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One good year does not erase the structural problems facing California in the coming years due to climate change and poor water management. I really hope that w

One good year does not erase the structural problems facing California in the coming years due to climate change and poor water management. I really hope that we don't take our eye off the ball because of this.

beatpanda 10y ago
I would like to see some journalism on how much groundwater has been replenished from this year's rainfall. Reveal did excellent work during the drought on this subject. https://www.revealnews.org/article/9-sobering-facts-about-californias-groundwater-problem/ https://www.revealnews.org/article/9-sobering-facts-about-ca...
wapz 10y ago
As do I. Droughts are still going to be a problem in the future if nothing changes and the next time one hits it might be much worse. Having good rainfall for a year or two unfortunately just lets people brush off the problems we may face.
- stouset 10y ago
  People think that one year with twice as much rain somehow undoes years and years of virtually no rainfall. It's frustrating.
  - nickjarboe 10y ago
    Well, most reservoirs have gone from almost empty to near capacity[1] in just this year and the snow pack is well above average. It would be great to recharge some of the ground water used during the drought, but by any reasonable measure the drought is over. [1] http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cdecapp/resapp/getResGraphsMain.action http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cdecapp/resapp/getResGraphsMain.act...
acchow 10y ago
Also, California has always had periodic droughts. Geological records show sometimes they last longer than a century...
HeavenBanned 10y ago
Yeah I like to think of it this way - you've been without food for 3 weeks, and then all of a sudden you get a 24-hour ticket to Home Town Buffet. After that you're without food for another 3 weeks. A large amount of rain over a short period after a long period of time without rain has passed != drought is over.
BurningFrog 10y ago
True, but this one good year did end the drought in almost all the state! Click the "One Year Ago" link! http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/Home/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?CA http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/Home/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?...
recondite 10y ago
Don't forget California also has one of the higher population growths rates in the country. There's still no serious long-term plan for how California is going to handle droughts in the future proposed by any lawmakers, and the gridlock between farmers v population centers, norcal v socal will continue. But we did vote for a $64 billion high-speed rail project that will probably end up costing $100+ when all is said and done. http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/01/13/confidential-report-california-bullet-train-could-cost-billions-more-than-expected/ http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/01/13/confidential-report-ca...
- ac29 10y ago
  $100B isnt really all that much as compared to California's GSP of $2.5T [0]. The US spent, percentage wise, quite a bit more on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan: $2.4T [1] out of $18.6T GDP [2]. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_California https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_California [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Financial_cost_of_the_Iraq_War https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Financial_cost_of_the_Iraq_War [2] https://bea.gov/newsreleases/national/gdp/gdpnewsrelease.htm https://bea.gov/newsreleases/national/gdp/gdpnewsrelease.htm
  - knowaveragejoe 10y ago
    GDP isn't the amount of money the government has sitting around to invest, though.
refurb 10y ago
Couldn't climate change result in even more precipitation in California?
- IanDrake 10y ago
  If they get more rain then yes climate change is to blame. If they get more drought then no because global warming is to blame.
bsder 10y ago
> One good year does not erase the structural problems facing California in the coming years due to climate change and poor water management. True, but desalinization plants can cover the vast majority of people. After that, let the agribusinesses knife each other until there is no more water and the Central Valley can dry up and blow away.

beatpanda 10y ago

I would like to see some journalism on how much groundwater has been replenished from this year's rainfall. Reveal did excellent work during the drought on this subject. https://www.revealnews.org/article/9-sobering-facts-about-californias-groundwater-problem/ https://www.revealnews.org/article/9-sobering-facts-about-ca...

wapz 10y ago

As do I. Droughts are still going to be a problem in the future if nothing changes and the next time one hits it might be much worse. Having good rainfall for a year or two unfortunately just lets people brush off the problems we may face.

stouset 10y ago
People think that one year with twice as much rain somehow undoes years and years of virtually no rainfall. It's frustrating.
- nickjarboe 10y ago
  Well, most reservoirs have gone from almost empty to near capacity[1] in just this year and the snow pack is well above average. It would be great to recharge some of the ground water used during the drought, but by any reasonable measure the drought is over. [1] http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cdecapp/resapp/getResGraphsMain.action http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cdecapp/resapp/getResGraphsMain.act...

acchow 10y ago

Also, California has always had periodic droughts. Geological records show sometimes they last longer than a century...

HeavenBanned 10y ago

Yeah I like to think of it this way - you've been without food for 3 weeks, and then all of a sudden you get a 24-hour ticket to Home Town Buffet. After that you're without food for another 3 weeks. A large amount of rain over a short period after a long period of time without rain has passed != drought is over.

BurningFrog 10y ago

True, but this one good year did end the drought in almost all the state! Click the "One Year Ago" link! http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/Home/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?CA http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/Home/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?...

recondite 10y ago

Don't forget California also has one of the higher population growths rates in the country. There's still no serious long-term plan for how California is going to handle droughts in the future proposed by any lawmakers, and the gridlock between farmers v population centers, norcal v socal will continue. But we did vote for a $64 billion high-speed rail project that will probably end up costing $100+ when all is said and done. http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/01/13/confidential-report-california-bullet-train-could-cost-billions-more-than-expected/ http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/01/13/confidential-report-ca...

ac29 10y ago
$100B isnt really all that much as compared to California's GSP of $2.5T [0]. The US spent, percentage wise, quite a bit more on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan: $2.4T [1] out of $18.6T GDP [2]. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_California https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_California [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Financial_cost_of_the_Iraq_War https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Financial_cost_of_the_Iraq_War [2] https://bea.gov/newsreleases/national/gdp/gdpnewsrelease.htm https://bea.gov/newsreleases/national/gdp/gdpnewsrelease.htm
- knowaveragejoe 10y ago
  GDP isn't the amount of money the government has sitting around to invest, though.

refurb 10y ago

Couldn't climate change result in even more precipitation in California?

IanDrake 10y ago
If they get more rain then yes climate change is to blame. If they get more drought then no because global warming is to blame.

bsder 10y ago

> One good year does not erase the structural problems facing California in the coming years due to climate change and poor water management. True, but desalinization plants can cover the vast majority of people. After that, let the agribusinesses knife each other until there is no more water and the Central Valley can dry up and blow away.