Near-record rainfall has battered California for weeks, sparking floods and landslides as the state struggles to cope with so much water.
Beyond its reservoirs and snow reserves, the state faces a much deeper-seated problem with its depleted groundwater, says Nicholas Pinter, a geologist from University of California, Davis. FILE PHOTO
A parade of atmospheric rivers -- massive flows of moisture dragged through the skies from the oceans -- has unleashed staggering volumes of rain and snow since December. "2023 could be a wetter year than normal," he said, but we'll have to wait until the end of winter to know for sure. The monster snowpack in the Sierra Nevada mountains -- it is currently twice what it normally is in January -- is most helpful, because this provides the gradual run-off that drip-feeds reservoirs in drier months.Beyond its reservoirs and snow reserves, the state faces a much deeper-seated problem with its depleted groundwater, says Nicholas Pinter, a geologist from University of California, Davis.
"Groundwater is like our retirement account. It's slow to go in and we have to withdraw it very, very carefully," says Pinter. That intense need -- coupled with big cities like Los Angeles that have nowhere near enough of their own water to support their populations -- means almost no matter how much it rains, it will not be enough.
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