DRY TIMES: LOCAL OFFICIALS VOICE CONCERNS AS DROUGHT WORSENS

By Miriam Raftery

August 8, 2014 (San Diego’s East County)—The severity of California’s drought has taken a sharp turn for the worse.  Virtually all of California (99.8%) is now in severe drought or worse, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor's latest report.  Nearly 82% is in extreme drought (including San Diego County) and over half the state (58%) is now in exceptional drought—the worst possible rating. 

“The challenges drought has presented to Cal Fire are huge,” said CAL FIRE Chief Tony Meecham in a public forum last night in Boulevard for residents to meet new fire officials. “We have entire counties in California that are going to run out of water.” 

Chief Meecham admits, “I’m scared to death if we don’t get rain this winter.”

CAL FIRE has  banned open burning on 31 million acres under state control due to wildfire concerns.  CAL FIRE has responded to 2,118 fires so far this year – nearly a 70% increase over the average for this time period in past years.

That concern was echoed at a later meeting of the Boulevard Planning Group, where County geologist Jim Bennett spoke.   “If this continues another year or two, it would be the worst drought we’ve ever seen, and I think we’re on the cusp of it,” he warned. 

A new statewide study of major groundwater basins found some serious local problemsThe Legislature has introduced two measures, AB 1739 and SB 1168  to monitor groundwater – proposals that Bennett called “the most radical change proposed since I’ve been here.”

 In East County, 50,000 people are totally dependent on groundwater. The legislation would give local agencies the authority to meter and monitor wells, with a goal of attaining sustainability.  In areas measured and found to be over-pumping, sustainability will become mandatory.  Borrego Springs has an overdraft issue so serious that it will need to reduce pumping by 70%  to be sustainable. 

But despite controversies over developers and energy companies sucking up massive amounts of groundwater for industrial-scale projects, no monitoring of groundwater in Boulevard or Jacumba has yet been done by the state, due to the relatively small size of the aquifers and the geology of the region.

Thus far, California has lost $2.2 billion and 17,000 agricultural jobs due to the drought.  Twenty-six counties have established drought task forces as has Governor Jerry Brown at the state level, but thus far, San Diego County does not have a drought task force assembled.

Reservoir levels remain low statewide, with many at 35% capacity or even lower.  Mandatory water restrictions are being imposed by numerous water agencies. 

Jay Farniglietti, a water cycle scientist for NASA and the University of California, Irvine, warns in a documentary film  titled “Last Call at the Oasis” that California has only a two-year water supply left—and if rainfall doesn’t replenish those levels, the state could run out of water.

As we enter the dry summer and fall seasons, experts agree that conditions can only expected to get worse in the next few months for Californians

The State Water Board’s Drinklng Water Program has stepped in to assist communities facing emergency drinking water shortages.  California’s Department of Social Services has provided 172,000 boxes of food to food banks in drought-impacted counties and the state has allocated $687 in drought funding through emergency leglsation, including $61 million to address emergency water, food aid and housing assistance to drought-impacted communities.

Celebrities including pop singer Lady Gaga and comedian Conan O’Brien have stepped forward as spokespeople in a campaign urging Californians to cut their water use.

Lynn Wilson, academic chair at Kaplan University, also serves on the climate change delegation in the United Nations.  She raises a dire scenario.  “If the state continues on this path,” she cautions, “there may have to be thoughts about moving people out.”