April 9, 2015

Posted on by Po Chi Fung

Drought News. 

Statewide Mandatory Cutbacks. On April 1, 2015, the Governor issued an Executive Order (B-29-15) outlining actions needed to respond to the severe drought in California, including – for the first time in California history – state requirements for mandatory cutbacks. The order outlines restrictions intended to achieve a statewide 25% reduction in potable urban water usage (compared to 2013) through February 2016. The order does not apply to agriculture, except that large ag water suppliers must report more information to the state. An initiative to replace lawns is included, and managers of golf courses, cemeteries, campuses, and other such properties are expected to immediately implement ambitious water efficiency measures. The order directs water suppliers to develop rate structures and other pricing mechanisms to maximize conservation. The schedule and other information related to these emergency regulations can be found at the State Water Board Drought Year Water Actions website.

Ojai Valley News Drought Coverage. Here is an April 3, 2015 Ojai Valley News article by Bill Warner on the drought and the local response to the Governor’s Executive Order.

Drought Breaking Records. The following excerpts come from an April 2, 2015 article “Epic California drought is preview of future global warming mega-droughts” in Mashable by science writer Andrew Freedman.

  • Typically, the snowpack provides up to 30% of the state’s annual freshwater resources and is at a seasonal peak depth in early April. But in the face of mild Pacific storms that brought rain instead of snow, as well as drier-than-average conditions and a record-warm winter, the snow cover stood at just 5% of average on April 1, by far the lowest level ever recorded.
  • It is the worst [drought] on record since 1895, and tree-ring data and other historical evidence shows it may also be the worst to hit California in more than 1,000 years.
  • California just had its warmest winter on record, obliterating the previous record, which was set just last year, by 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit. In 2014, California had its warmest year since record-keeping began in 1895, with average annual temperatures that were 4.1 degrees Fahrenheit, or 2.3 degrees Celsius, higher than its 20th century average, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The 2014 annual average temperature shattered the state’s previous record set in 1934 by 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit. In 2013, the second year of the ongoing drought, California had its sixth-warmest year, and 2012 was its fourth, NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center has reported.
  • From the perspective of soil moisture, the ongoing drought is the worst in at least the last 1,200 years, the study found, adding that the high temperatures in the past few years may have aggravated the precipitation deficits by nearly 40%. “These observations from the paleoclimate record suggest that high temperatures have combined with the low but not yet exceptional precipitation deficits to create the worst short-term drought of the last millennium for the state of California,” the study states.

New Drought Website Resources. The Watershed Council’s website (www.venturawatershed.org) has new resources and data pertinent to the drought, including data on rainfall (such as the chart below) and groundwater levels, and monthly water conservation data by water districts as reported to the state. Drought Page.

Map Atlas Additions

All of the maps created for the Ventura River Watershed Management Plan have now been uploaded to the Map Atlas on the Council’s website. The Map Atlas has 57 maps, which can be downloaded as individual pdfs. These maps can help you find local trails, illustrate concepts for your students, or add color and interest to your reports and presentations. Please use them!

Apr 14 Evening Council Meeting to Focus on Steelhead

We hope to see you at the next meeting of the Watershed Council, which will be on Tuesday, April 14, 2015. This will be an evening meeting, from 6:00-8:30 pm, at the Oak View Community Center, 18 Valley Rd., Oak View.

The entire meeting will be devoted to presentations and discussions about the endangered southern California steelhead and related management issues in the watershed. Speakers include: Scott Lewis, Fisheries Program Manager with Casitas Municipal Water District; Kate McLaughlin, Environmental Scientist with California Department of Fish & Wildlife; Brian Stark, Executive Director of Ojai Valley Land Conservancy; Mark Capelli, Recovery Coordinator with the National Marine Fisheries Service (via audio recording); and James Kentosh, retired from United Water Conservation District.

Here is the agenda.


Steelhead and rainbow trout are the same species, Oncorhynchus mykiss (O. mykiss), from the salmon family. All O. mykiss hatch in gravel-bottomed rivers and streams. O. mykiss that stay in freshwater all their lives are called “resident rainbow trout,” and those that spend part of their lives in the sea are called “steelhead.” Steelhead develop a slimmer profile, become more silvery in color, and typically grow much larger than resident rainbow trout. Drawings by Joseph Tomelleri.