End of cycle in California. The passing of a dozen storms since December has achieved something unimaginable just a few months ago: a state known for its water shortages can say goodbye to its worst drought. The conditions that have left the passage of phenomena known as atmospheric fluxes have filled reserves and reduced the burden on thousands of farmers in the center of the state. This Friday, the state government announced the end of fifty regulations that have been enacted over the past two years to save water.
“Is the drought over in California? It feels like it and I want to reiterate that it should be, but it’s still complicated,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said Friday. The local president has opted for caution after years of demanding that California’s 40 million people cut water use during the three driest years since counts began in 1896. “I know it’s disappointing to some because it would be great if the governor said ‘the drought is over,'” added Newsom, from Dunnigan, a rice and almond-growing area north of Sacramento. two products that require a large volume of production water to thrive.
The Department of Agriculture states in its weekly report that most of California is no longer experiencing these dry conditions. This remains in 36% of its territory. It’s a drastic change from what was experienced three months ago when the entire state was suffering. Atmospheric flows have brought rainfall that generously exceeded the average rainfall for the season. The same happens with snow. The mountainous systems have 223% of the annual average for this time of year. This is an important indicator to continue to nourish water supplies in summer and autumn. “This is good news,” said Wade Crowfoot, California Secretary of Natural Resources.
Twelve of California’s seventeen levees are above the historical average for this time of year. Resources are at their highest level in three years, so the government has announced that it will supply 75% of districts, which serve 27 million people. Last year, government agencies contributed only 5% to the network. This prompted most counties to enact strict restrictions to reduce consumption. This year’s contribution is the largest since 2017, a year in which severe storms ended six years of drought. Conditions returned three years later.
Marie, 81, and her husband Bill, 92, shovel snow from the driveway near Lake Tahoe. The area saw record snowfalls this winter. FRED GREAVES (Portal)
Newsom completes a total of 48 water conservation initiatives today. One of them, announced in October 2021, called for Californians to make a voluntary effort to reduce network demand by 15%. That was a letdown. Bid savings barely reached 6% in January. The governor left a further 33 waste prevention measures in place. The ban on irrigation will be maintained for 48 hours after a rain, the use of hoses and the use of water on ornamental lawns, including commercial areas and businesses.
Although conditions have improved, the government is maintaining a state of emergency, a power that allows it to act quickly and address the aftermath that three years of drought have left in the region. However, authorities have said there are two areas particularly hard hit by the drought. One is the Oregon-California border, which depends on the Klamath River for supplies, which have not benefited from the storms. A similar thing is happening with the Colorado River, which feeds much of Southern California. The state also suffers from its underground deposits. 62% of the wells have been overfished in recent years and are below normal levels.
California is preparing for increasingly extreme weather conditions. “The plague of weather we’ve experienced over the past few months makes it very clear to us that we and our water system must adapt to flare-ups of drought and flooding,” Newsom said at the news conference. A new storm is expected to roll over the area next week, bringing new flooding, knocking down winds and pushing levees to their limits. These are images that were more than improbable just a few months ago.