As I sit in my office watching the rain pour down, I think back to the weatherman who said on the news this morning that we need 15-20 more of these storms to come through during March to catch back up to where we need to be for water levels in the Sacramento County area. Wow. We are so behind!
This website provided by the California Department of Water Resources shows interesting graphs of Folsom Lake’s storage levels….where we are currently, and where we are historically. As I write this on the afternoon of the last day in February, data is populated through midnight of last night, February 27. Folsom Lake is only 30% of storage capacity. Hopefully the downpour that happened today made a slight uptick in the numbers, and hopefully the storms that are scheduled to carry through next week will prove to be fruitful!
Homeowners should start considering things like low-flow water devices for sinks, showers, and toilets, and we should all consider planting drought resistant plants in our yards. My grass and trees are smiling today as they got a good soaking, but I fear they will soon be thirsty. Consider a rain barrel to catch your runoff from your gutters to water your plants and flowers when the rain slows or stops. Do your dance for the rain gods to have them stay in the Folsom/Sacramento area….we need it!