drought, what drought

WARM WEATHER MELTS SNOWPACK EARLY, WORSENS DROUGHT CONDITIONS …PATRICK O'DRISCOLL …USA TODAY...DENVER – TUCSON CITIZEN – 4/24/07 -

Unexpected dryness and near-record warmth in March have melted much of the West's mountain snow early, worsening the potential for wildfires and extending the region's drought, federal water agencies reported Monday. Late-season snow in March and April is a critical addition to the West's winter snowpack. Gradual melting in late spring and summer supplies water to most of the region. The snowpack has shrunk by more than 30 percent in some places because of the warm, dry spring, according to the National Water and Climate Center. Many sites were at 25 percent to 50 percent of normal accumulation before the unseasonable warm temperatures hit. "Mother Nature's been dealing some interesting cards," says Phil Pasteris, head physical scientist at the center, a branch of the Agriculture Department's Natural Resources Conservation Service. "For almost every basin in the West, we have lost snowpack." "The continuation of the drought is cause for concern," says Robert Johnson, commissioner of the bureau, which operates dams in 17 Western states and supplies water to 31 million people and 10 million acres of cropland. Two giant reservoirs on the Colorado River, Lake Powell and Lake Mead, are about 100 feet below normal level. Spring runoff of melting snow from the Rockies into Powell is expected to be 53 percent of normal. The river supplies much of the Southwest, including southern California. Last year's deeper snowpack filled California's reservoirs enough to supply the state for the rest of this year. Frank Gehrke, snow survey chief for the California Department of Water Resources, says the state will need "a good snowpack" next winter to avoid a water shortage in 2008. "Last year, we had four times as much snow on the ground as we do today," Gehrke says. Snowpack in the Sierra Nevada range today is 38 percent of normal. He says the flow of rivers and creeks will peak early next month, two to three weeks early. "Streams that might have had water in them in August and September will pretty much be down to a trickle at that point," he says. The worst snowpack losses are in the Southwest and central Oregon. The Reclamation Bureau says accumulations are "extremely low" in Arizona, Utah, Nevada, California and eastern Oregon. Snow has entirely melted at locations in central Arizona, Utah, northern Nevada and eastern Oregon weeks earlier than normal, the bureau says. Conditions aren't expected to improve. No more snow is likely this season, and the National Weather Service foresees above-normal temperatures through midsummer in much of the region. That could weigh heavily as wildfire scientists and experts meet this week in Boulder, Colo., to draft the annual fire season forecast. The outlook comes as drought worsens in southern California, where Los Angeles is on track for its driest rain season on record. A half-inch fell downtown Friday, the most since last May. The city is still nearly 1 foot below normal rainfall since July 1. Drinking-water supplies could be stressed as the needs of cities, farms and the natural landscape combine in "a triple whammy" of demand, says climatologist Mark Svoboda of the National Drought Mitigation Center in Nebraska. He says about 55 percent of the West is in drought, more than twice as much as a year ago.

Yet, “we” continue to allow our political leadership to precede full speed ahead with an “unsustainable” economic mantra of unrestricted urban sprawl and population growth..?.

When do we choose to hold ourselves accountable for this madness…? Or do you see some positive light of the end of the tunnel in which we currently find ourselves…?

Arizona is a desert, which means that all forms of “water” are precious and need to be conserved and treated carefully and respectfully lest we unwittingly use it up. Perhaps Arizona Governor Napolitano adheres to the philosophy expressed in a recent edition of Arizona Water News published by the engineering firm of Brown and Caldwell … “Water, water everywhere, and not a drop to drink. But wait — more than 60 percent of the nation now has abnormally dry or drought conditions, a climatologist says, and there is actually plenty to drink. In the United States the definition of "drought" has become watered down and muddied as policy makers fight over decades-old water rights and homeowners remain largely oblivious to the potentially severe shortages that loom.” … (the full referenced text can be viewed at … Man vs. Nature and the New Meaning of Drought … by Andrea Thompson … LiveScience Staff Writer …posted: 20 April 2007 … 09:27 am ET) …

Inasmuch as climate and environmental experts acknowledge there is NO single definition for – drought – conceding it is a matter of personal perspective. Tragically this lack of a universal definition of the word – drought - allows each of us to interpret drought to suit their preconceived conclusion. Moreover, I find it equally tragic; we choose to dismiss all current anecdotal and empirical evidence pointing to a long term decline in the amount of “potable” (drinking) water available to sustain the burgeoning populations in all parts of Arizona.
Add to this mix the “corporate” theft of our water and you have a most interesting set of circumstances which we need to address and resolve.

Yes, Arizona, specifically the City of Phoenix has endorsed the corporate
“privatization” of your water…? Ask them who controls the water treatment plant at Lake Pleasant.

Not “us” but rather giant multinational water corporation called - Suez.

Nothing will change until we take “action” to have our voice heard and have a seat at the table in all discussion which effect us. It’s really that simple and that difficult. The choice is solely up to you and me.