Most of SLO County is now in ‘severe drought.’ Here’s what that means
Most of San Luis Obispo County is now in a severe drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
The worsening conditions come with a limited amount of rain in the forecast. A tenth of an inch of rain was expected to fall along the Central Coast on Sunday; that won’t do much to quench the dry ground or refill groundwater basins.
It’s a statewide problem. Most California counties are experiencing severe drought conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Inyo and San Bernardino counties currently face the worst drought conditions in the state — with the U.S. Drought Monitor categorizing drought conditions in some areas there as “exceptional,” or the worst category it measures.
Some Central Valley and Northern California counties are experiencing extreme droughts, such as Sacramento, Yolo, Napa, Lassen and Modoc counties.
SLO County is in severe drought
San Luis Obispo County is facing the worst drought conditions out of all three Central Coast counties — about 74% of the county is in a severe drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Most of Monterey County is in a moderate drought, while about half of Santa Barbara County is in a severe drought.
Last week, most of the Central Coast was experiencing just a moderate drought, with some areas seeing abnormally dry conditions. The Central Coast has been experiencing drought conditions since late November 2020, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
The level of drought in California is similar to the state’s drought level on Jan. 17, 2014, when then-Gov. Jerry Brown declared a drought state of emergency. On that day in 2014, about 90% of California was classified as in “severe” drought, including 63% of the state in “extreme” or “exceptional” drought.
As of April 20, about 85% of the state was in “severe drought,” including 50% of the state in “extreme” or “exceptional” drought.
Gov. Gavin Newsom officially declared a regional drought emergency on April 21 in the Russian River watershed in Northern California. But he stopped short of declaring a statewide drought emergency, which could bring strict water conservation mandates.
When an area is in a “severe drought” according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, its grazing land becomes inadequate to feed livestock, lakes begin to see decreasing levels, trees become water stressed, wildlife diseases increase, water temperatures increase and river flows decrease. That area also sees a longer fire season with the possibility of high burn intensity.
As drought conditions worsen, the U.S. Drought Monitor says that those impacts in the “severe drought” category become more prominent and water shortages can cause job, crop and livestock losses.
Central Coast sees dropping lake, reservoir levels
San Luis Obispo County lake levels are seeing slight drops since the massive January storm brought a deluge of rain to the Central Coast. The lakes provide the necessary water for drinking and irrigation to many cities throughout the county.
Lopez Lake is now at 38.2% capacity — it had been at 40.4% capacity after the January rain. This time in 2020, the lake was at 52.2% capacity.
Santa Margarita Lake, also known as the Salinas Reservoir, is at 69.3% capacity, a drop from 73.3% after the January rain. The previous year, it was at 89.1% capacity.
Lake Nacimiento is at 37% capacity; it was at 41% after the January rain. In 2020, the lake was at about 73% capacity.
Whale Rock Reservoir sits at 199.8 feet of elevation, having dropped two feet in elevation since the January rainstorm. This time the previous year, the reservoir was sitting at about 205 feet of elevation.
Many local municipalities won’t see water cutbacks unless the governor requires it.
In San Luis Obispo County, the communities of Avila Beach, Morro Bay, Oceano, Pismo Beach and Shandon subcontract with the county as part of the State Water Project, along with other agencies, such as Cuesta College, California Men’s Colony state prison in San Luis Obispo and San Luis Coastal Unified School District.
All other municipalities in the county manage their own water and receive water solely from local sources such as reservoirs and groundwater wells.
Mandatory water cutbacks haven’t come yet, but may be imposed by the governor as drought conditions worsen.
The lack of rain has San Luis Obispo County — and the whole state — bracing for another destructive wildfire season.
Adan Orozco, a spokesman for Cal Fire in San Luis Obispo County, previously told The Tribune that drought conditions in much of the county are “concerning.”
“When we get hot days like we’re getting this week with the wind, those grasses will start to dry out a lot quicker,” Orozco said. “With the little precipitation, the grass crop is not as tall as it was last year, but it will still be dangerous when it’s dry because the fires move a lot faster with the shorter grass.”
What can you do to save water?
The National Drought Mitigation Center has several tips to help conserve water.
“Just shutting off the faucet or fixing a leak can save a lot of water,” the National Drought Mitigation Center’s website says. “Another way to save water is to install devices that use less water to perform everyday tasks. For example, we use the most water in our homes when we take a shower or flush the toilet.
“Companies now sell low-flow toilets and showerheads that can cut the amount of water used in half,” the site says. “People are even beginning to use composting toilets that require no water. Also, new washing machines and dishwashers use much less water than older machines.”
The National Drought Mitigation Center advises residents to plant only native, drought-resistant plants in their gardens. These plants also shouldn’t require fertilizer, which can contaminate the groundwater, streams and ocean.
You should check your garden irrigation systems and plumbing systems for leaks and have any leaks repaired.
Additionally, residents can conserve water by not watering lawns, avoiding using your kitchen sink’s garbage disposal and instead dumping food in the garbage or compost, taking shorter showers and decreasing the number of times you use the clothes washer.
You can find other water conservation tips at ready.gov/drought.
This story was originally published April 25, 2021 at 3:21 PM.
