This article was written in spring 2023
Deluge is an opportunity to prepare for future drought
Our community has survived more extreme weather events- the heavy rains in January 2023. Lake Cachuma has spilled for the first time since 2011. We have enough water to last at least a couple of years, especially if we continue to use it with the same amount of care we have grown accustomed to over many years.
So, are we still in drought? Why worry about water? Isn’t it a time to celebrate, to feel relief, to focus on rebuilding and preventing more stormwater disasters?
We can celebrate and be practical at the same time. When we 'plant the rain', we increase infiltration in the soil so that in drier months or years, more water can be held in the soil. The best stormwater management is also rainwater harvesting. Slowing spreading and sinking stormwater will help to prevent and handle both drought and deluge.
Soil naturally holds water in relation to the amount of organic matter it contains. Sometimes the organic matter is referred to as soil biology.
- An increase of one percent of carbon in soil will increase the water-holding capacity by 20,000 gallons per acre.
- A typical city lot is about 1/10th of an acre
We increase the carbon in the soil when we set up natural systems to plant the rain, and to manage the way it flows in the landscape, and when we add climate appropriate plants, mulch and perhaps compost tea. These systems help keep people and structures safe while we make use of this free water from the sky. We can choose plantings important to wildlife, humans and soil. Downspouts can be redirected into our landscapes, via swales (channels) and mulch basins, to slow, spread, and sink the water. Basins, depressions in the soil that are filled or partially filled with mulch, create a focal point for water to percolate into the soil. Rainwater harvesting can be done on any landscape-on residential, business, and community property.
Soil health also has dramatic impacts on infiltration and percolation rates, which affect how much rainwater soaks into the ground. Healthier soil means more infiltration and percolation, which in turn reduces flooding and erosion.
I would say that we live in a long-term drought area, where deluge may occasionally occur. I think the official definition of drought is when an area doesn't have water resources for the next 3 years. However, if aquifers in our area as well as across the US and around the world are almost depleted, so we are dependent on Cachuma being full, or on state (not local) water or desal, I would consider those drought conditions. It's like having an illness that hasn't manifested yet on the physical plane and the conditions are being set up.
Because of climate change, we can expect more frequent and intense droughts in California’s future, as well as more potential for flooding and debris flows- but these can be diminished by each of us doing what we can on every parcel to plant the rain and revive the soil.