Water Shortages

The water content in the Sierra snowpack is at its lowest level in nearly two decades, leading to concern that California may not be able to fulfill its water obligations to cities and farms if dry conditions persist another year. The latest measurements were taken Wednesday near South Lake Tahoe during the fourth snow survey of the season by the state Department of Water Resources.

Turning to freeway warning signs to get their message across, Orange County officials said Wednesday the area could face a water crisis if residents failed to step up their conservation practices. For many, the first indication that anything was amiss were the Caltrans warnings -- 35 of them -- that materialized on the Santa Ana, Orange, San Diego, Riverside and Costa Mesa freeways. "ORANGE COUNTY WATER EMERGENCY CONSERVE WATER," the signs read.

The ominous freeway signs warning of a pending Orange County water emergency may be working, as residents were holding the line on consumption, most likely averting a crisis, officials said Thursday. "Overall, water demand is holding steady throughout the county," said Michelle Tuchman, a spokeswoman for the Municipal Water District of Orange County. "In some areas, the demand has decreased slightly, while in others it has slightly increased.

Nature is pulling a triple whammy on Southern California this year. Whether it's the Sierra, the Southland or the Colorado River Basin, every place that provides water to the region is dry. It's a rare and troubling pattern, and if it persists it could thrust the region into what researchers have dubbed the perfect Southern California drought: when nature shortchanges every major branch of the far-flung water network that sustains 18 million people.

The driest periods of the last century -- the Dust Bowl of the 1930s and the droughts of the 1950s -- may become the norm in the Southwest United States within decades because of global warming, according to a study released Thursday. The research suggests that the transformation may already be underway. Much of the region has been in a severe drought since 2000, which the study's analysis of computer climate models shows as the beginning of a long dry period.

More than 1 million residents in western San Bernardino and eastern Los Angeles counties are asked to limit water use starting Monday while crews repair a damaged pipeline. The Rialto feeder pipeline, which delivers Northern California water to much of the area, will be closed Monday until April 24. Residents in Chino, Chino Hills, Claremont, Fontana, La Verne, Montclair, Rancho Cucamonga and Upland are asked to stretch water supplies while repairs are made.

A plan to pump billions of gallons of groundwater from a rural valley to Las Vegas was cut to less than half the requested amount by the state's water engineer. An order issued by state engineer Tracy Taylor says the Southern Nevada Water Authority, which requested about 91,000 acre-feet of water yearly from Spring Valley, can pump 40,000 acre-feet of water per year for 10 years.

Even with tough new water-use restrictions and farmers' conservation measures, the Everglades might still need to be tapped to ensure ample drinking water for South Florida, water managers told Gov. Charlie Crist and Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) on Monday. At an emergency meeting on Florida's drought, the political leaders also learned that the state appears to be destined for more than a summer's dry spell and heavy wildfire season.

Los Angeles officials urged residents Wednesday to reduce water consumption by 10% as weather forecasters predicted the region's historic dry spell will combine with a summer of record-setting temperatures. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's call for conservation -- the first water-reduction goal the city has issued in more than a decade -- comes as water agencies across Southern California are trying to deal with the driest season on record.

State officials plan to resume pumping from one of California's key water sources this weekend, but at greatly reduced levels, prompting warnings that water rationing may be necessary if the pumping cutback continues for more than a few weeks. The state last week shut down the massive pumps that draw water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to protect the delta smelt, a tiny native fish whose numbers have plunged in recent years.