Too soon to ease water restrictions

The magnificent El Nino that was supposed to bring torrential rains to our state in recent months pretty much petered out, at least for those of us in Southern California.

Northern California got pounded by some hard El Nino-based rainstorms that turned into powerful snowstorms once they hit higher elevations, but even with all of that, most of Northern California is still suffering from drought conditions.

Lake Mead, which is fed by the Colorado River and would largely benefit from more southerly storms, is at a record-low depth. And Lake Mead is the source for water for much of the Southwest, including much of Southern California.

So we wonder why California Gov. Jerry Brown decided to loosen drought regulations imposed on local water agencies around the state last year and allow those 411 separate bodies to set their own water-conservation goals and agendas.

We believe that Brown’s action is premature at best. We think it would be advisable to loosen restrictions later, maybe after another winter or three of hard rains/snow in Northern California and significant rain in Southern California.

Yes, people around the state, including here in the Imperial Valley, are already weary of drought restrictions, but the combination of climate change and an ever-growing population in California could mean that we might frequently face such droughts and connected water-conservation efforts. That, in fact, might be California’s ongoing reality.

We applaud folks in the Valley for making sincere efforts to conserve water. Municipalities, as required by the state, have enacted and enforced water-saving efforts, and most local folks have complied, some after a fine or two. As a result, most Imperial Valley municipalities are meeting or exceeding their water-saving targets.

These days we see many relatively dry or just plain dead lawns throughout our area. Other homeowners around the Valley have adopted Arizona-style xeriscaping for their yards, which requires a lot less water than a grass lawn but, if done right, can be a beautiful alternative for yards.

We are hopeful water agencies around the state will enact and enforce tough water-conservation plans. The relatively small amount of rain and snow we received in California should mean only that water restrictions should be slightly loosened, if at all.

We hope water conservation remains the mindset around the state, because we are not out of our state’s drought, and we may not be for a long, long time.