Major California reservoirs below 50% capacity
By Veronica Rocha, Los Angeles Times
Most of California’s major reservoirs are now less than half-full — or at what officials call a “seriously low” level — but that’s still nowhere near the historic lows set in 1977, the state’s driest year on record.
The latest report released Wednesday by the California Department of Water Resources shows 10 of the state’s 12 major reservoirs below 50 percent of their total capacity, with some nearing just 20 percent.
“They are not historical levels, but they are seriously low,” department spokesman Ted Thomas said.
But when all 12 of the major reservoirs are combined, the average is at 60 percent, Thomas said. That’s puts the state in a far better position than it was 37 years ago, when a crippling drought brought the statewide reservoir average down to 41 percent.
As of Wednesday, the largest federal reservoir in California at Lake Shasta was only at 36 percent capacity, which is 4.5 million acre-feet of water, he added.
This drought was predicted over a decade ago and it is predicted to persist for some time. The West will need to conserve and supply more fresh water. We can desalinate sea water or import fresh water from the East via a large aqueduct system. Of these two choices, I believe desalination is the most viable.
rock4tahoe, Yes, I believe desalination is the answer to our water woes here on the west coast. With our changing climate, we can no longer rely on snow pack feeding and filling our resevoirs. We are seeing a decrease of our underground aquafier system of wells and their capacity.
By desalinating the ocean may we may just kill two birds with one stone! Not only providing fresh water for crops and drinking water but also making a small dent in the rising sea levels which threaten low lying areas. Conserve water!!! OLS
Obviously Global Warming. The only solution is more government vis a vi cap & trade to increase taxes and give the gummint more $$$. Algore says the debate is over, and it is too late. The cake is baked.
The sky is falling.
Define climate.
UR dumb.
BC. get a life,
you are falling of the edge of the earth..lol