California Today: A Water Crisis on the Central Coast (NYT)

[petronius]

Where will the water come from?

We’re entering the wet time of year, but the drought continues to transform communities around the state. And now, Santa Barbara is almost out.

Lake Cachuma, the county’s primary source of water for years, is at 7 percent of its capacity and is expected to go totally dry by the end of the year.

So while state regulators have lifted the statewide mandatory 25 percent cut in water usage, Santa Barbara officials are cracking down. Beginning Jan. 1, the city will ban all residential lawn watering.

--- Snip ---

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/22/us/california-today-drought-water-santa-barbara.html


Drought-stricken Lake Cachuma in September. It is expected to go dry by the end of the year. (Credit Santa Barbara County Public Works Department)

I had no idea Cachuma was so low! I think things are a little better for those of us on the more northerly part of the Central Coast, thuogh...

[CrispyQ]

1. We are so unprepared for what's coming down the pike.

Last edited Thu Dec 22, 2016, 02:29 PM - Edit history (1)

On edit: I'm reading "The Water Knife" by Paolo Bacigalupi, right now. Kind of a more ominous, modern-day "Chinatown."

[OnlinePoker]

2. I don't know why he's saying "...expected to go totally dry by the end of the year."

While still very low, Cachuma has increased storage every day in December and is a foot higher since the beginning of the month.

http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cgi-progs/queryDaily?CCH

[petronius]

4. I did think that was a little odd, considering that the end of the year is only 9 days away

(Unless they meant the water year, which would go through next September, but I doubt it.)

Perhaps the photo was recycled--complete with caption--from an earlier report, and the current low level is the end-of-year approach to "totally dry"...

[Tikki]

5. We were just there and it didn't look anything like the photo...

It is lower since the drought, but not like that photo.


Tikki

[OnlinePoker]

6. The photo was from September according to the caption

Looking at the storage at the end of that month, it was still going down some so I'm thinking that's when this article was written and it only got published this week in the Times. Since the end of September, it's gone up by 2 feet which equates to 1251 acre feet or 408 million gallons of water.

[Tikki]

7. We were there in August...it is low but the writer had to look long and hard....

to find that exact photo.

It has dropped over the years due to the drought; it is not empty.

We are headed there again on the 20th of January and in April, we'll try to post photos
of the lake from our trips.

The Tikkis

[Mike__M]

3. Here in my part of western Washington

the rainy side of "the Evergreen State," 90% of homeowners let their lawns go brown in summer. Santa Barbara is just now turning off the sprinklers?

Shoulda embraced the golden look long ago

[OnlinePoker]

8. Just an update on this one

2 months ago, it was at 7%. Today, it's at 40% (and 50% of average for the date) and increasing due to the recent rains. There is currently almost 3 times as much water there as the same time last year.

[Zorro]

9. And more rain predicted for the weekend

[Piedras]

10. Cachuma Lake filling rapidly due to recent rains

https://www.noozhawk.com/article/lake_cachuma_rising_fast_after_potent_winter_storm_moves_on

Local News
Lake Cachuma Rising Fast After Potent Winter Storm Moves On

Reservoir level likely to increase another 15-20 feet, which would put it above 50% capacity
Just weeks after nearly running dry, Lake Cachuma has risen 25 feet in the last two days as a result of Friday’s powerful storm. Santa Barbara County water officials expect the lake to exceed 50 percent of capacity, even without any additional rainfall.

By Tom Bolton, Noozhawk Executive Editor | @tombol | February 18, 2017 | 3:24 p.m.

It wasn’t quite the “March Miracle,” but the potent winter storm that dumped copious amounts of rain on Santa Barbara County on Friday has provided a huge boost to the area’s water supplies.

Mostly notably, as of early afternoon Saturday, Lake Cachuma had risen some 25 feet since midnight Thursday, swelled by heavy flows from the Santa Ynez River as well as the many smaller creeks in the watershed.

And there’s much more to come.

http://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/article134670684.html

Lake Nacimiento was at more than 96 percent of its capacity as of Thursday, according to totals kept by the San Luis Obispo County Public Works Department.

After years of frustrating drought, growing reservoirs can be a welcome sight. (Though residents will have to be mindful of flooding as the rainy season continues.)

snip

Here’s a look at SLO County reservoir levels, as Thursday, Feb. 23, 2017:

Lopez Lake 55.6 percent

Lake Nacimiento 96.5 percent

Lake San Antonio 46.0 percent

Santa Margarita Lake 102.9 percent

Whale Rock Reservoir 72.2 percent

[Tikki]

11. We will be at Lake Cachuma in mid-April. We will take photos.

Hoping for clear weather, but will take whatever...it is beautiful up there.

The Tikkis