Lake Oroville, Butte County in Northern California, receives 53% of the average rainfall. (Photo: California Department of Water Resources)
Following Rud’s article, Western US Drought Implications, the problem appears to be worse than he claims, simply due to massive mismanagement by California officials.
From the California globe.
CA reservoirs are designed to provide a constant 5 year supply to all users and were filled to the top in June 2019
By Katy Grimes on May 21, 2021 2:20 am
“In the last 14 days, 90% of the delta inflow went into the sea. That corresponds to the water supply of 1 million people for one year.
#ManMadeDrought, ”said Kristi Diener, a farmer from the Central Valley.
Diener, a California water expert and farmer, continually warns that water is being dumped into the sea unnecessarily as the state faces a normal dry year.
“Are we having a dry year? Yes, ”says Diener. “That’s normal for us. Should we have water scarcity at the beginning of our second dry year? No. Our reservoirs are designed to provide a constant five year supply to all users and were filled to the top in June 2019. “
Don’t you believe her?
“You are looking at our largest reservoirs less than two years ago. They were absolutely full of water from 107% to 145% of the average! ”Says Diener. “For 7 years our reservoirs contained enough water for everyone who depends on them for their water supply. We are now in our second dry year. WHERE’S IT GONE? “
“Where has it gone” in fact. According to the California Legislative Analyst’s Office, the nationwide water consumption averages 85 gallons per person per day. But it is always urban / residential water users who are instructed to save water: let the lawn turn brown and let landscaping die, showering and bathing restricted, clothes and dishes washed less frequently and other absurd “helpful tips”.
Diener also asks: “How can this year be the driest year ever when it still has more than 7 months? It’s just fake news and crisis creation. “
“Before our great reservoir projects were built, California never had a stable and reliable water supply. Now water is being managed as if these reserves didn’t exist by channeling the collected water from the reservoir into the sea instead of saving it for our routinely dry years, ”says Diener. “Our water projects have been designed to be managed long-term with at least five years of supply, but California has now put us on the right track to face a man-made drought crisis every time we don’t have a rainy season.”
It’s so bad that even SAN FRANCISCO is pissed off!
Even San Francisco is suing the State Water Board. Servant explains:
The State Water Board’s 40% Unimpaired Drainage Plan is too radical. Since 40% of the Tuolumne River’s water must flow directly into the ocean without being used for anything else on its way, the supply of this river to Hetch Hetchy – the main source of water for San Francisco – is severely restricted.
California’s water policy threatens both the electricity grid and perhaps the entire agricultural sector.
In a prescient comment today (2018) at Modesto Bee, MP Adam Gray (D-Merced) had some tough words for Marcus and her radical environmental cohorts. “Despite their promises to the contrary, they and their board of directors have used their immense authority to threaten – not protect – the economy and drinking water supplies of the northern San Joaquin Valley.”
Says Gray, “The State Water Board claims the water is needed to restore fish stocks, but an earlier version of their own report suggested their plan would hardly add more than 1,000 additional fish a year.”
“Irrigation districts in Merced, Turlock and Modesto have all proposed responsible alternatives that require a combination of increased water flows, habitat restoration and predation control,” said Gray. “Unsurprisingly, the State Water Board immediately rejected these proposals while continuing to preach a preference for voluntary settlements.”
“The truth is, the board will never be happy until they get our water, regardless of the impact on our economy or our drinking water supplies,” added Gray.
California residents, farmers and ranchers find themselves again in this untenable situation.
Read the full article here.
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