How Severe is the Drought in California?

Santa Barbara, California

The state of California has recently instituted a new series of water restrictions in the face of an ongoing, and increasingly dire, drought.  Dating back several years, the ongoing weather pattern has kept the storm track from bringing California its average annual rainfall.  Locally, the Mid-Atlantic Region has experienced times of drought such as in 1999 and 2007 when water restrictions were issued to limit watering lawns, washing cars and filling swimming pools.

However, the drought in California has lasted much longer than any recent drought locally and is growing more severe with each passing month.  In addition to rainfall, California also relies on mountain snowpack to get a large volume of its water.  The snow typically adds up in the mountains during the winter months as the moisture-laden storms enter the state from the Pacific Ocean.  California then has the luxury of a fresh water supply for most of the spring and the summer as the reserve of mountain snow slowly melts filling up reservoirs.

A major problem, though, has been the lack of snowfall during the last few winters.  Below average mountain snowpack means there’s less water in reserve for the typically drier late spring and summer months.  That’s also the growing season for California's farmers, as well as when people use more water for activities such as gardening and watering their lawns. 

To offset the lack of rainfall, the agricultural industry has been using well water and ground water at an increasing rate.  Although that’s provided some short-term relief for farmers, the groundwater has become an endangered resource since it hasn’t been able to replenish itself naturally.  According to NASA scientist, Jay Famiglietti, “The withdrawals far outstrip the replenishment.  We can’t keep doing this.”  In some places the water table has dropped as much as 50 feet according to the U.S. Geological Survey. 

The combination of drought conditions – including the lack of mountain snowpack – and rapid depletion of ground water recently led California Gov. Jerry Brown, to instruct “the State Water Resources Control Board to impose a 25 percent reduction on the state’s 400 local water supply agencies.”  That’s where the majority of California residents get their water from so that should have a large impact on water conservation.

Parts of California, including San Francisco, had above average rainfall in December 2014 but that did little to offset the ongoing drought.  According to the National Weather Service, the rainfall deficits in San Francisco and Los Angeles are both over 30 inches during the last four years.  The U.S. Drought Monitor Index shows most of California is experiencing extreme to exceptional drought conditions.  It will take a combination of above average rainfall in tandem with water conservation over an extended period of time to replenish the state’s water supply.

Although the DC Metro Region doesn’t currently have drought conditions, residents of the Mid-Atlantic can learn the importance of water conservation and living sustainably by observing the response to the water crisis in California.