exceptional drought

California: Drought Or No Drought? | Earth Wise

April 26, 2023 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Just a few months ago, millions of people in California were living under challenging water conservation rules. The past three years were the driest on record and reservoirs were depleted, landscapes dried up, and the snowpack in the Sierras at very low levels.

But in recent months, a dozen atmospheric river storms have brought huge amounts of rain and snow to the state. Twelve out of 17 major reservoirs in the state have been replenished, the snowpack is over 240% of normal, and brown hills are blooming once again.

So, is the California drought over? According to the experts, the answer is: sort of.

The record snowpack and heavy rains have erased the most severe aspects of the drought in many parts of the state. Only 9% of the state is now experiencing “severe” or “exceptional” drought, down from 55% last fall.

But the changes are basically all at the surface. Groundwater in the state is still extremely low and the state’s cities and farms are still using more of it than is appropriate. The state has been unwisely overusing its groundwater aquifers because of the drought and this one year of heavy rains cannot replenish levels that have been dropping for years.

California has been rolling back many of the most severe drought restrictions that had been imposed but has not entirely lifted the drought emergency status. Meanwhile, the massive snowpack in the mountains will begin to melt as the weather warms and, in many areas, Californians will face flooding. Water is a complicated business in California.

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Drought or no drought? California left pondering after record winter deluge

Photo, posted August 28, 2019, courtesy of Joyce Cory via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

A Bad Year For California Rice | Earth Wise

November 2, 2022 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Rice production is the third largest cereal crop in the United States after corn and wheat. Four regions in the country produce almost the entire U.S. rice crop: the Arkansas Grand Prairie, the Mississippi Delta, the Gulf Coast, and the Sacramento Valley in California. Arkansas is the largest producer of rice in the country by far, but California ranks second.

A combination of drought and water shortages in the Sacramento Valley has taken a major toll on the California rice crop. This year, rice growers have only planted half as much grain as usual. The changes in rice plantings in California are so substantial that they are easily visible from space.

In Colusa and Glenn counties, rice acreage this year dropped by 84 and 75 percent respectively, compared to 2021. Farther to the east, in Butte Country, rice acreage was down by 17%. The change was smaller there because farmers in that county had more groundwater to tap into.

According to the USDA, the California rice crop will be reduced by 38% this year, making it the smallest rice crop in the state since 1977. California mostly grows short- and medium-grained rice, which is used in dishes like sushi, paella, and risotto. Arkansas and other states produce most of the long-grain rice such as basmati and jasmine rice.

In late September, there was a burst of rain, which offered some short-term relief for farmers. However, it will take much more wet weather to ease the ongoing drought conditions. As of the end of September, over 40% of California remained in extreme drought and 17% was in exceptional drought.

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A Rough Year for Rice in California

Photo, posted March 21, 2020, courtesy of Ajay Suresh via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio