Nine days ago, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a statewide "drought emergency," citing a third winter of subnormal precipitation and the precariously low levels of major reservoirs.
"Even with the recent rainfall, California faces its third consecutive year of drought and we must prepare for the worst – a fourth, fifth or even sixth year of drought," Schwarzenegger said. It's rained quite a bit since he uttered those words, either an ironic quirk of nature or a testament to the governor's persuasive powers.
The late winter rains may be a welcome, albeit partial, relief from the looming water crisis, but as Schwarzenegger also said on Feb. 27: "This is a crisis, just as severe as an earthquake or raging wildfire, and we must treat it with the same urgency by upgrading California's water infrastructure to ensure a clean and reliable water supply for our growing state."
As Schwarzenegger issued his declaration, the Legislature's perpetual political struggle over water policy resumed. And the often-heavy rains are themselves evidence that the state has been irresponsibly neglecting its water infrastructure.
When the skies opened, the Sacramento River that flows just 10 blocks from the state Capitol and is the state's most important source of water began rising.
The Sacramento didn't get anywhere near flood stage, but it rose high enough that the flood bypass channel that protects the capital was opened. Even so, as much as 50,000 cubic feet a second surged past the city.
Let's put that in perspective. At least a half-million acre-feet of water flowed past Sacramento in the first week after Schwarzenegger's drought declaration, half the capacity of Folsom Lake. But the most interesting aspect of that flow is that it didn't come from Folsom or the other two major dams on the Sacramento River system, Shasta and Oroville.
The operators of all three dams shut outflows to a trickle, rightly seeing the storms as an opportunity to replenish their seriously depleted reservoirs. All three quickly jumped from about one-third full to over half full.
Virtually all of that water gushing down the Sacramento River to San Francisco Bay and the sea was storm runoff from below those dams, a clue that we need more ability to capture winter rains and hold the water for drier periods. In other words, we need to build the off-stream reservoir north of Sacramento that the state has long proposed, but that environmental groups have shortsightedly opposed.
What happened in early March was a harbinger of what lies ahead for California if the theories about global warming prove true. We will get more of our precipitation in the form of rain and less in the form of snow, which means we will need more water storage capacity as the natural reservoir of the Sierra snowpack shrinks.
It's ironic that the folks who raise alarms about global warming are the same folks who oppose our preparing for its consequences.
Call The Bee's Dan Walters, (916) 321-1195. Back columns, www.sacbee.com/walters.
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