Too much runoff — How California could save up its rain to ease future droughts It’d be better than watching epic atmospheric river rainfall drain into the Pacific.
Andrew Fisher, The Conversation – Jan 8, 2023 11:46 am UTC Enlarge / Heavy rain from a series of atmospheric rivers flooded large parts of California from late December 2022 into early January 2023.Anadolu Agency/Getty Images reader comments 16 with 0 posters participating Share this story Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Reddit
California has seen so much rain over the past few weeks that farm fields are inundated and normally dry creeks and drainage ditches have become torrents of water racing toward the ocean. Yet, most of the state remains in severe drought.
All that runoff in the middle of a drought begs the questionwhy cant more rainwater be collected and stored for the long, dry spring and summer when its needed?
As a hydrogeologist at the University of California at Santa Cruz, Im interested in what can be done to collect runoff from storms like this on a large scale. There are two primary sources of large-scale water storage that could help make a dent in the drought: holding that water behind dams and putting it in the ground. Why isnt California capturing more runoff now?
When California gets storms like the atmospheric rivers that hit in December 2022 and January 2023, water managers around the state probably shake their heads and ask why they cant hold on to more of that water. The reality is, its a complicated issue. Advertisement
California has big dams and reservoirs that can store large volumes of water, but they tend to be in the mountains. And once theyre near capacity, water has to be released to be ready for the next storm. Unless theres another reservoir downstream, a lot of that water is going out to the ocean. Video captures flooding from record rainfall on the last weekend of 2022.
In more populated areas, one of the reasons storm water runoff isnt automatically collected for use on a large scale is because the first runoff from roads is often contaminated. Flooding can also cause septic system overflows. So, that water would have to be treated.
You might say, well, the captured water doesnt have to be drinking water, we could just use it on golf courses. But then you would need a place to store the water, and you would need a way to distribute it, with separate pipes and pumps, because you cant put it in the same pipes as drinking water. Page: 1 2 Next → reader comments 16 with 0 posters participating Share this story Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Reddit The Conversation The Conversation is an independent source of news and views, sourced from the academic and research community. Our team of editors work with these experts to share their knowledge with the wider public. Our aim is to allow for better understanding of current affairs and complex issues, and hopefully improve the quality of public discourse on them. Advertisement Channel Ars Technica ← Previous story Related Stories Today on Ars
