Essay On Drought In Temecula
Back in 2014, water regulations in Temecula became more strict because of the drought and in wake of the 14 scorching San Diego County wildfires that left many without homes. According to Craig Schultz of Press Enterprise newspaper, the wide range of restrictions included “Watering outdoor landscapes in a manner that causes excess runoff, using a hose, without a shut-off nozzle, for any purpose, using drinking water in non-recirculating fountains or decorative water devices.” This points out that the districts are taking the steps needed to conserve as much as they can. In April 2016, the Rancho District actually lifted some of the water restrictions to focus on other factors of the issue. From the Temecula Patch article, Renee Schiavone writes that “EMWD is actively engaging with the Water Resources Control Board to encourage changes to the regulations that recognize local water supply conditions and preserve
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local decision-making authority” and ultimately, “Those changes, combined with water supply conditions and continued customer efforts to reduce potable water use, will determine EMWD's future actions to further reduce conservation requirements." This shows the appreciation of the customer's efforts and although the water restrictions have been lifted, customers must still continue to use and preserve water efficiently. The costs Rancho District would have to pay for imported water will be much more expensive than local supply. “We’re going to need a lot,” he said, noting the difference in cost runs about $150 per acre-foot for local water versus $1,000 an acre-foot for imported water” Aaron Claverie reinforces. Essentially, this reveals the tough decision within the district to spend more money or not. Claverie explains the district’s water use from lake and highlights the district “has been using the water in the lake in recent years to augment local supply, which is a cheaper option than purchasing water from the Metropolitan Water District and a more environmentally-friendly option than tapping groundwater supplies.” This indication further exemplifies the difficulty that candidates will have to encounter since they cannot draw from the lake. California’s ongoing drought is caused by a number of factors, one of the major problems suspected to be climate change.
In the article How Much Of California’s Drought Was Caused By Climate Change? Scientists Now Have The Answer, Katie Valentine provides studies from researchers who use data to calculate “how much of the current drought could be blamed on climate change” which ultimately led to the conclusion that a mixture of “steadily rising temperatures due to climate change, along with natural weather variability in California, led to more and more water evaporating from the soil.” Therefore, this illustrates that climate change does play a role because of the higher temperatures. Also from the study, researchers found that droughts like the one in California are becoming increasingly likely in many areas because of climate change — is one of the study’s most important conclusions.” Thus, mixture of problems between high water evaporation and high temperatures pinpoints the need to analyze the climate conditions further so California can be
prepared.
Another significant problem is the amount of salt buildup in the ground from lack of rain that is limiting crops. Local Valley News reporter, Tony Ault, highlights the growing problems among farmers is salt build up in the soils triggered by the “very salty Colorado River water being brought into southern California’s water districts and used by farmers.” As a result, the salt build up strongly impacts the need for crops in the community and essentially it is “damaging the fruit and making it smaller” Ault explains. Generally, the winter storms would cleanse the salts in the soils but because of the drought, it prevents some of the crop. Avocado and almond farmer Charles Wolk says in order to “leach out the salt in the soil is now taking a very large amount of fresh water costing a lot of money” (2017). Furthermore, this clarifies that the drought is inducing a number of issues for the city that could result in many expenses.
In 2015, candidates competing for the Rancho Water District board of directors discussed the drought debate heavily affecting Temecula. In the article RANCHO WATER: Candidates debating drought, Vail Lake, Stewart who was elected in 2011, expresses his views on all the high costs. He points out “Our benefits are completely flat. The cost for water and utility costs are the two elements that are uncontrollable” (Claverie, 2015). Stewart’s statement stresses the intensity of the situation that is bombarded with water cost issues left and right. On the other hand, Martin, who grows in Wine Country, provides another option for the district to give customers lower rates as he asserts the district, “should bring back a third tier for residential customers and push back rates to the 2013 levels” and in that way would give “residents a cushion if they exceeded their tier two budget, which includes water for landscape irrigation” (Claverie, 2015). This would allow agricultural users to have a lower water budget. Despite this, Martin also participated in a bid to “target the incumbents”, essentially blaming “incumbents for the new rates” (Claverie 2015). Therefore, his actions show how difficult it is to make decisions within the district. However, if the district makes a final decision to buy imported water, it could certainly have positive effects on the lake. Claverie states that “while the district buys water, and possibly passes along those costs to ratepayers, it will be allowing the local groundwater basin to recharge” (2017). Consequently, the district focuses on how important the groundwater basin is which is crucial to this particular region. Conversely, Martin came up with another idea that would benefit the water problems where the land should leased to a company. For instance, he says “it makes sense for the district to lease the acreage to someone who can manage the campground, which would allow the district to focus on delivering water” (2015). Thus, this could allow for a more efficient path to progress when the water becomes a central focus in the city.
Climate change and global warming are said to be intensifying California’s water conflicts. Although researchers claim that most of the drought is over, some claim that California will be in an permanent drought. For example, in the article A Wet Year Won’t Beat California’s Never-Ending Drought, Peter Gleick notes “The past five years were by far the driest and hottest in more than a century of recordkeeping—in part because of human-caused climate change—and those high temperatures played a key role in worsening the scarcity of water and devastating the snowpack” (2017). Even though California has had an average amount of rainfall ending the “precipitation drought”, the elevated and extreme temperatures will still be present shrinking our water supplies. In 1992, Joseph Knox predicted how global warming would affect California. He notes that “fundamental climatic shifts could change the form, timing, intensity, and distribution of precipitation” which would essentially “affect the availability of freshwater resources by altering the timing, magnitude, and quality of runoff” (71). As a result, this further emphasizes what’s currently happening now and the dramatic changes it has our water resources. Not only is California affected by climatic shifts but also greenhouse gases. According to a UCLA study professor Glen MacDonald, he discusses how greenhouse gases could lead California into a drought for centuries. “As long as warming forces like greenhouse gases are present, the resulting radiative forcing can extend drought-like conditions more or less indefinitely.” said MacDonald. Because of this, it is a cause for concern as temperatures rise and rain decreases, which leave us to an uncertain future.
Thus, California is faced with most difficult of challenges, as well as small town cities like Temecula. To ensure we aim on the right path, we must allow ourselves the knowledge and experience to reach the overwhelming advances of science and technology. Water is our most vital resource which provides us the ability to bathe, wash, grow, drinking and to survive. As water becomes deficit, we must be more aware of the natural environment. We need to treat it like life and death, and in order to find ways to save it, first, we must take care of it.
local decision-making authority” and ultimately, “Those changes, combined with water supply conditions and continued customer efforts to reduce potable water use, will determine EMWD's future actions to further reduce conservation requirements." This shows the appreciation of the customer's efforts and although the water restrictions have been lifted, customers must still continue to use and preserve water efficiently. The costs Rancho District would have to pay for imported water will be much more expensive than local supply. “We’re going to need a lot,” he said, noting the difference in cost runs about $150 per acre-foot for local water versus $1,000 an acre-foot for imported water” Aaron Claverie reinforces. Essentially, this reveals the tough decision within the district to spend more money or not. Claverie explains the district’s water use from lake and highlights the district “has been using the water in the lake in recent years to augment local supply, which is a cheaper option than purchasing water from the Metropolitan Water District and a more environmentally-friendly option than tapping groundwater supplies.” This indication further exemplifies the difficulty that candidates will have to encounter since they cannot draw from the lake. California’s ongoing drought is caused by a number of factors, one of the major problems suspected to be climate change.
In the article How Much Of California’s Drought Was Caused By Climate Change? Scientists Now Have The Answer, Katie Valentine provides studies from researchers who use data to calculate “how much of the current drought could be blamed on climate change” which ultimately led to the conclusion that a mixture of “steadily rising temperatures due to climate change, along with natural weather variability in California, led to more and more water evaporating from the soil.” Therefore, this illustrates that climate change does play a role because of the higher temperatures. Also from the study, researchers found that droughts like the one in California are becoming increasingly likely in many areas because of climate change — is one of the study’s most important conclusions.” Thus, mixture of problems between high water evaporation and high temperatures pinpoints the need to analyze the climate conditions further so California can be
prepared.
Another significant problem is the amount of salt buildup in the ground from lack of rain that is limiting crops. Local Valley News reporter, Tony Ault, highlights the growing problems among farmers is salt build up in the soils triggered by the “very salty Colorado River water being brought into southern California’s water districts and used by farmers.” As a result, the salt build up strongly impacts the need for crops in the community and essentially it is “damaging the fruit and making it smaller” Ault explains. Generally, the winter storms would cleanse the salts in the soils but because of the drought, it prevents some of the crop. Avocado and almond farmer Charles Wolk says in order to “leach out the salt in the soil is now taking a very large amount of fresh water costing a lot of money” (2017). Furthermore, this clarifies that the drought is inducing a number of issues for the city that could result in many expenses.
In 2015, candidates competing for the Rancho Water District board of directors discussed the drought debate heavily affecting Temecula. In the article RANCHO WATER: Candidates debating drought, Vail Lake, Stewart who was elected in 2011, expresses his views on all the high costs. He points out “Our benefits are completely flat. The cost for water and utility costs are the two elements that are uncontrollable” (Claverie, 2015). Stewart’s statement stresses the intensity of the situation that is bombarded with water cost issues left and right. On the other hand, Martin, who grows in Wine Country, provides another option for the district to give customers lower rates as he asserts the district, “should bring back a third tier for residential customers and push back rates to the 2013 levels” and in that way would give “residents a cushion if they exceeded their tier two budget, which includes water for landscape irrigation” (Claverie, 2015). This would allow agricultural users to have a lower water budget. Despite this, Martin also participated in a bid to “target the incumbents”, essentially blaming “incumbents for the new rates” (Claverie 2015). Therefore, his actions show how difficult it is to make decisions within the district. However, if the district makes a final decision to buy imported water, it could certainly have positive effects on the lake. Claverie states that “while the district buys water, and possibly passes along those costs to ratepayers, it will be allowing the local groundwater basin to recharge” (2017). Consequently, the district focuses on how important the groundwater basin is which is crucial to this particular region. Conversely, Martin came up with another idea that would benefit the water problems where the land should leased to a company. For instance, he says “it makes sense for the district to lease the acreage to someone who can manage the campground, which would allow the district to focus on delivering water” (2015). Thus, this could allow for a more efficient path to progress when the water becomes a central focus in the city.
Climate change and global warming are said to be intensifying California’s water conflicts. Although researchers claim that most of the drought is over, some claim that California will be in an permanent drought. For example, in the article A Wet Year Won’t Beat California’s Never-Ending Drought, Peter Gleick notes “The past five years were by far the driest and hottest in more than a century of recordkeeping—in part because of human-caused climate change—and those high temperatures played a key role in worsening the scarcity of water and devastating the snowpack” (2017). Even though California has had an average amount of rainfall ending the “precipitation drought”, the elevated and extreme temperatures will still be present shrinking our water supplies. In 1992, Joseph Knox predicted how global warming would affect California. He notes that “fundamental climatic shifts could change the form, timing, intensity, and distribution of precipitation” which would essentially “affect the availability of freshwater resources by altering the timing, magnitude, and quality of runoff” (71). As a result, this further emphasizes what’s currently happening now and the dramatic changes it has our water resources. Not only is California affected by climatic shifts but also greenhouse gases. According to a UCLA study professor Glen MacDonald, he discusses how greenhouse gases could lead California into a drought for centuries. “As long as warming forces like greenhouse gases are present, the resulting radiative forcing can extend drought-like conditions more or less indefinitely.” said MacDonald. Because of this, it is a cause for concern as temperatures rise and rain decreases, which leave us to an uncertain future.
Thus, California is faced with most difficult of challenges, as well as small town cities like Temecula. To ensure we aim on the right path, we must allow ourselves the knowledge and experience to reach the overwhelming advances of science and technology. Water is our most vital resource which provides us the ability to bathe, wash, grow, drinking and to survive. As water becomes deficit, we must be more aware of the natural environment. We need to treat it like life and death, and in order to find ways to save it, first, we must take care of it.