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Drought in California: The reservoirs have far too little water

2021-06-28T09:42:36.542Z


It's too dry in California - once again. But this year the lowest level in the largest reservoirs in the state is record-breaking. The drought could have consequences for agriculture and electricity supply.


Enlarge image

Shasta Lake is a reservoir near the city of the same name in northern California.

And dries up.

Photo: Earth Observatory / NASA

It never rains in southern California.

What Albert Hammond sang back in 1973 probably also applies to the north of the US state today: The amount of rainfall in California is far too little.

There has not been so little rain since the 1970s.

These photos from NASA show the consequences of this.

The water levels in the state's two largest reservoirs are far too low.

Pictures from 2019 allow a comparison: If the lakes - Shasta Lake and Lake Oroville - were still well filled at the time, today, two years later, you can see a broad, light edge on the banks.

From space, the bottom of the lake can be seen, which should normally be under water.

This phenomenon is also known as the "bathtub ring".

The fill level of the lakes can even be quantified very specifically: Shasta Lake, the largest reservoir in California, contained only 41 percent of its actual capacity on June 16, 2021 - 49 percent of the average amount of water at this time of year.

Since it was recorded in summer 2019, the water level has fallen by 32 meters.

Agriculture depends on the water of the reservoirs

The water of Shasta Lake is extremely important for an entire region: The lake flows into the Sacramento River and is intended to supply the rich agricultural areas of the Central Valley.

There is also far too little water in Lake Oroville, the second largest reservoir in California.

From June 2019 to June 2021, the level fell by 58 meters.

The amount is only 35 percent of capacity and 43 percent of the average - that is hardly more than in the driest years to date, 1976 and 1977. According to various media reports, eight out of ten boat docks around Oroville have already had to be closed.

And even the power supply could be impaired: If the level should drop even further, the hydropower plant on the reservoir could possibly have to be switched off.

The administration helps determine the water level

How much of the precious water is stored in a reservoir basically depends on more than the climate and weather: those responsible at the state and federal level decide which quantities are made available for agriculture, how much water the cities need or what is worth protecting Ecosystems.

But the current weather situation and global warming are doing their part.

And this part is getting bigger and bigger: the air temperatures in California have been unusually warm for months.

In the Northern Sierra region, rainfall is between 35 and 50 percent below normal.

The current water year, which by the way begins on October 1st, was the driest since the 1976-1977 drought.

It has never rained so little in the basin of the former Tulare Lake since records began.

Because there was too little rainfall in winter, there is less snow in the Sierra Nevada.

And the reservoirs now also lack the meltwater.

A large part of this has been swallowed up by the soil that had dried up from last year.

You have to prepare as best you can

"This additional drought and unusual warmth has made this second year of drought actually more like the third or fourth year of the previous drought," said Jay Lund, co-director of the Center for Watershed Sciences at the University of California Davis.

"California has to react faster than usual."

Although the administration was able to adjust to the drought through the drought years between 2012 and 2016, Lund said.

But: The situation can be compared to an impending hurricane: "You can be prepared, but it's still a hurricane and there will be damage."

vki

Source: spiegel

All tech articles on 2021-06-28

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