We've had two decent storms this Fall so far and I've missed both of them due to travel. I know from my airline pilot's report last night that it rained pretty hard last night and I heard that put a damper on the Holiday Parade. Here is last year's post on the tree lighting. The National Weather Service gives us the specifics:
December 6th SFO Airport received 0.29 inches of rain which is about half of our normal accumulation for November. Since July 1st we have received 1.43 inches which is about one-third of normal. For the year we are at 20% of normal. You can see the details here.
I hope we don't have another dry year.
There was an interesting side note in the Wall Street Journal yesterday from an article about the big delta bypass water project. Let's leave the big picture on the project for someone else, but the Journal wrote:
Farmers in the Central Valley's Westlands Water District, for example, this year had federally controlled water shipments cut to 20% of the contracted allocation during a drought that is entering its third year. Urban water districts also have been put on notice to expect sharp cutbacks of state-provided water next year, baring an usually wet winter.
I'm not sure our source (Hetch Hetchy)fits into the "state-provided water" description, but perhaps some blogger will know.
Posted by: Joe | December 11, 2013 at 10:25 AM
What better place to post my Merry Christmas wish to my community.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7iLc7XhU8E
Posted by: pat giorni | December 23, 2013 at 12:20 PM
Merry Christmas back atcha, Pat!
Posted by: Joe | December 24, 2013 at 05:57 PM
A month has passed since this original post--a totally dry month and things are not looking good for our H2O supply this year. It's still early, but the SacBee notes
Water releases from Folsom Dam into the American River will be deeply cut starting late tonight in response to worsening drought conditions in the Sacramento region.
Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2014/01/06/6050449/drought-prompts-deep-cuts-in-american.html#storylink=cpy
And I just came across an interesting piece about more advanced snow/water content measuring that is starting in the Sierra. A joint venture between NASA/JPL and the CA Dept of Water Resources is testing sensing equipment mounted to the bottom of a plane to check the depth of snowpack in hard to reach areas as well as when it will melt. Pretty cool even is the story is somber right now. You can check it out at http://aso.jpl.nasa.gov
Posted by: Joe | January 06, 2014 at 03:54 PM
And so it starts. From today's SacBee:
Faced with historically low water levels on the American River and a long-range forecast providing little relief, the Sacramento City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to enact severe water rationing on residents and businesses, while also boosting enforcement efforts against water scofflaws.
The council approved what city officials described as a “stage 2 water shortage plan,” requiring those who live and work in Sacramento to reduce their water use by between 20 percent and 30 percent.
Amid a sharp increase in the number of resident complaints against those violating winter outdoor watering restrictions, the city also plans to dispatch a task force of monitors to patrol city streets and enforce those rules. To assist in that effort, city officials said they would launch a $200,000 public outreach campaign to persuade city residents and businesses to cut back on water consumption.
Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2014/01/14/6071929/sacramento-council-to-weigh-water.html#storylink=cpy
Posted by: Joe | January 14, 2014 at 11:54 PM