California Drought: Snowmelt's path shows impact from Sierra to Pacific
By Lisa Krieger
Posted: 06/21/2014 03:56:24 PM PDT
... As our snowmelt travels the 300-mile path from Yosemite's Mount Dana to the sea, it meanders through the Tuolumne River watershed, past hydropower plants and nurseries, wildlife refuges and chemical plants, vineyards and the San Francisco Bay Area, where it provides water for millions of people.
Each of these water users, linked by a reliance on this fragile resource, has a legal right to some of the flow — and a growing need to insist on those claims.
The trouble is, in an average year, five times more water is committed than flows through all the state's rivers and streams combined, according to new research by University of California scientists. The state's population growth will further boost this demand. And climate change predictions suggest our water supply will only continue to diminish.
... “We have enough water for another two years as long as we conserve,” said Steve Ritchie, an assistant general manager with San Francisco's PUC. “The thing is, what if there's a three-year, or four, or biblical drought? You have to be prepared to deal with that.”
http://www.mercurynews.com/drought/ci_26009266/california-drought-snowmelt-path-shows-impact-sierras-pacific
The Moon is Waning Gibbous (93% of Full)
Continuing California drought
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