PCL Capital Insider – September 2024
Inadequate water supplies and floods are already major concerns in California. While many groups and individuals are working hard to address the problem, scientists tell us that climate change will pose even greater challenges in the future. As the earth warms, so does the speed at which water evaporates, increasing the volume of water stored in the clouds. While models don’t make clear predictions about whether California will be wetter or drier in coming decades, on average, they tell us that we should expect more extremes, with less snowpack, longer and more frequent droughts, and more intense rainfall in the winter. We need to increase our efforts to catch and hold this precious water whenever and wherever we can!
In the more hilly and mountainous areas along the coast, underground storage capacity is limited to multiple smaller pockets under the surface. If overdrawn, these shallow aquifers are susceptible to saltwater intrusion. This presents a serious challenge to the central coast, where freshwater demand is met almost entirely by groundwater. Read more »
