Posted on 08/19/2008 1:22:17 PM PDT by TheDon
An important California reservoir is nearing its lowest level in 30 years, and other state reservoirs also are very low more evidence of a gathering water crisis that could lead to mandatory rationing in Southern California by next year, state officials say.
The Oroville Reservoir in Northern California, a major supply reservoir for water that eventually flows into the Southern California region, is down to 38 percent of its capacity, according to the state Department of Water Resources.
By Sept. 30, Oroville, about 75 miles north of Sacramento, is expected to hit its lowest level since 1977, and by year's end, the lowest level since records have been kept, said Wendy Martin, the statewide drought coordinator.
The agency's Web site says precipitation statewide was 30 percent of average in April, May and June, the sixth driest of 114 years on record powerfully affecting the Sierra snow pack, which melts and drains into Oroville.
...
Much depends on how much rain the state receives during the coming winter months.
"It's going to be an ongoing story here over the next several months, kind of no matter how it plays out," Patterson said. "Either there is going to be widespread rationing around the state, or we dodge the bullet and it gets wet."
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Tightened supplies are likely to drive up water rates, water agency officials say. And if the coming winter is relatively dry, local water agencies could impose rationing next year, said Karl Seckel, assistant general manager for the Municipal Water District.
"We're laying the groundwork for mandatory rationing in 2009 meetings, plans are being laid, so if we have to implement it, we can flip the switch and go to mandatory," he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at ocregister.com ...
Assuming you live in California, I have good news for you.
By the time Sacto makes up its budget "shortfall" (that's the nice word) so many businesses and people will have fled the state there will be plenty of water for the three of you remaining -- and all the poofters in San FranArentWeSoFriskio.
Tell me about it. I live in Butte County, Oroville....SOme years back the water guzzlers down south wanted to break the pre-1914 water rights of our local farmers and others, telling them to just go ahead and pump air...
Maybe Jake Gittes can straighten the mess out. He has a thing about water commissioners.
"Aqueducts built by the City of Los Angeles draw water from the Owens River, Mono Lake Basin and reservoirs on the east slopes of the southern Sierra. In Los Angeles, a 223-mile aqueduct completed in 1913 has served as a major water supply source, conveying water from the Owens River in the eastern Sierra. A second aqueduct, completed in 1970, added another 50 percent capacity to the water system. The two aqueducts deliver an average of 430 million gallons a day to the city." http://www.water-ed.org/watersources/community.asp?rid=9&cid=562
Looks like they'll have to build another man made river and suck up more of that water.
I wonder where the famed southern California environmentalists are. Oh, yea - they live in southern California and like having water.
No judgements. Like with Obama, just observations of behavior.
“I don’t remember, though there was a story on TV about it some time over the past few years. IIRC, the story was something like this... Reporter goes to “LA” on vacation. While driving through subdivisions, he notices that all the lawns are green and people are out hosing down their driveways. He calls up his station in the Bay Area and they bring down a crew to cover the story. It really stirred up a hornet’s nest up here.”
I remember that.
As noted in my reply above, we N Calis were stunned and outraged at what we saw after a year plus of water rationing in our cities and sending the water south.
In my HS government class we did a mock congress. We each had to write a bill and send it through committee. My bill was a proposal to split California into two States. Of course, since we were a Northern California school, the bill passed the floor almost unanimously.
Make it 3 states.
LA/Follywood
Gay Bay Counties
Conservative Valley/North Coastal Ca and SW Oregon called the State of Jefferson with the winter capitol in Eureka or Medford and the summer capital in Redding.
San Diego and Orange County could become another new state, part of Mexico, or part of LA/Follywood or the state of Jefferson.
That was done recently...A big one out by Hemet...
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LA County needs to be isolated along with the Bay Area.
This reservoir is larger than Lake Havasu and took 4 years to fill.
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