68 replies to this topic

[2 Aces]

I'm glad we didn't give in to the hype and let our lawn die, and then have to make some awful looking moonscape in our front yard. I know one couple who did that and they regret it bigtime.

I'm sure there are many more people like them, but you live and learn.

[tony]

Serious question : if the lake is the primary source of our water...and it's as full as it can be with normal snow pack ready for the spring/summer supply, how can we still be in a "drought"?
We have as much supply as any other non-drought year. I always wondered what point would the lake need to be at to call off the restrictions. ...if it's dangerously high, what are they waiting for?
Please don't tell me about deep aquifers elsewhere in the state....we use the lake...it's full....the snow melt awaits.

Folsom Lake is not Folsom's lake. Until the other, much larger reservoirs are all full, there is still a water shortage statewide, and most of Folsom's water is used elsewhere.  And, yes, Folsom Lake is as full as it can be right now, with better than average snow pack (for this time of year), but if the remainder of the winter looked like today, we would still be in trouble. Between now and April 1st, one could argue that there is not need to save water locally because they are releasing water for long-term flood control, but until the reservoir situation statewide and the final snow pack measurement April 1st are in, it is too early to declare end of drought, even locally. And most definitely not statewide. Folsom is the quickest to fill up of the large reservoirs, but the others, both north and south are far less full, and they are all art of a large system, so you can't just look at the levels in one of them. For example, New Melones is still at 20% of capacity. Shasta (the largest) is at 54% of capacity (79% of average for this time of year -- looking pretty good, but not there yet).

 

And you can't just dismiss the aquifers, which have been rapidly depleted during the drought. Water to recharge them needs to come from somewhere, and will take a long time to do so.  

 

So, go out and wash your car and clean your driveway and take a long shower, but only even if this year ends up as a banner water year, that doesn't mean there won't be another drought next year or a couple years down the road. All droughts end, but so do all wet periods. Going back to heavy water use landscaping is short-sighted at best.

[Carl G]

Folsom Lake is not Folsom's lake. Until the other, much larger reservoirs are all full, there is still a water shortage statewide, and most of Folsom's water is used elsewhere.  And, yes, Folsom Lake is as full as it can be right now, with better than average snow pack (for this time of year), but if the remainder of the winter looked like today, we would still be in trouble. Between now and April 1st, one could argue that there is not need to save water locally because they are releasing water for long-term flood control, but until the reservoir situation statewide and the final snow pack measurement April 1st are in, it is too early to declare end of drought, even locally. And most definitely not statewide. Folsom is the quickest to fill up of the large reservoirs, but the others, both north and south are far less full, and they are all art of a large system, so you can't just look at the levels in one of them. For example, New Melones is still at 20% of capacity. Shasta (the largest) is at 54% of capacity (79% of average for this time of year -- looking pretty good, but not there yet).

 

And you can't just dismiss the aquifers, which have been rapidly depleted during the drought. Water to recharge them needs to come from somewhere, and will take a long time to do so.  

 

So, go out and wash your car and clean your driveway and take a long shower, but only even if this year ends up as a banner water year, that doesn't mean there won't be another drought next year or a couple years down the road. All droughts end, but so do all wet periods. Going back to heavy water use landscaping is short-sighted at best.

 

A number of years ago there was talk of pumping water into the aquifers to regenerate them.  Water flowing into the ocean isn't going to help them much. I would like to see the water agency spend some money on actually resolving problems rather than just wasting resources.

 

We don't have enough storage capacity and it is time we did something about that.

[Sandman]

Environmentalists who have had their way in this state for the last several decades are the reason we have inadequate storage capacity.  The human species comes last to everything else in these peoples minds.  Until something changes don't expect additional reservoirs to get built in this state.

[ghost35me]

I'm not an environmentalist. But I can appreciate the lyrics about paving paradise and putting up a parking lot. Humans are idiots.

 

And maybe it's not that we need more water supply. Maybe we should just cap and limit the population here. We're all full up with crazy here anyway -- let's encourage people to look elsewhere to live.

 

Let's limit populations to reasonable levels of student-teacher ratios, no stop and go traffic, 100% headroom for all infrastructure services (gas, water, electricity, sewer), house parcel sizes no smaller than 1/2 acre, blah blah blah.

 

We don't have a water supply problem. We have a government, big business, developer problem that' leads to an population over density problem.

[nomad]

I'm not an environmentalist. But I can appreciate the lyrics about paving paradise and putting up a parking lot. Humans are idiots.

 

And maybe it's not that we need more water supply. Maybe we should just cap and limit the population here. We're all full up with crazy here anyway -- let's encourage people to look elsewhere to live.

 

Let's limit populations to reasonable levels of student-teacher ratios, no stop and go traffic, 100% headroom for all infrastructure services (gas, water, electricity, sewer), house parcel sizes no smaller than 1/2 acre, blah blah blah.

 

We don't have a water supply problem. We have a government, big business, developer problem that' leads to an population over density problem.

Is that you China?

[Carl G]

But aquifers are water storage.  We should replenish them with the excess water rather than letting it all flow into the sea.

[mrdavex]

But aquifers are water storage.  We should replenish them with the excess water rather than letting it all flow into the sea.

 Agree, aquifer storage is the cheapest storage option and has a low environmental footprint: http://waterinthewest.stanford.edu/groundwater/recharge/ 

[The Average Joe]

Can someone help me with the math here?  If the capacity for discharge with the new spillways is 312 000 cfs, but the American River Levees can only handle 145 000 cfs, how exactly does that help with flood control?

[JohhnyCash]

Better to break a levee than break a dam?

[4thgenFolsomite]

Better to break a levee than break a dam?

Always

[apeman45]

"Better to break a levee than a dam?"

 

That actually is partly true.  The real problem was that the old gates are too high up on the dam so operators could see a big inflow coming but could not release water fast enough until the lake became dangerously full and reached the level of the gates.  Just a bad design of the original dam.  The new spillway is much lower and yes it does give operators the ability to flood everything downstream to prevent dam failure.

[4thgenFolsomite]

Not much rain forecast for the rest of February and only a little in March. Let's not break out the party hats yet.

[folsom500]

The GOOD news is that when first considered to "DUMP" water they were talking on the order of 1500 CFS which is not a lot. The Better, at least for now, is the lake will be at 600,000 AF in a few hours or a day up from 135,000 AF at its lowest point in many years in early December...

I though- having become of friend of the low lake ( and not soon enough)-  will miss its treasures of this that and the other...

 

[maestro]

Personally I cannot rely upon the promises of the Folsom water czar or the Spokesman for USBR Folsom Office.

 

Give me some Certified Scientific data, not opinions.       DRAINING DOWN a partially full reservoir during a drought seems stupid.      Build places to store it.    

 

Since Folsom city is one of the only places which FAILED to meet  water conservation goals, I don't care what this city says about water.      I care the council is violating Measure W to give growth a brand-new water source -- the Sacramento River water.

 

C'mon, media, give us some real hard challenges to the Talking Heads.

 

http://www.kcra.com/...rought/37915384