ORANGE COUNTY PERSPECTIVE : Save Water and Drive Safely

As much as people in Orange County have heard ad nauseam about the drought in the last couple of years, the arrival of hoped-for rain still manages to bring its own bucket of surprises. Between the raindrops forecast for the week, here are a few thoughts on the finer points of March rainfall in a parched county.

Lesson No. 1: Just because it rains, it does not mean that the drought is over here. Rainfall totals in Orange County have actually been slightly above normal so far this year, and Orange County has the buffer of a huge underground reservoir. But much of the area’s primary water supply comes from the Sierra Nevada, which still has below-normal precipitation. South County is especially vulnerable.

As a result, conservation measures, worked out tediously by some of the county’s forward-looking municipalities in recent years, need to be adhered to. Several with the toughest restrictions and prohibitions are in South County. Also, those that encourage voluntary measures should reaffirm their commitment to conservation. Bear in mind the assessment of Stanley Sprague, general manager of the Municipal Water District of Orange County: “We’re still in a shortage here.”

Lesson No. 2: Slow down in wet weather and keep a safe distance on the road. Monday’s rainfall alone brought about 90 accidents around the county, according to the California Highway Patrol. Many of these were due to people driving too fast for the conditions. CHP Officer Kevin Livingston notes that too many motorists routinely exceed the speed limit and, in the rain, even slowing to 55 m.p.h. may not be enough.

One bad crash in Irvine apparently involved hydroplaning, when a film of water comes between the pavement and the tires to cause skidding. Sgt. Al Murray of the Irvine Police Department cautions that not only are people in Orange County generally unfamiliar with driving in these wet conditions, but that such conditions can be aggravated by accumulated oils that make the road slick.

So even if it pours when it rains, the best advice still is to save water--and drive safely.