The cyclical nature of California’s weather patterns emphasizes the need for water infrastructure improvements. Most of the state’s water storage reservoirs are already well above average, with some nearing or at capacity. The state snowpack is above 250 percent of the average for April 24. Last year at the same time it was 35 percent of the average. Executive Director of the California Farm Water Coalition, Mike Wade said the state has a chance to take better advantage of water supplies in wet years. The extreme nature of shifts between wet and dry weather patterns highlights the importance of preparing for future water needs in California.
“There are wetter wet years and now we’re hearing hotter dry cycles. What it screams for is more storage,” Wade noted. “There’s an opportunity that we’re missing out on without the right infrastructure for surface storage and the right infrastructure to get water into the Valley, spread it out on open ground, on floodplains, and get it into the ground for the future. If this doesn’t say, ‘invest in storage,’ I don’t know what does.”
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