The Daily Democrat (Woodland, California): "And it never failed that during the dry years the people forgot about the rich years, and during the wet years they lost all memory of the dry years." John Steinbeck, "East of Eden"Last year's wet winter means our aquifers and reservoirs are still brimming, despite the lack of a snowpack this year in the Sierra. As a result, water officials say the Sacramento Valley shouldn't experience any water restrictions this summer.
However, it would be a mistake to view our good fortune as license to use water as if we were having a storm-filled El Niño year. It's a shame that public officials and agencies don't get that message across better.
California droughts don't occur in precise timetables or with equal severity. The only thing we know for certain during a drought is that we don't know when it will end. That's always been true, but the effects of climate change make it even harder to predict what lies ahead. Conserving as much stockpiled water as possible this summer would be the prudent and practical thing to do. Reducing use by 20 percent is a good target.
...It was the 1987-92 drought, however, that residents should remember this spring and summer when they decide whether to try to use less water. The state Department of Water Resources estimated the cost of that drought at $1 billion in lost agricultural revenue, tourist and recreational opportunities and energy price increases. California is in no position to absorb another significant hit to its economy like that, and conservation can prevent it....
A dry riverbed in California, 2009, from NOAA
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