Wondering why California is still in a drought
Publisher’s note: This editorial first ran June 26, 2010, in the Pasadena Star-News.
Hey, governor, it’s time you came clean and declared California’s drought to be over. Because it is. To do anything else would be dishonest.
See, the numbers don’t lie. From October through April, the state experienced above-average rainfall – 105percent, according to Sacramento’s own Department of Water Resources. This past season was different than the three previous seasons, when the state was experiencing lower-than-average rainfall: 76 percent, 72percent and 62percent for water years 2009, 2008 and 2007, respectively.
But we haven’t heard the governor, nor the Metropolitan Water District, nor its member agencies, say that the three-year drought is over, even though the numbers bear that out.
In fact, they’ve kept the pressure on in order to press for continued water conservation. We’re all for continued water conservation. We’re all for reducing the amount of water we waste running the tap or overwatering our lawns. But we think we can still save water even after a wet year.
No matter what the rain fall was last year, we all need to continue to conserve. Who know what the next few winters may bring.
More people, more usage, ranchers and farmers need water. Not everyone is getting the water they need.
Someday the tap may run dry.