Published in the Feb. 5, 2014 issue of Morgan Hill Life
With most of the nation now under ice and snow, we Californians might feel we lucked out in living in a climate paradise where we enjoy such temperate weather. But the real possibility of a lack of any significant storms this winter season might be more of a curse than a blessing.
In 2013, rainfall totals hit record lows in many parts of California. Last year, the Golden State received less rain than in any year since it became a state in 1850. Based on scientific analysis of tree ring data, the current rainfall season will more than likely be the driest since 1580. The state’s two years of drought is draining reservoirs and forcing farmers to keep fallow many thousands of acres of cropland. Without the winter storms we desperately need, the snow pack in the Sierra mountains won’t sufficiently sustain the urban water needs of millions of Californians.
A continued lack of significant rain this winter will have consequences when it comes to maintaining the quality of life we enjoy here in the South Valley — as it also will throughout the state. Wells have dried up and California farmers are now forced to import water to sustain their crops and cattle. Prices of food will go up as the Central Valley and other agricultural regions of the state fail to produce high yields of produce and other farm products because of water restrictions.
About 50 percent of the fruits, vegetables and nuts produced in America come from California farmers. The price of meat will likely skyrocket as ranchers are forced to purchase hay for their livestock because lack of rain hurt their range land grass growth. Tinder dry grass in the mountains surrounding the South Valley will be more susceptible to wildfires, endangering lives and property. Increased fire threats throughout the state will take human and equipment resources.
The drought will also impact our local economy as it drives up the price of ingredients used by our local restaurants and also hurt the South Valley wine production if grape growers cannot get enough water to produce a plentiful harvest. Our world-class recreation facilities — the Aquatic Center and the Outdoor Sports Center — require hundreds of thousands of gallons of water for their use in the swimming pools as well as to keep alive the many acres of lawn that bring in soccer teams to Morgan Hill throughout the spring, summer and fall months.
With the U.S. Drought Monitor showing that the drought is being felt by 94.25 percent of the state, Gov. Brown last month called a drought emergency to deal with the crisis. The drought emergency will impact Morgan Hill residents as it will all Californians. We must start to ration our water usage, limiting the water we use to wash our vehicles, take shorter showers and let our front lawns go from green to brown. Let us hope for a storm deluge to come in this spring. April showers would be a bonus. But we must prepare for the natural disaster of drought that will affect all of our lives if the storms fail to arrive.
