Rain…rain…rain…glorious rain for drought-ridden
California!
Our multi-year drought may well be coming to an
end -- at least as far as surface water, streams, creeks, rivers, lakes, reservoirs, mountain snow packs
are concerned.
Some experts say we
shouldn’t be too optimistic, too soon. Not only do we depend on surface water, but
underground are aquifers, some shallow, others extremely deep that fill more
slowly. Our towns and cities are
drawing increasing amounts of water from the aquifers, depleting them, due to more irrigation and
industrial use.
They say
some agricultural areas may never completely recover to pre-drought levels. Ground water will stay low leaving some
wells stranded causing increased pumping costs for years and maybe
decades.
There are even more long term effects on
California’s forests which have been depleted of water. Warmer temperature trends continuing could
permanently alter the ecology.
Populations of native fish eliminated will need years to recover since their
ecosystems have been altered by the drought.
We’re told we should think of California as a dry
place with permanent water shortages. Landscaping designed to not require a lot of
watering is needed. Conserving and not wasting water needs to be our
way of life. Increasingly, this may be true in other states, too.
But rain is not wonderful for all .....
Snow welcomed in our Southern California
mountains has seen a couple avalanches burying skiers ….
Hikers requiring helicopter rescues.
All this rain, which is predicted to continue
through this month, in our normal rainy period, has brought disaster to
many.
The drought all these years dried so much
greenery.
Fires consumed more -- stripping ground cover
from the mountainsides.
Mudslides ensued – threatening lives -- necessitating
evacuations. Some homes destroyed –
causing family heartbreak.
Huge old trees uprooted, falling on cars, homes,
and even a few people, as tonight’s news reports a young girl found by her
family under a fallen tree when she didn’t arrive at a neighbors to walk their dog. She's hospitalized in critical condition.
A few sink holes developed -- consuming houses or
vehicles such as a van and car in last night’s news – but both drivers rescued.
Floods – sweeping cars away -- causing others to
be stranded – needing rescuing.
Unfortunately, in all these events there have
been some injuries and a few lives lost.
My immediate community has not incurred instances
of high winds, water devastation, uprooted trees, as far as I know. Only ten minutes drive
west, mud slides from fire-stripped mountain sides have been a concern for
several years -- with every rain they have evacuation alerts.
More rain is coming that I welcome here, but I
hope others are spared tragedy.
