Angering environmentalists, the water board decided that cities and farmers would get more Delta water while restricting flows for endangered salmon and other fish. The move came after Gov. Gavin Newsom suspended key environmental laws.
Communities, largely home to low-income Latino residents, still have dry wells. Restoring groundwater takes decades, with costly, long-term replenishment projects — and ultimately, much less pumping.
Three reporting stations in the greater Bay Area saw records: Oakland (18.33 inches); San Francisco International Airport (15.28 inches); and Stockton (10.79 inches).
Experts are predicting that by next summer or fall, El Niño will probably be in place, which could bode well for California and the West’s water outlook for several years.
The Golden State’s extreme drought, exacerbated by warming temperatures and increasingly unpredictable precipitation patterns, is expected to continue into the new year.
The new restrictions were approved, despite the fact that the county exceeded Gov. Gavin Newsom’s call for a reduction of 15% compared to 2020, using 19% less water in July when compared to July 2020, well above the statewide average of a 10% savings.
The State Water Resources Control Board and the Santa Clara Valley Water District adopted tough restrictions on water use, as California grapples with a new normal climate that’s drier and hotter.
The April snowpack, key to how much water flows into reservoirs, is 38% of average statewide, proving that drought hasn’t relaxed its grip on California.
After record-breaking snowfall in December, January and February were likely the driest on record, prolonging California’s drought. In Silicon Valley, the conditions could mean tightening restrictions and increasing rebates to reduce water use.
Worsening droughts, competition for scarce supplies, sea level rise, groundwater contamination, earthquakes, wildfires and extreme weather all contribute to California water woes.
Drought conditions in California remain at record highs, with most of the state now classified in “extreme” or “exceptional” drought, and much of the Bay Area north of San Jose last week was included in the most severe “exceptional drought” zone.
For those living on hillsides with low grasslands, the fire risks are not as serious as for those living in densely populated communities near forests, or hillsides of brush and timber.
