Year after year there are tremendous floods on nearly every river in western Washington (more than a dozen rivers), and every year there is whining and hand-wringing of concern about water conservation and a drought and how there isn't going to be enough water to get us through the summer.
Only a few months ago there were simultaneous news stories on local television stations and in the newspapers covering the flooding and the drought. What's wrong with this picture?
The insanity of it is that even with global climate change, even with the lack of typical rainfall to fill the regions' reservoirs through the winter months to sustain us through the next summer, it never seems to occur to public officials to increase the storage capacity of the reservoirs.
We always get the rain. We always get adequate rain. But when it comes -- such as when there is flooding -- the water runs off into the rivers and out into Puget Sound and the Pacific Ocean. It's not that the water doesn't come. The water, i.e. rainfall, does come, but the municipalities simply are never prepared to receive it and store it when it does come.
This is not a new problem. It has been going on for as many years as I can remember.
- The rain comes.
- The floods come.
- The cries of "drought" come.
- The fear of "fire season".
- The anxiety over "water restriction".
The cycle perpetuates year after year. What folly! What madness! Public utility districts need to construct more facilities to trap and store the rainwater when it comes, because it does and it will surely come. Why that precious natural resource is allowed to simply run-off into flood plains and out to sea is beyond my comprehension.
Does no one else recognize the insanity of same-day news coverage of floods AND drought?!?
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Most recently in the news it was disclosed that current water supplies for Tacoma and Pierce County are not only at critically low levels, but are at only 1% of what would normally be in reserve at this time of year.
Today, the rains came. The snow came. More snow is on the way in the Cascades with as much as an additional foot of snow forecast.
Not surprising that even though our "drought" continues, we once again have "flood warnings" on western Washington rivers.
What have utility officials been doing in the interim (or Governor Gregoire other than seeking federal assistance for the pending disaster), what has been done to move toward collecting the water and saving it when it comes (in the form or rain or snow) so that there will not be a water shortage? Apparently, nothing. So, we have flooding conditions, and we have an ongoing drought. If we were a primitive people (and if you look at the care of Terri Schaivo, you would have to agree that we are a primitive, barbaric people), then we would thank the heavens for the water when it comes and we would do everything in our power to save it, collect it, and ensure that there is no shortage later in the year.
SEATTLE (AP) - An early spring storm on Saturday broke a rainfall record in Seattle, where 1.12 inches of rain fell between midnight and 5 p.m.
The storm also brought snow to the mountains, turning Snoqualmie Pass into an icy mess where at least 30 accidents were reported, one of them fatal.
Interstate 90 was closed for much of the afternoon.
"People do not have their snow tires anymore, and they are not carrying chains," said Mike Westbay of the state Department of Transportation. "They ran into 12 inches of snow and they were stuck."
Record-breaking rains fell in Seattle, which got 1.38 inches between midnight and 10 p.m. Saturday, and 0.57 inches from midnight to 10 a.m. Sunday at the National Weather Service's Sand Point headquarters.
The old record for March 26 was 0.92 inch set in 1988, and 0.31 inch for March 27 in 1992.
Nearly 3 inches fell between 2 a.m. Saturday and 7 a.m. Sunday in the Thurston County town of Grand Mound, the weather service said.
Forecasters issued a flood warning for the Skokomish River in Mason County on Saturday, saying there was a chance it could spill its banks and flood pasture lands. The river crept less than a foot below flood stage late Saturday night, then slowly receded. The warning was canceled around 9:30 a.m. Sunday.
Is the soggy weather enough to drown out the drought? No, at least not yet, said Johnny Burg, a weather service meteorologist.
Though the storm has boosted the region's precipitation to just an inch below normal for March, it's still 9 inches below normal for the water year, which begins in October, Burg said.
"If we can get 7 to 8 more inches of rain soon, that might put a serious dent in the drought," Burg told The Associated Press on Sunday.
Crystal Mountain ski area got 10 inches of snow on Saturday, and a notice posted on its Web site said it may reopen April 2 if it gets a few more snowstorms.
Snoqualmie Pass got 10 inches at the base Saturday, and officials said it would open if another 16 inches falls.
Burg said higher-than-normal precipitation was expected over the six to 10 days. "It's looking like it's going to be pretty wet for the next week, week and a half," Burg said.
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