An El Nino Winter

Meteorologists at NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association) have stated they are 95% sure we will have an El Nino winter. We can expect abundant rain and snow, flooding and mudslides. Batten down the hatches!

Will this “fix” the drought? Can we go back to normal now? Sorry, but no. After four years of drought, the moisture in the deeper soils and the groundwater stores have been deeply depleted. It will take several years of wet or at least normal weather to replace this water.

That’s a fairly big picture view of our situation, but there’s an even bigger picture view I want you to get. There’s no going back to normal. The western US climate is in a warming drying trend. Whether or not this is global climate change is beside the point. We can expect reduced snowpack in the Sierras, and a reduced ability to store water. We’ve relied on the slow melting of snow over a couple of months to be able to manage surface water distribution effectively. When the water comes by rain instead of snow, a larger portion of it slips through our dams and reservoirs and out into the ocean.

Another trend that continues with no end in sight is increasing population of humans needing more showers and more food. More food means our agriculture industry needs more water.

Yet another trend is aging water infrastructure; pipes and pumps and tanks will need to be replaced with increasing frequency. Who pays for this large expense? You can count on your water bill going up.

Our hard-earned water conservation habits need to become a way of life instead of a stopgap measure. The best and most sustainable solution is to replace lawn with low water use plants. And the state is devoting a big chunk of money to help you make this happen. The California Department of Water Resources is paying $2 per square foot of lawn removed and replaced with low water use plants and hardscape.

Check out the web site to learn whether this program could help you give up the high cost of lawn living: http://www.saveourwaterrebates.com. Or call and make an appointment to get a no-cost landscape consultation to get you started or get you unstuck. Liz Block, TCCWD Water Conservation Coordinator (661) 822-5504, [email protected]