How Climate Change Will Affect Our Water

Climate Change and Water

By Annie

The main sources of water in Butte County are reservoirs that hold water and wells that draw water from aquifers. Climate change could have a potentially large impact on the watershed in Butte County in a number of ways. Less snow and smaller snow pack will mean less water runoff to fill our reservoirs during the dry season. Lower water levels in the reservoirs may lead to lower water flows on the Sacramento River affecting not only people in the region, but also wildlife and plant life. If climate change leads to less rain and extended periods of drought, it could also lead to less water to fill and recharge our aquifers. During these extended periods of drought over use and depletion of water in our aquifers could lead to aquifer collapse leaving them unusable in the future. It is important that we look into ways that we can reduce activities that may impact the climate and affect our watershed in Butte County. We need to also reduce water usage and find ways to store water during periods of high rain and snowpack for use during periods of water shortages.

How Climate Change can affect our rivers

By, Cora

Many people’s water supply will shrink and temperatures will rise. Severe storms from climate change will affect the water and make it polluted which will threaten fish and other wildlife. The result of shifting weather patterns will depend on a large part of the community. Some regions are getting additional water which means additional floods. Less snowpack will dominate rivers because of not enough water.

How Climate Change Will Affect Our Aquifers

By, Annie

The water in our aquifers is dependent on precipitation generated throughout the year. Dramatic weather changes affects aquifers in two ways. Periods of extended drought can diminish the water in these aquifers as more people and communities draw on that water. As aquifers are depleted they can lead to aquifer collapse which we witnessed in communities when we lived in Fresno County. Intense rain storms can also bring too much water all of which can not be absorbed into the ground to fill the aquifers.

How Climate Change Will Affect Our Snow Pack

By, Laura

If climate change continues our climate will grow hotter and our snow pack will melt. This will affect us because we will loose all our snow. If we have less snow pack we will be losing some of our water supply. So if we keep losing our snow pack our water supply will keep getting smaller as time goes along, until we have no more water.

How People in Butte County's Lives Will Be Affected

By, Meredith

People will be less safe because more floods will happen, more wild fires will happen and more heat waves will happen that are hotter. We will lose power more often because of the heat waves. Lots of food will go bad so people won't be able to eat. They can also not do their jobs. If people can not do their jobs then they will lose money and struggle. Also there will be more droughts and bigger storms, that means water will just wash over the land washing every thing away. If this happens homes will be destroyed.

How Climate Change Will Affect the Worlds' Water

By, Harper

From: https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/sealevel.html

One thing that is happening is that “Sea levels are rising: The sea levels are increasing by About 8 inches .Different settings causes sea level rise in two ways: ocean water is expanding as it starting to get hotter because of climate change, and ice glacier s and ice sheets is melting. Sea level rise has been happening even faster than scientists anticipated a few years ago. If recent projections are accurate, 2 to 3 degrees Fahrenheit warming could bring about three feet of global sea level rise by 2100, displacing approximately 56 million people in 84 developing countries around the world. Coastal habitats also face major changes as low-lying areas are inundated with saltwater.”

Also ,“Sea ice is melting: Declining sea ice is one of the most visible signs of climate change on our planet. Since 1979, Arctic sea ice extent in September (when the annual minimum is reached) has declined by more than 30 percent, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center. The ice extent has been declining in other seasons too. Despite slightly larger ice extents in 2009, recent observations indicated the ice is thinner and much younger (less multi-year ice) than it used to be. Covering an average of 9.6 million square miles, these areas of ice floating on ocean waters play an important role in regulating our climate, by reflecting some sunlight back to space, and in the life cycles of many polar species, such as polar bears, seals, and walruses.”

How Climate Change Will Affect Butte Countys Water & Economics

By Reed

So how does climate change impact the water cycle? Water evaporates from the land and sea, which eventually returns to Earth as rain and snow. Climate change has changed this cycle because as air temperatures increase, more water evaporates into the air. Warmer air can hold more water, which can lead to more intense rainstorms, causing problems like flooding.

But it doesn’t end there. At the same time that some areas are experiencing storms, others are experiencing dry air and even drought. As temperatures rise, evaporation increases, and soils dry out. Then when rain does come, much of the water runs off the hard ground into rivers and streams, and the soil remains dry.

Butte County is home to Lake Oroville the main lake of the State Water Project system. Lake Oroville was constructed as part of the California State Water Project, which is a storage and delivery system of reservoirs, aqueducts, power plants and pumping plants that extends for more than 600 miles. Most of the central & southern valleys agriculture needs our water to grow food.

Climate Change and how it will affect Butte County is clear. Much of our economy is based on farming. Almonds, Walnuts, Rice and other agriculture crops. These all need water. If it doesn’t snow, our streams and lakes don’t get the run off to fill up. So, we won’t have water to water the crop. If our crops die, we can’t eat or sell our goods. People will go hungry, lose their jobs and eventually have to move away.

Without our water not just butte county but California would struggle finically.