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It's official: 2020 was a very dry year

But Sierra snowpack offers hope that wetter days may be ahead

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED JAN 1, 2021

Bucket with just a bit of water in the bottom

We received a little more rainfall than this in
December -- though not much more. The

"wet" months are starting, but conserving

water remains a top concern.

(Photo: Kathy Morrison)

It’s official: 2020 was a very dry year in Sacramento.

Even though we closed out December with scattered showers, our overall rain total fell far short of average. According to the National Weather Service, Sacramento totaled 6.81 inches for the year – 11.6 inches below our average of 18.41.

Fortunately, 2019 was a very wet year, totaling 24.49 inches, and that moisture kept our reservoirs relatively full. And we have several “wet” months to come.

Some more good news: The New Year snowpack survey – taken Wednesday at Phillips Station near South Lake Tahoe – found the Sierra snowpack at 93% of average for Jan. 1.

Elsewhere around the state, the snowpack was much lower. According to the state’s Department of Water Resources, electronic readings from 130 stations throughout the state indicate the statewide snowpack average at 52% of the Dec. 30 average.

Experts are optimistic about Sacramento’s water picture for 2021.

“While the statewide snowpack demonstrates an unseasonably dry start to the rainy season, it’s important to remember that our wettest months of the year are still to come,” said Jim Peifer, executive director of the Regional Water Authority, the umbrella organization that represents 20 local water providers in the Greater Sacramento area.

“Overall, the Sacramento region’s water supplies are in excellent shape. This is due in large part to the investments made over the past decade in our ability to switch between groundwater and surface water according to availability, and to move water between communities.”

So, we’re in pretty good shape now – as long as it rains in January, February and March.

“But we also know that California’s rainfall is often feast or famine—with flood one year and drought the next,” Peifer added. “Climate change is projected to make this swing happen more often and with more intensity: The wet days will get wetter, and the dry days will get drier.”

We saw that in the almost 18-inch difference between 2019 and 2020 rain totals.

“Water managers are actively preparing for this future reality with a comprehensive water resilience portfolio— the WaterFuture Initiative —encompassing our entire ‘supershed’ from the mountain tops of the American River watershed to the groundwater basin below the valley floor,” Peifer said. “Regardless of the weather, it’s also important for residents to continue using water efficiently.”

Two easy actions to take now: Turn off the sprinklers and check for leaks around the house.

“Give your sprinklers a winter break,” Peifer said. “Winter’s shorter and cooler days mean that yards won’t need as much water as they did during fall and summer.

The bewatersmart.info/videos website includes instructions

on replacing a leaky toilet flapper, among other water-saving

tips. (Screenshot)

“Take some time to fix household leaks, especially toilet leaks,” he added. “A leaking toilet is the most common type of leak found inside the home and can waste 200 gallons of water per day. That’s enough to wash seven loads of laundry every day for a month.”

Make saving water your New Year’s resolution. Get more water-saving tools and tips at bewatersmart.info .

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GENERAL GARDENING

An article about gardening.

Keywords:

Sacramento drought irrigation Sierra snowpack weather gardening sprinklers water supply low-water plants water conservation rainfall California

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Garden checklist for week of April 19

After this midweek storm, start getting serious about spring gardening. Flowers are blooming about three weeks ahead of schedule. That includes weeds!

* Get ready to swing into action in the vegetable garden – if you haven’t already. As nights warm up over 50 degrees, set out tomato, pepper and eggplant transplants.

* From seed, plant beans, beets, cantaloupes, carrots, corn, cucumbers, melons, radishes and squash; wait on pumpkins until May. Plant onion sets.

* In the flower garden, plant seeds for asters, cosmos, celosia, marigolds, salvia, sunflowers and zinnias. Transplant petunias, zinnias, geraniums and other summer bloomers.

* Plant perennials and dahlia tubers for summer bloom. Late April is about the last chance to plant summer bulbs, such as gladiolus and tuberous begonias.

* Transplant lettuce and cabbage seedlings.

* April is the last chance to plant citrus trees such as dwarf orange, lemon and kumquat. These trees also look good in landscaping and provide fresh fruit in winter.

* Smell orange blossoms? Give citrus trees a low dose of balanced fertilizer (such as 10-10-10) during bloom to help set fruit. Keep an eye out for ants. If leaves look yellow, your tree may need an iron boost -- apply some chelated iron fertilizer.

* Apply slow-release fertilizer to the lawn.

* Thoroughly clean debris from the bottom of outdoor ponds or fountains.

* Spring brings a flush of rapid growth, and that means your garden needs nutrition. Give shrubs and trees a slow-release fertilizer. Mulch with a 1-inch layer of compost, which helps the soil, but keep it a few inches away from trunks and stems.

* Azaleas and camellias looking a little yellow? If leaves are turning yellow between the veins, give them a boost with chelated iron.

* Trim dead flowers but not leaves from spring-flowering bulbs such as daffodils and tulips. Those leaves gather energy to create next year's flowers. Also, give the bulbs a fertilizer boost after bloom.

* Pinch chrysanthemums back to 12 inches for fall flowers. Cut old stems to the ground.

* Mulch around plants to conserve moisture and control weeds.

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