Blooming Desert
It’s not about north v south, it’s about a shared California snow pack
Part eight in the series ‘Reflections On Water’
A common narrative is that southern California is a desert and “steals” northern California water. Although there is a small amount of truth in this statement (large parts of southern California are desert), it does not accurately portray the situation (we are one state and there is no theft going on).
A complex systems of reservoirs, canals and pumps take water EVERYWHERE in California. There is only one source: the snow pack of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, which includes Mammoth in SoCal just as much as it does Tahoe, Yosemite and Hetch Hetchy in the north.
It barely rains anywhere in California between the months of June and October except over a tiny portion of the state near the Oregon border. Effectively, all of California is a desert. The South gets more water because they have more people and more agriculture. But they have their own snow pack too.
Originally published at Weyland Photo
Editors note: ‘Reflections On Water’ is a weekly series of thoughts and observations about water usage in drought-hit California. Part one was Wasting Water. Part two was California’s Fish Economy. Part three was War Of Ideals. Part four was Digging Tunnels, Mining Votes. Part five was The New Gold Rush. Part six was Farmers As Innovators. Part Seven was Building a Nest For Salmon.
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