Guides, Stories & Resources

(Published on Sept 1, 2016) “Severe drought” This is what we kept seeing when we were on our way to Tahoe for a weekend camping trip 2 weeks ago. Throughout the 4 hour drive, we could see the same sign, from east Bay all the way to Tahoe:

When I came across this small park in a quiet residential area in Menlo Park, I was amazed by its smart design and selection of plants. All the plants are not only beautiful, but also native, drought tolerant that qualify for Santa Clara’s District’s Landscape Rebate Program.

Even if you did not know what a Kangaroo’s Paw (Anigozanthus) looks like, when you see one, you will know instantly that must be it. Those paws are hard to miss!

Wild flowers are in full bloom on Pacific Coast! Look at the fields full of wild flowers – what a beautiful view!

Last April, facing California’s historical 4 year drought, Governor Jerry Brown issued an executive order making it mandatory that statewide urban water use be reduced by 25% compared with 2013 levels starting June 2015. In May 2015, the State Water Board adopted an emergency regulation requiring an immediate 25 percent reduction in overall potable urban water use. Now one year has passed, how well have Californians been doing?

Jupiter’s Beard (Red Valerian)

Beautiful blossom I planted a rockrose in our garden, in the San Francisco Bay area, about 2 years ago. Since then, it just remained a quiet small shrub. All leaves. No blossom. Never thought anything about it until a morning in March, after a full day of heavy rain and a pretty heavy rainy season brought by El Nino. Voila! flowers!

Do all the rains brought about by El Nino end California’s historical drought? The answer is No. While the rains definitely helped ease the drought, they did not end it. As you can see from the graph below, statewide snowpack stood at way lower than average from 2012-2015; in 2015, that level went down to a really low 5%. In Spring 2016, while the rains brought by El Nino helped put the level back to 85%, one season of rain fall simply is not enough to offset the deficits accumulated from 4 years of drought. During the past 4 years, groundwater levels dropped to historical lows; in parts of the state it was as low as 100 feet below previous historical lows. It will take much more than what we receive so far to recover the storage.

Fall is here – look at that beautiful foliage!

Oct 1 marks the the first day of new water year in California. After the previous 5 years of drought, it is becoming clear the new year will be another dry one, continuing the drought that started from 2012. 6th year of drought – that is what we are facing. The photo above was shot during a hike at the Steven Creek area in Santa Clara county, South Bay. It was alarming to see, the creek, once so wide, as evidenced by the river bed area, has shrunk down to just a very narrow line. In the creek, there is hardly enough water to sustain the flow. Some parts of the creek has completely run dry.