Though the recent barrage of winter storms has certainly improved California’s drought conditions, state water leaders are making moves to prepare for the inevitable dry season soon to come.
The California Department of Water Resources kickstarted a partnership between state agencies, local governments, scientists and community members in a new task force, called the Drought Resilience Interagency and Partners Collaborative.
The DRIP group was created in part by the 2021 Senate Bill 552, which requires state agencies to take a proactive stance on drought preparedness, especially for smaller rural communities most vulnerable to droughts.
The water agency hopes the task force will draft emergency response plans and water management based on anticipated drought impacts. Meetings will include multiple state agency officials to present the ongoing and future drought conditions that California is experiencing.
Karla Nemeth, director of the water agency said that though the series of winter storms has refilled many of the state’s reservoirs, California has faced a prolonged period of extreme drought for the past three years, and it’s still not over.
“Even as the state’s drought outlook improves, it’s critical that the water community all work together to advance drought planning and response for the state’s hotter, drier future,” Nemeth said. “We’re looking for a variety of representatives statewide to actively participate on behalf of all water users to achieve a drought resilient future.”
The DRIP Collaborative will be composed of 26 members, consisting of state agency officials and two representatives from each of the following groups: local government, community organizations, tribes, non-profit providers, the general public, agriculture, environmental advocates, public water service providers, water agencies and experts in land use or water.
Residents interested in contributing to the task force can send in a letter of interest until Feb. 24. The water agency will announce the selected members of the collaborative in spring.
18 comments
Put in more water storage and this won’t be an issue.
But then we would not need to waste money on a task force? And that is the whole point of the governorship of CA, after all.
It might help if they would actually keep the water in the reservoir instead of letting most of it flow to the sea. I’m curious to know how much remains impounded and what percentage is automatically released, in each rainy season.
all that water,,,straight to the ocean.
After years of drought,
“THEY” are going to make it . . . . . . better
And WE will be paying for it. Maybe we should make sure we get what we pay for this time.
If they planned better for the rain, they could have better utilized and stored the excess, then they wouldn’t have to create a task force. But what government agency wants to put themselves out of a job?
.
“The water agency hopes the task force will draft emergency response plans and water management based on anticipated drought impacts.”
.
“Hope” is not a plan.
I also hate “backronyms”, like DRIP.
With copious studies, endless meetings, multiple focus groups, and millions spent, they will proclaim, “California is in need of additional water storage capabilities. And we’ll get right on it as soon as we complete the Merced to Bakersfield Newsom Cannonball.”
Brought to you by the same guys who proclaim, “Ya know, if ya put a bullet in a furnace, it’ll explode.”
Then they cry climate change causing sea level rising because everything drains to the ocean at the same time the tide comes in. 🤣🤣🤣🤡🌎. Simple minds who don’t understand eat it up because muh flooding
But Concord City Council thinks Seeno can add 3000 more homes to the CNWS project?
Back in the 1976 to 1978 when California had a drought going on we only needed the rainfall in 79 to end it. and back then we watered more lawns ect. now our population has more than doubled without building more water storage areas. bad planning, bad leadership. kick them out of office peeps ! a child could run this place better.
Gee …. finally .. how many years have we been talking about decent planning? ….now, if they don’t get caught up in their own red tape and boundary issues
Well this should fix everything.
We may get enough water for this year but no one knows about next year. What they should be planning is desal plants.
Look! Newscum found a new way to drive our state deficit deeper in the hole!
What a joke! Why wasn’t one in place? All of the excessive rain that we received went into the ocean because they were not prepared. We should be able to collect our own rain water and do what we seem fit with it.
Comments are closed.