Russian River

The Russian River is a source of water for a large watershed covering parts of Mendocino and Sonoma Counties. Fed by Lake Mendocino it provides not only water for domestic and agricultural use, but also for salmon, trout and other fish as well as recreational opportunities. John, who grew up in Marin County remembers going there as a boy, staying in cabins with family friends on its banks or driving up for days spent in kayaks on the river. His mother was born in Guerneville, a resort town on the river, and we scattered her ashes from its banks. It was one of Ozzie's favorite swimming holes.

Once famous for flooding, which it did as recently as 2017, rising almost thirty feet above its banks, it is now a victim of extreme drought. This is a sobering picture of all that is left of it, taken from our local newspaper yesterday. What little water is left is infected with toxic blue green algae, just one consequence of the drought. Water for agriculture is heavily restricted and some cities are under mandatory reduction orders ranging from 20 to 40%

Although we are just outside the Russian River watershed, according to a USGS map, the aquifers which supply our well are sinking. I couldn't help thinking about this back in February when properties around us were being cleared of fire debris and doused with thousands of gallons of water to prevent toxic soil from becoming airbourne. I don't know how they prevented all that toxic water from winding up in the creek right across the road.

It is a sad irony that as a result of climate change a place that has suffered so much loss from wildfires is now suffering from drought and the much needed water to put them out. 

Anybody who has read the paper in the last few days has also read about the Florida high rise that collapsed as a result of some sort of structural failure. Although no conclusions about how this could have happened, it does look like rising sea levels are causing concern about many such buildings on the outer banks of the East coast.

I can see a return to the water wars depicted in the movie 'Chinatown'. The majority of Southern California, including the metropolis of Los Angeles is reclaimed desert, and while the northern part of the state has always had enough water as a result of Sierra snowmelt and more copious rainfall, climate change seems to be changing all that.

Climate change is no longer the future, it is NOW.