Drought and Rainstorms

With the successive storms California has experienced, the question of whether the drought is still on is raised both as a serious issue and as fodder for topical comics. The answer, of course, depends on the definition of the term. If you take a layman’s understanding, then surely the several storms we have had these past two months would conflict with the thought that we are still in a drought. On the other hand, if the drought is considered on the basis of a full year’s precipitation, a measure taken annually in April, even though the year looks like a good one, it would be premature to come to a final conclusion.

Now perhaps the more important question is, assuming the drought is over, can we go back to earlier habits in water use? The answer is an easy one. No! To start with, one good year of precipitation certainly does not undo six dry years. But even more important, with the increasing population and corresponding water needs, we are simply not in a position to use on a per capita basis the water we have used in the past. We are working on additional water supplies through water transfers, marketing, reclamation and other concepts, but a continued reduction in per capita use will be essential.

Finally, the drought will really be over when water storage in California returns to normal. Unfortunately, precipitation isn’t the only event affecting that storage.

CARL BORONKAY, General Manager

Metropolitan Water District

Los Angeles