responsive to local supply-demand conditions.
As I have mentioned before, the San Diego region continues to have reliable water supplies due to decades of conservation efforts and ratepayer investments. But San Diegans have always stepped up when duty calls. I encourage residents and businesses to conserve water, avoid water waste, and take advantage of rebates to improve water-use efficiency indoors and outdoors. We offer numerous tools to make the most of every drop at www.watersmartsd.org.
Thank you for your continued investments in supply reliability and commitment to water efficiency that have helped to ensure we have enough water to meet the region’s needs both now and for the future, even in the face of climate change. I will continue to keep you updated on the latest drought news in the weeks and months ahead.
