California Drought Update for February 5, 2015

California Drought Update

February 5, 2015

by Patrick Ruckert

“First-ever rainless January in S.F. History,” was the headline in the San Francisco Chronicle on January 31, after the more than normal rainfall that northern California received in December had raised hopes. Today an atmospheric river will make landfall in the northern part of the state, once again raising hopes that this drought must end. We shall see.

Meanwhile, as usual, the state and federal policy-makers do nothing to change the entire paradigm.

Changing the paradigm is what is required, and two articles from the Executive Intelligence Review of January 30, 2015, present how that is to be done. They are linked here:

Western U.S. Water Crisis: U.S. Paradigm Shift Required: Science To Provide Water by Marcia Merry Baker and Benjamin Deniston

http://www.larouchepub.com/eiw/public/2015/2015_1-9/2015-05/pdf/31-36_4205.pdf

Solve the World Water Crisis

by Benjamin Deniston

http://www.larouchepub.com/eiw/public/2015/2015_1-9/2015-05/pdf/37-53_4205.pdf

Drought expands in California with dry January

The U.S. Drought Monitor of February 3, shows that the intensity level of drought has increased in California over the month of January, as some areas of the state head toward one of the driest January’s on record. California remains nearly 100 percent in drought (98.13 percent) and ‘exceptional’ drought expanded slightly to 40 percent. One year ago the portion of the state in ‘exceptional’ drought, the highest category, was only ten percent.

The Snowpack disaster

Here is the coverage of the latest measurement of the Sierra snowpack from National Geographic on January 30:

“After measuring California’s mountain snow on Thursday, state officials described it as “dismally meager” and predicted that a fourth year of drought is on the way.

“Statewide, the water trapped in the form of snow is just a quarter of the amount usually found at this time of year, California’s Department of Water Resources reported shortly after teams returned from measuring snow levels at Echo Summit in the Sierra Nevada mountains, southwest of Lake Tahoe.

“Mountain snows provide, on average, nearly a third of California’s water, with January typically the state’s wettest month.

“The trouble extends beyond California. Snow levels in the Northwest and parts of Arizona are also at less than half of normal, according to a report issued Thursday by the federal Natural Resources Conservation Service, provoking hand-wringing among ski resort personnel and water managers in Washington state and Oregon.”

The Reservoirs

California’s major reservoirs are at only about 60 percent of normal for this time of the year. Since the snowpack makes up about 60 percent of the source for filling the reservoirs, the disastrously low snowpack, with little snow forecast for the next two months, means that the reservoirs will remain at a low level. Even the forecasted atmospheric river due today will drop little snow, since the temperatures remain at ten to 20 degrees above normal throughout the state. The expected snow level will be at 8,000 feet, while 3,000 feet is normal for this time of the year.