California Drought Watch : A monthly look at the water shortage

With the wet season now officially over, state water officials are hoping that cool and mild weather will prevail this summer and lessen landscape and agricultural water needs. Precipitation in the Sacramento River basin (a key indicator of the state’s water supply), was only 61% of normal for the season. In the Eastern Sierra (an area important to Los Angeles’ water supply), combined rain and snowfall produced less than three-fourths of the wet season’s normal precipitation. Sacramento River Basin Precipitation in normal season: 50.6” Precipitation this season: 30.8” Driest season on record (1977): 16.2” Eastern Sierra * Precipitation in normal season: 52.62” Precipitation this season: 37.2” Driest season on record (1977): 19.46” * Measured at Mammoth Pass Coastal rainfall yardstick (Season to date as of June 26) Santa Barbara: 117% of normal Ventura: 108% of normal San Francisco: 73% of normal San Diego: 127% of normal Santa Ana: 90% of normal Los Angeles: 81% of normal The Bottom Line Overall, California received only three-quarters of its average precipitation this rainy season. Water officials predict that by September 30, 1991, storage in the state’s 155 major reservoirs will be only 58% of normal (13.6 million acre feet of water). This figure is half a million acre feet below last year’s level at that time and would make this season’s total reservoir level the lowest in 14 years. Water-Saving Tip A healthy lawn requires no more than 4-6 inches of soil moisture. Twenty minutes after watering, measure the moisture level with a soil sampling device (available at nurseries) and adjust watering accordingly. Viewpoint “The situation could get extremely serious again next year if we have another dry winter. We still need to conserve water so every drop that we don’t use this year is available for next year.” --Henry Vaux, director of UC Riverside’s Water Resources Center Water Use in California Cities Here’s a look at how much water residents in various California cities use daily, measured in 1990 by gallons per day, per person. Some of the cities with highest use have no water meters on residential or business properties: Beverly Hills: 332 Bakersfield: 321 Sacramento: 308 Fresno: 282 San Diego: 180 Los Angeles: 171 San Francisco: 120 The Drought File Dipping in the Delta: Two out of every three Californians get at least part of their drinking water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Quarter for Water: To shorten showers, the state park system is installing coin-operated timers in campground showers. Twenty-five cents buys 3 minutes and 15 seconds. Tallest Dam: The Oroville reservoir, the largest in the State Water Project, has the nation’s highest earthen dam--770 feet at its crest. Sources: LADWP, State Dept. of Water Resources, MWD, Santa Barbara Dept. of Water, and Johnston Weather Watch, California Nurserymens Assn., Assn. of California Water Agencies, UC Davis