Threat of drought should trigger water conservation now

California shouldn’t wait another day to implement water conservation measures to counteract the likelihood of drought this year.

The state Department of Water Resources reported Tuesday that the Sierra Nevada snowpack was just 61% of it historical average for this date.

“Absent a series of strong storms in March or April, we are going to end with a critically dry year on the heels of last year’s dry conditions,” said Karla Nemeth, director of the state DWR.

California’s rainy season typically ends with the beginning of April, and most cities thus far have received only about 40% of their normal rainfall. With no major storms on the horizon, it makes no sense for Californians to continue wasting their limited water supply. We should all be taking shorter showers and reducing landscape watering.

The Sierra snowpack melts during the spring months, sending water to the Delta and California’s reservoirs. San Luis Reservoir, near the intersection of Highway 152 and Interstate 5, is 58% full, or 68% of its historical average at this time of year. Shasta Lake, the state’s largest reservoir, is 50% full, or 68% of its historical average.

From 2012 to 2016, California endured the driest four-year period of any time back to 1895. If the state learned anything from that experience, it’s that Californians shouldn’t wait to adopt water conservation methods until we’ve reached a state of emergency.

If the governor and water district officials won’t call on us to cut back on our water use, Californians should take it upon themselves to start conserving. All signs point to the likelihood of another California drought. Every drop of water wasted today is water that will be unavailable in the months ahead.