Russ Steele
California Department of Water Resources has completed their final snow survey of the year and the results are stunning, when compared to previous yeas, especially the very dry spring of 2007.
The DWR announced that the water content stored in the Sierra snow is 143 percent of normal for this time of the year. In the Northern Sierra the water content was 188 percent, in the central region 121 percent, and 139 percent in the southern reaches of the Sierra. Those figures are more than double the levels of the past two years, and are up to seven times as much as survey team found in the dry spring of 2007.
Why are we still in a drought? Same reason that we have global warming where none exist -- politics. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a water bond to rebuild California's crumbling water system. The Governor knows that he faces big hurdles in persuading Californians they should vote for the $11 billion measure come November. With no drought, getting the voters to toady up $11 million tax burden is highly unlikely, so regardless of all the water in the Sierra, we are in a politically sponsored drought.
California Department of Water Resources has completed their final snow survey of the year and the results are stunning, when compared to previous yeas, especially the very dry spring of 2007.
Why are we still in a drought? Same reason that we have global warming where none exist -- politics. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a water bond to rebuild California's crumbling water system. The Governor knows that he faces big hurdles in persuading Californians they should vote for the $11 billion measure come November. With no drought, getting the voters to toady up $11 million tax burden is highly unlikely, so regardless of all the water in the Sierra, we are in a politically sponsored drought.
