The reign of rain
The three-year drought in California was partially uplifted by weeks of severe rainstorms and snowstorms. Most of California was hit the hardest on Feb. 17 by rain and powerful winds that reached up to 49 mph in the Torrance. According to United Press International, the rain brought disastrous aftermaths, including the deaths of five people due to drowning, electrocution from a collapsed power line and a traffic accident from the flooding of Interstate 15.
According to Ryan Mau, meteorologist for WeatherBell Analytics, during the week of Feb. 15 to Feb. 22, 10 trillion gallons of rain were dispersed among every inch of Californian terrain, averaging 3.3 inches of rain.
Biology teacher Chris Mullen thinks that other measures must also be taken in order to sustain California’s water supply.
“We cannot simply rely on the fortunate events of severe rain to be able to replenish our water system,” Mullen said. “We need to figure out a more sustainable organization method and it is going to include conservation, how we deal with runoff [water], how to hold onto and gather water—whether it is large industries, agriculture, or cities—and see what [the state] needs.”
One of the biggest impacts from the series of rainstorms was the Oroville Dam crisis in Oroville, California. The Oroville Dam is the nation’s tallest dam and is connected to Lake Oroville, California’s second largest reservoir. The reservoir, which was dry for over two years, was quickly restored by the pouring rain. On Feb. 7, the main spillway suffered severe erosion. The California Department of Water Resources identified a hole and immediately stopped the flow of the water. Four days later, for the first time in its history, the emergency spillway was utilized so the water would not overflow the dam. Through this process, approximately 200,000 people living near the Oroville area were forced to evacuate their homes from Feb. 12 to Feb. 14.
In addition, approximately 50,000 Los Angeles county residents suffered power outages throughout the week, with some lasting for hours. According to Mercury News, residents in Rolling Hills and Rancho Palos Verdes suffered power outages as well.
On Peninsula’s campus, the aftermath of the rainstorm affected many of the athletes who were unable to use their practice grounds to its full extent. On Peninsula’s tennis courts, player’s practice time was limited because the damage left the courts in a unusable condition.
“When the courts are wet, the lines get wet, which makes it dangerous for us to play on the court,” varsity tennis player and sophomore Serena Ko said.
Track and field members, especially pole vault members, continually stress the importance of practicing in a safe environment. Wet conditions are never ideal for pole vaulters or other runners to practice in because of the many dangerous hazards.
“The rain made the ground very slippery and muddy so it was a bit difficult to run as fast as we normally do without risking injury,” pole vaulter and sophomore Sara Fang said. “[Because of the rain] we did not vault that day.”
Mullen believes water rationing is still a major issue that the state faces. He believes that it will be years until water usage does not become a continuous problem.
“I do not think we will ever be at a level of comfort,” Mullen said. “Water is still a premium, so we can never be comfortable unless we address some of the major issues of water usage, how we use water, where that water is coming from and how we are conserving it and replenishing it.”
