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O.C. falls into ’severe’ drought
June 5th, 2009, 6:56 am · 64 Comments · posted by Gary Robbins, science writer-editor
With the start of summer still two weeks away, Orange County has gone from being in a moderate drought to a severe one. The reclassification was made by the federal and university scientists who run the US Drought Monitor, a weekly assessment of drought conditions across the country.
(Map areas in dark orange are regarded as being in severe drought. Click here to read drought classification table.)
As environment editor Pat Brennan reported earlier, the deepening, long-term drought has already led many communities to impose water restrictions. “So far,” writes Brennan, “new measures have been adopted by the El Toro, Irvine Ranch, Moulton Niguel, Serrano, South Coast, Trabuco Canyon and Yorba Linda water districts, along with San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano.” (Full story).
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which imports about half of all water consumed in Orange County, tracks Southern California's water reserves. Here's the latest reading.
Orange County received enough rain in late fall and early winter to spur the widespread growth of grass and briefly earn a rating of abnormally dry. But the region was reclassified as being in a moderate drought on April 25 because the county got little rain for the rest of the winter, making the region more vulnerable to wildfires. The county is now running 3 to 5 inches below average in rainfall, and will finish the rainy season on June 30 with lower-than-normal rain for the third year in a row.
And despite the cool, cloudy skies of late May and the first four days of this week, the region has been slightly warmer than normal in recent months, helping lead forecasters to designate the county as being in a severe drought.
Broadly speaking, the term severe drought means that an area can expect water shortages or water restrictions, and crop or pasture losses. Local officials say that the long term drought situation isn’t dire enough to warrant a freeze on new housing construction. (Story).
Click here to read drought classification table. And click here for water saving tips.
The designation doesn’t mean a region won’t receive rain. In fact, the National Weather Service says there is a chance that Orange County will receive thunderstorms late this afternoon and tonight. And light rain briefly fell in the Lake Forest area this morning.
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I’m sick and tired of hearing about this - we don’t have a water problem, we have a POPULATION problem. And guess what group is making up that POPULATION growth? You guessed it - illegal aliens.
Let’s be REAL folks.
I second that! There are way too many people living in this area, and the building of cookie cutter track homes in South County needs to stop!
yes illegals are all fault, mike do something better iin your live you are patetic republic fan !!
Everybody we can help by put the sprinkles 2 days a week, close the shower while you put soap,make a lot difference 60 gallons a day per person.
We have a drought problem here in Florida, also, believe it or not (at one point we had to shut down the local reservoir because it was EMPTY). And we don’t have an “illegal” problem (except maybe in Miami).
The sky is falling! The sky is falling!
With this news, I’m sure more nanny-legislation is on the way.
How about we quit building empty houses and stripmalls for a decade or so?
Ditto. I totally agree with mrt4prez. I believe that at one point San Clemente was going to promote some stiff water regulations and they found that members of their city council were the worst offenders. Wait until the floods from El Niino next year. I tell you, it is the rumor mill started by the developers etc. to support the need for a desalination plant at Doheny. It is how business gets done. Guess what, I do not believe the media anymore about just about anything. It has nothing but entertainment value anymore and even that is questionable.
i am sooooooooooo worry for my kids. I can’t imagine what their future will look like. The debt that they’ll have to pay for this generation’s mistakes(Obama bailout plans), and the environment impacts ‘crimes’ that many are committing today.
Agree with everyone’s above comments.
Government hacks have lost all credibility with taxpayers.
These politicians knew drought was eminent, yet they continue to sign off on building permits and welcome illegals to our state by the clown-car full.
by the clown car full? so your saying that you believe that our county officials welcome illegals? Wow i think you won most ignorant comment of the day!
You people actually believe that there is no drought? lol. I always laugh when people complain about rainy days here in SoCal. “Ohhhh it should be sunny allllll the time, we live in Caleefornia!” Give me a break..don’t whine when there is a drought, then.
And BTW, Bush’s bailout and policies will have a much further effect on your children’s future than Obama’s few months of policies.
Don’t you know every time there is a ‘crisis’ in California it’s just a hoax? Haha. When was the last time we had serious rain? More than 3 inches? If you drive down the 405 toward the spectrum you can see all the hills have turned back to being filled with dead grass.
People need to stop being so afraid of everything government officials say. It’s kind of ridiculous.
We live in a desert region! Droughts happen, but the population growth is the main cause of the water shortage, not the climate!
EXACTLY! But officials, the oc register, yes even science dude go on insisting that we are in “severe drought”, and im sure this will be followed by drastic legislation…. So they say we are down in rain in the last three years, what about broadening the model? what about for the last 10-15 years? Im sure that this will justify water rate hikes, and more privatization. good thing they waste all that money adding fluoride to our water.
Still blaming Bush for everything… really?
yes. his legacy will be / is reaching far and wide. it will take years to recover from his 8 years in office. some things he completely destroyed and will never be able to be fixed.
ummm how can someone not believe there is a drought, and then complain about a drought lol
My complaint is the population growth! TOO MANY PEOPLE IN THIS STATE! We have droughts, we live in the desert, it is expected, and happens. They keep building, and adding new developments, which brings more water use for the manicured lawns, pools, mouths, showers, you name it, so of course the water in our lakes and storages will be drained at a much higher pace. Restrict the growth!!!!!
You must live in one of the Sanchez sisters’ districts - love to make comments and find blame for everything on everyone else except at yourself - oh, and you also fail to provide concrete evidence or support for your points of view - just speak without having to validate because you heard someone else say it.
Jenny - I am worried for your kids too. I am hoping they get a quality education and manage to get a grasp on the english language.
A severe drought?- - - - go outside, feel that? That’s right, it’s raining, it’s June. Our government is just too dumb to conserve water. Remember our “new” Diamond Valley Lake/Reservoir? It’s full. Roll another one.
To Capn Cosmos: As we have reported several times, Diamond Valley is not full. It is way down. They’re taking out water because of the drought. Just go to the Diamond Valley website and read the figures.
Save water, drink beer!
I find it interesting that nowhere in the article stated that even though Orange County is listed in a “severe drought” category D4, that the Sierra Mountains, where most of Southern California get its water, is only in the “abnormally dry” category D0, just below normal.
that’s because that would fit the media agenda of fabricating a fake drought in order for the government to justify rate hikes and steep penalties.
I think it’s funny that I can’t comment about Jenny Chang being worried about her kids for reasons like “this generations mistakes” and “environment impacts” and how she is so “worry” about it. I guess she can slam an entire generation, Obama, and some unnamed environmental offenders but I can’t mention that I wish our english language was not being butchered - that does not seem fair.
DK, what’s up with the personal attacks? Heck, look at your first sentence–it’s redundant. Your second sentence is missing a comma. So, before you throw stones at Change, look in the mirror.
Lets see, it rains in So. Cal, 99% of the runoff ends up in the ocean..isn’t the problem a lack of rain in the areas that actually supply us with water? Sure the ground saturates some but that is not where we get our potable water from. If I remember the Anaheim aquifier gets it water from other states.
Droughts will happen here in the desert area, of course. Water issues are like traffic issues, it only gets worse with the increase in population. As long as the population in Califronia increases (regardless of whether illegals immigrate here or not), water and traffic will always be an issue.
>You guessed it - illegal aliens<
The three bedroom clown house with 20 people down the street had their water turned off a few months ago for non payment
I think the meter reader said it was somethink like $550 a month, and the gang kids would leave hoses running all the time and it would go down the street
Some of the neighbors and I dropped sand bags in our gutters to dam up their water so we could scoop it up to water our lawns and plants
They got their water back on after two weeks but they still waste alot and the parents are too stupid and too busy to tell their brats to turn the water off
Can we stop blaming illegal immigrants for every problem we face? What portion of OC are illegal immigrants, 15%? I think that’s being generous. Yet they get blamed for everything from water shortages to rush hour traffic.
Pretty sure that reducing all our problems by 15% is not going to make them go away.
Maybe not but I would LOVE to have a 15% drop in traffic.
The pie is only so big, be it money or natural resources. Too many people opting to get a piece of the pie makes for smaller and smaller portions. According to the stats the Hispanic sector continue to add to the population growth disproportionately to other sectors. Hispanics are traditionally Catholic. Let’s point a finger at the Catholic Church for refusing to advocate and to allow the followers of the Faith to practice birth control.
You have got to be kidding…seriously? So it’s the Catholics fault because they don’t advocate birth control? That is a faaaaaaar stretch, don’t you think?
why is it a stretch? it’s actually one of the most logical arguments there is. the catholic church, in it’s never ending quest for more members (more donors) it advocates not using birth control. roman catholics are the biggest hard liners in this regard. guess who is majority roman catholic? mexico. non-catholics produce far fewer children than catholics. is that a hard thing to grasp?
Is it just me or is there a drought story after every rain?
To kevinInrsm: There have, in fact, been times when there have been drought stories just before or after rain stories. It is a matter of coincidence. I’m reporting on the larger situation. We do get rain. But half of our water is imported, and those sources (Sierra Nevada and the Colorado River) vary in how much rain they get. There are also big political issues, such as how much water will be released from the north due to environmental reasons.
39 year oc native blew out of California last year - aloha
Runaway development, over population and weak development laws in regards to resource’s (water), due to a tax based government. There really is no drought, theres plenty of water, its the developers covering their futures. A very reliable source that i know, who happens to OWN water districts in south eastern California, shakes his head and laughs, “there’s plenty of water, this is a farce”.
Now, we have to conserve water so development can keep going, and government collects more taxes, get it!? So use as much water as you can before tiered rates go into effect! Beware of “eco/conservation organizations” (NGO’s) selling a bag of broken record education, only to stuff their greedy pockets.
It is kind of funny how we have billions and billions of gallons of water just on the other side of the beach. We keep stating we’ve got one of the world’s largest economies, and yet we cannot build any Desalination Plants. Why not enact a bill that requires land developers to invest for one. Why not create regulation to require new buildings and hotel water parks to require water-impact studies which would determine the amount needed to be invested in such a plant depending on their impact, and for major offenders, and also require annual fees for the major businesses and housing developments that use the most. No one likes taxes, but creating a nominal fee for water-impact and attaching it to property taxes would easily create Desalination Plants. The sad thing is though, they would probably make a couple committees with the money, and then pay themselves to talk about building such a thing in 15 years while funneling the rest of the money into pet projects.
This sounds like a great idea… if you want the goverment to take even more out of your paycheck than they already are… And it’s not gonna be a one time thing either, they will have to maintain the plants, so they will continue to take it out of your paycheck.
there is no drought. first off, there’s plenty of water in the sierras, which is were we get our water. this is simply a charade to justify raising water rates and enacting steep fines for “over use” of water. get ready. it’s already gone into effect in los angeles and san diego.
i smell smoke and i see rome.
Go check out Lake Mead and Hoover dam sometime. The water from the Sierras goes through the Colorado River system. The lake is currently below 50% capacity (and, yes, during our good years it has been full). I’m not sure what the limits are, but I would think if it gets too low, it will affect the dam’s ability to generate electicity, too - nother shortage that should be thought about.
http://www.usbr.gov/lc/region/g4000/hourly/rivops.html
We are definitely in a water shortage. I’m surprised they haven’t been forcing more conservation starting several years ago.
Rando Balboa, Water Cycle Expert. (Queue theme music).
When are you people going to get it? We have to many people here, not enough resources, we are running out of water, we are on the brink of a full financial collapse, & that’s just the beginning. Sometimes I look at the Illegals living here & think to myself “They might be getting it”. These folks are prepared for the “New America”. The new standard of living will be 6-10 people in a home with little food & water. As a society we will be fighting for food, water, jobs, & resources. In 2011 you WILL talk about the good old days of 2009 & 2010. Mark my words this country is going to change drastically.
Denial sure is a fun game, isn’t it?
Hey trent:
If there is no water shortage, why would the OC Water District spend millions of dollars on a water recycling system at the sanitation district in FV? For fun?
yes for fun. or otherwise known as pet projects and pocket lining endeavors. and, as stated above, there’s billions and billions of water right outside. it’s called the ocean. surely we can get the salt out of it.
LOL
We will be updating this story soon with more specific information about what is going on in the county regarding water regulations. - News Director
ALL of US need to look at ourselves first and try to maintain a sustainable lifestyle before we go pointing fingers at illegals, or whathaveyou. We ALL have a right to be here, illegal or not, we are humans…
There are many underlying problems that must be tackled to resolve the “severe drought” issue. Some are political, some are personal and some are simple common sense. First off, overpopulation of a local region, whether it’s in a desert or a rainforest will result in the apparent abuse of available water. Second, the ACTUAL rainfall that we receive in our local community contributes only a very small portion of the total amount of water that we use. Therefore, the word “drought” is only how much rain actually falls on the soil, not how much is available to use as potable water. Distinguishing this difference is a key factor.
That being said, we are in fact in a “drought” of sorts. We have had significantly less rainfall than in a normal season. But this will mostly contribute to the higher possibility of wildfires as opposed to the preconceived fear of water restrictions and rate hikes. (Although it would not surprise me if the higher powers decided to use this media created fear to propose higher rates, more taxes and “fees”.)
Water conservation should always be kept in mind in a location that is severely overpopulated such as Southern California because our available potable water is always limited and can always dwindle. It will not only save water, but will also save money. Next time the water bill is paid, keep in mind what you would save (especially in these economic times) if you cut down showers by 2 minutes, and turned off the water in the middle of washing dishes, and other common sense options available for restricting your own water use.
End Rant.
These Science Dudes articles are so lame.
Editor’s note in response to some comments.
1. The Diamond Valley Reservoir near Hemet, which provides some of the water currently being consumed in Orange County, is not full, as one reader stated. As of this morning, it was at 42 percent capacity.
2. The Sierra Nevada, a main source of our imported water, did get some late snowfall. However, the state reports that runoff this year will be below normal for the third straight year.
3. Rainfall in Orange County and the rest of Southern California also is below average for the third straight year. Some of that water is diverted to reservoirs and groundwater tables. But the bigger issue is potential wildfires. If the wildlands are dry, there’s a greater chance of fire. The recent horrific fires in Santa Barbara underscore the danger.
4. Many readers have said the water problem could be easily solved by forcing illegal aliens to leave the area. Federal law does state that illegal aliens are not supposed to be here. However, Southern California has not been growing simply because of illegal aliens. The region also has been growing because of the birth rate of other people who live here, and from people moving to Southern California from other areas.
5. One last thing: At any time of day, you can drive around Orange County — to rich neighborhoods, to middle class neighborhoods, to poor neighborhoods — and see water being wasted. Specifically, I’ve seen a lot of water going on to lawns in the middle of the day, when evaporation is highest. There are many water saving measures people can take to help mitigate the problem.
Mike the first commentator is right. That’s why I’m moving to Oklahoma where they have REAL Weather!
15 percent doesn’t include offspring. Hispanic immirgants for the past 30 years have added to the population as a result of higher birthrates. And let fact it both Santa Ana and Anaheim are cities over 340,0000 and mainly hispanic not white. South County growth rate the past 10 years excluding Irvine is much slower. In fact, in 2050 hispanics might be a s high as 60 percent while white population drops way down to 17 percent and asian at 20 percent. This was population predictions by calif state government which means that most of the growth rate for the next 40 years is among hispanics as a result of high immirgation for past 30 years.
Also, Orange County has had a negative born populaton moved from Orange County and go to other places. Some people come from other places but more people moved from here to other places. Also, the county has has negative white grwoth for two decades. So, most growth is from international immirgation and brithrates which are now 52 percent hispanic and only 29 percent white and about 16 percent asian. The Register has had various articles on this.
Cynthia: You remarks completely miss the points I was making.
1. The consequences of rapid growth in Southern California was an issue decades before the immigration issue became a hot topic. People have been arguing about whether there was enough water to support such growth for more than a century. I suggest you read Marc Reisner’s classic book “Cadillac Desert” for the background.
2. As I noted earlier, it is against federal law to sneak into this country. But it is equally true that all children born here — whether their parents have legal or illegal status — are American citizens. They will grow up and pay taxes — including water assessments — just like everyone else.
It’s been known for many years (at least to some concerned individuals) that in the future (not so-far-away!) people will be fighting over water, just like now they fight over oil and natural gas.
It amazes me that so many Californians are in such a denial! “It’s government’s conspiracy, there’s no water shortage!” etc. Wake up people and start thinking! Go and visit the reservoirs, if you don’t believe what you read or hear. Get used to the fact that living in arid, desert climate means PRESERVING WATER and treating it as the most precious resource. If you want to have a green , an inch long lawn in front of your house, move to places, where grass grows naturally. The world is not perfect and you cannot have everything: nice weather, blue sky almost every day and vegetation that requires artificial watering several times a day.
PS. After reading the posts I suddenly understood why I see so much water being wasted everywhere (sprinklers watering the street and sidewalks everyday, few of my neighbors washing their driveways several times a week, water running down the street every single night I walk my dog)…What can one expect, if most people believe that we don’t have any water problems?
Wow! Complain , complain! Life is good!
We can’t build desalinization plants. Environmentalists say they might disturb fish and sea life in the ocean. We can’t bring more water down from northern California, which environmentalists say might disturb fish in the Sacramento Delta, specifically the Delta Smelt.
What we can do is pack more and more people into Southern California so that someday, when we do run out of water, we can all get together and sing Kumbaya in one big group hug.
The concerns about desalination aren’t environmental. They’re financial and technical. Simply put, engineers have yet to figure out how to desalinate massive amounts of seawater at prices that are competitive with importing water. But they’re working on it.
How is that dumb and blaming illegal immigrants and Catholics not? Don’t waste water, that’s really the bottom line regardless of who you are.
@Megan
I was referencing this particular part of his comment.
“We ALL have a right to be here, illegal or not, we are humans…”
Everyone: Be civil. I’ll delete any comment that’s insulting.