California Water Crisis: Snowmelt Not Enough to Reverse Increasing Aridification

The California water crisis is a persistent environmental and utility service issue faced by the state, resulting in a scarce water supply for the local population. In recent years, local authorities have imposed various measures, including water restrictions or reduced water consumption.

However, the reliance on natural precipitation in the form of rain and snow as a solution is still high.

While rainfall, and snowfall events are crucial to supplement groundwater loss before and after the summer months, recent evidence shows this is not always the case.

According to a study earlier this year, snowmelt is not enough to reverse increasing aridification despite replenishing groundwater loss in the Great Basin across the Western United States. Affected areas include California and other drought-stricken states.

Since 2000, an ongoing megadrought in southwestern North America has gripped the region, decreasing or depleting water reservoirs especially during the summer months of June, July, and August.

In May 2023, authorities in Arizona, California, and Nevada decided to together to cut their water usage amid the Western US drought. Despite record-breaking rainfall in California last year, the water shortage issue has continued.

California Water Crisis

The California water crisis involves not only the struggle to conserve a limited water resource but also encompasses a problem in distribution, stemming from conflict due to competing interests. This is according to the organization Water Education Foundation based in Sacramento, California, which reported that almost 75% of the available surface water comes from the northern third of California.

Meanwhile, 80% of the current water demand originates in the southern two-thirds of the Golden States, the organization adds. Without an adequate water supply, the water crisis can affect the state's urban centers, agriculture and farming sectors, and industries. According to California state authorities, the ongoing crisis is a result of decades-long drought conditions.

Western US Megadrought

In the study published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters in March 2024, researchers from the University of Maryland and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration highlight the impact of the Western US megadrought to the California water crisis. Based on NASA satellite data, the recent significant snowfall event in the state was sufficient in reversing the long-term effect caused by the extreme drought.

The researchers confirmed that there has been an increasing rate of groundwater loss in the region's Great Basin, where groundwater supply has decreased by 16.5 cubic miles in a span of 20 years from 2002 to 2023. While the 2022-2023 winter season was expected to address the water shortage, the decline has continued, according to the co-author of the research paper, Dorothy Hall from the University of Maryland.

The research findings suggest that snowmelt is not enough to solve the problem of aridification in the drought-stricken region despite replenishing groundwater loss, as mentioned earlier. Related findings were also confirmed by other scientists in previous research.