It Ain't Over...

UCLA researchers warn centuries of drought could return to California

San Francisco Chronicle

We may someday have to stop calling our drought a temporary phenomenon and just label it the new normal. Climate change could lock the state into a dry pattern lasting centuries or even a millennia if history repeats itself, according to a new study out of UCLA.
Researchers correlated findings from Sierra Nevada soil samples and found that energy changes from natural occurrences like a shift in the Earth's orbit or sun spots may have triggered prolonged dry weather in California. In the Nature.com journal Scientific Reports, the team argues that current radiative forcing - energy change brought on by greenhouse gas emissions - may create a similar prolonged dry pattern in the Golden State.
"Radiative forcing in the past appears to have had catastrophic effects in extending droughts," UCLA professor Glen MacDonald said in a university publication. "When you have arid periods that persist for 60 years, as we did in the 12th century, or for millennia, as we did from 6,000 to 1,000 B.C., that's not really a 'drought.' That aridity is the new 
normal."
From 6,000 to 1,000 B.C., the core sample indicates a 5,000-year dry period in California that had been suggested by previous research. That period was linked to a slight change in Earth's orbit that resulted in increased solar energy in the Northern Hemisphere and creating La Niña conditions.
MacDonald's team correlated historic radiative forcing with increased water temperatures in our oceans, likely creating more La Niña and El Niño weather patterns during previous dry spells. If greenhouse gasses persist, MacDonald warns that we could see more of these boom-or-bust winters, potentially bringing a significant change to California's ecosystems.
"In a century or so, we might see a retreat of forest lands, and an expansion of sagebrush, grasslands and deserts," MacDonald said in the UCLA release. "We would expect temperatures to get higher, and rainfall and snowfall would decrease. Fire activity could increase, and lakes would get shallower, with some becoming marshy or drying up."
MacDonald stressed that his study can't be used to predict the future, but it does offer cause for concern.

August 2016 Update

Dear Member:

August Weather

August daily high temperatures averaged a normal 98 degrees for the month.  Average low temperatures were 2 degrees higher than the normal 65 degrees. It did not rain except for the abundance of water from sprinklers.  

Traffic

There seems to be much more traffic around the Sanders Court circle than there was in the past.  Along with the increased traffic, there are also now more young children in the neighborhood and more are on the way.  Please watch your speed. 

Well Depth

The water depth of our well along with the draw down (the depth with the pump running), was measured in August.  Good news, the water level was at 78 feet, nearly the same as it was last September. Click here for a larger view.

Water filters

Occasionally, we all have issues with scale and sand in our water lines. Mostly it's just an irritation when filters in faucets and shower heads plug up and need cleaning.High efficiency clothes washers, however, pose a new and bigger problem. These new designs are much more sensitive to sand and scale. The hose filters, included with these washers, do remove the sediment, but require cleaning often and that's a bigger job. These washers will not operate with reduced water flows from the buildup of particulates.
One solution that works is the installation of sediment filters. Filters last about 6 months and the cost is less than $100 to install (DIY) and $20 per year for filters to keep your washer running happily. It will blink its lights and sing little tunes.

Dick Walker

Old friend and former neighbor Dick Walker passed away in August at his home in Acworth Georgia where he had lived for many years. Our deepest condolences to his daughter Dawn Walker and her family.

Propane

A local propane supplier is interested in supplying all propane to users in the neighborhood.  Depending on the interest of a substantial number of BWC members, a rate quote will be developed for co-op pricing.  If you are interested in reducing propane costs, click here. 

Neighborhood Watch

Recently, one of the BWC members returned home from vacation to find a broken sprinkler water pipe that may have been leaking for some time.  A broken water pipe inside a home happened a couple of years ago to another neighbor which caused extensive damage and expensive and time consuming repairs.  If you're going out of town, ask a neighbor to keep a watchful eye.  

Watering Rules

Please water only three days per week, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. If you have a seasonal adjustment on your sprinkler controller, you should look to dial it back to the 70% level. 

Water Conservation

Water usage was up again in August to almost 93,000 gallons per household, 17% worse than the target, and 10% worse than last year. For the year, we are now worse than target, 5%, and 2% worse than last year. August's usage was the highest monthly usage seen in the last 3 years and the third high usage month in a row.  The cost of electricity to pump our water was 29% over budget for the month of August and is now 30% over budget for the year to date.  Click here for a larger view.