According to the California Department of Water Resources, in the past few months, storms boosted reservoir levels and the Department of Water Resources increased its water delivery allocation for most recipients to 45 percent of requests for 2016. However, California water wells are still needed to keep up with the demand.
The drought has not ended
California has been experiencing prolonged dry conditions. Seven of the nine years since 2007 have been dry. California also experienced record warmth during this time, heightening impacts to mountain snowpack and cold-water fisheries. 2014 and 2015 were, respectively, the warmest and second-warmest years in 121 years of statewide average temperature records.
Although this is the wettest year since the drought began in 2012, one somewhat improved season does not compensate for four prior years of drought. Ending a drought means having enough precipitation and runoff throughout the state to mitigate the impacts we’ve experienced. Water year 2016 doesn’t get us there.
There will still be a need to generate enough water usage using groundwater wells. Water well drilling is still on the rise and continue to be the primary source of water for properties in the outer areas of counties where city water is not an option. We need to continue to watch how the reservoir levels across the state rise in the 2016 and 2017 calendar year.
Accurately predicting whether water year 2017 will be wet, dry, or average is beyond climate forecasters’ present scientific skill. We must be prepared for the possibility of a dry (and perhaps warm) 2017 and the incremental impacts of another dry year on the state’s already stressed water resources and water users.
