Bruce Ratcliffe - 4/2017 unpublished - Out of Sight

Out of Sight. . .
     With rainfall and Sierra snowpack around 170% of normal, Governor
Brown has declared California’s drought over–but not in the San Joaquin
Valley.  Huh?   Consider these facts:  The Central Valley is the world’s
largest patch of Class One soil, the best for crops, and produces about
40% of the country’s fruits, nuts and vegetables.  Unfortunately, our
agricultural practices are not sustainable.  The drought has led
desperate farmers to sink wells deeper than their neighbors–a race to
the bottom.  Mark Cowin, director of California’s Department of Water
Resources (DWR) recently stated,  “Because of increased pumping,
groundwater levels are reaching record lows – up to 100 ft lower than
previous records.”
     Some say we should build more dams–storage in case of another
drought.  But we already have more than enough storage.  DWR estimates
our total underground storage capacity is twenty times greater than all
California’s reservoirs put together.  We’ve been blessed with a huge,
but shrinking, water “savings account”.   We’ve been making many more
withdrawals than deposits.  We’re still suffering from a drought, but
it’s hiding underground.  Until we refill the Valley’s water table to
pre-drought levels, OUR drought will not be over.  Call it “saving for a
non-rainy day.”
Bruce Ratcliffe
April 2017