Friday, February 26, 2016

California Voters Want More Water and Less Bullet Train

This is good.

From Leslie Eastman, at Legal Insurrection, "New drought plans needed after “Godzilla El Niño” turns out to be a dud":
Less than a year ago, climate scientists were heralding the “Godzilla El Niño,” which would generate historic rainfalls that could help alleviate California’s mega-drought.

Climate reality has failed to confirm climate theory, as the term “dud” is now being used to describe the weather pattern.
Is this El Niño a dud?

Sacramento is in the peak of its rainy season, but there is no substantial rain in the forecast for the next two weeks. The Sierra snowpack has fallen below normal levels for this time of year. The state’s three largest reservoirs remain far below capacity.

Whither El Niño?

Throughout the summer and fall of 2015, California residents waited in anticipation as they heard about the strong El Niño weather pattern brewing in the Pacific Ocean. We remembered the winters of 1997-98 and 1982-83, when such strong El Niños corresponded with deluges. And we hoped for relief from our long, brutal drought.

But through Feb. 20, Sacramento has seen half the precipitation that occurred by this point in 1997-98 and 1982-83.
At this point, it looks as if California is going to have to continue implementing a wide array of water-saving measures, which include “cash-for-grass” and drought-shaming neighbors...
More.

Well, whether or not we had the "Godzilla El Niño," it's clear the whole "drought crisis" paradigm has been shot through, considering the significant rain and snow we did receive this season. Remember, the snowpack's just above normal levels, and we're likely to get more. (See the Los Angeles Times, "In Northern California, skiers and water officials are grateful for the recovering snowpack.")

And thus, yeah, California residents had better push back against all these stupid, aggressive "water-saving measures." We've always had dry spells in this state. If the idiots and Sacramento would expand water-capture (think reservoirs), we'd all be fine.

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