[env-trinity] Trinity Journal- Supervisors: Trinity in drought emergency

[Tom Stokely]

http://www.trinityjournal.com/news/local/article_b2f62176-2293-11e4-bf0e-0017a43b2370.html

Supervisors: Trinity in drought emergency
By Sally Morris The Trinity Journal | Posted: Wednesday, August 13, 2014 6:15 am
Trinity County supervisors Tuesday ratified an emergency services proclamation confirming the existence of a local emergency in the county pertaining to drought.
Initially signed a week ago by Trinity County Sheriff Bruce Haney as the county’s Director of Emergency Services, the proclamation will remain in effect as long as the Board of Supervisors acts to renew it every 30 days.
“This doesn’t automatically give us funds flowing in, but it puts us in line with the state if at some point there are funds available that could help us improve some of our water systems,” Haney said.
Deputy Director of Emergency Services Eric Palmer said he has been contacted by many individuals in the county whose wells or streams have run dry “and we’re at a point now where water in Trinity County is very scarce. Some of the local water districts are doing OK and as long as the Trinity River is flowing, Weaverville will be fine, but some streams are running dry and there’s potential for massive fish die-off.”
He added that in his personal experience, “we’re looking back to 1977 with the drought and fire situation we faced then. We’ve been under red flag warnings for fire threat more times this year already than I’ve ever seen.”
Board Chair Judy Pflueger noted that at the north end of the county, Swift Creek and Coffee Creek are flowing at about 20 percent of normal and the town of Coffee Creek ran out of water during the Coffee fire suppression efforts due to water trucks being filled from town supply. Trinity Center may have to stop watering yards, she said, adding many wells in the Lewiston part of her district have also run dry earlier than usual.
“The point is, our communities are being affected and we may need some extra support that this puts us in line for,” she said.
The emergency proclamation finds that the county is experiencing conditions of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property caused by a prolonged drought and notes that the U.S. Drought Monitor lists Trinity County in the exceptional drought category, the highest rating possible.
Furthermore, it notes that severe drought conditions present urgent challenges including not only water shortages in communities, but also greatly increased wildfire activity, diminished water for agricultural production, degraded fish and wildlife habitat and increased concern for future water access and availability.”
The Drought Monitor noted that after three consecutive years of drought, California is currently short more than one year’s worth of reservoir water or 11.6 million acre feet for this time of year. The historical average warm-season drawdown of California’s 154 reservoirs totals 8.2 million acre feet, but usage, during the first two years of the drought in 2012 and 2013, averaged 11.5 million acre feet of water.
 It concluded with a gloomy prediction in July that even a normal precipitation year would not be enough to overcome low soil moisture and water storage conditions, saying most water users will require an exceptionally wet year to be made whole “and that’s not likely to be the end result of water year 2014. The drought has no end in sight.”
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