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09.07.12

Southern California Escapes Effects Of Drought — For Now

A look at how and why San Diego County has been spared the effects of the country's drought this year. But how long will it last?

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ESCAPES EFFECTS OF DROUGHT — FOR NOW

Most of nation withers; historic dry spell brings cutbacks, crop damage

Written by Mike Lee

More than half of U.S. counties have been designated disaster areas because of dryness during a drought that has taken on historic proportions.

Meanwhile, San Diego County seems immune — at least for the moment — even though it sits 1,000 miles away at the end of a pipeline that collects water from the Yampa, the Green and numerous other tributaries that feed the Colorado River.

Southern California’s good fortune is due largely to 20th-century investments in dams midway down the Colorado River, which store water in Lakes Mead and Powell and supply about half of the county’s annual demand. No local water restrictions are on tap this year, but they could emerge in 2013 if winter doesn’t refill reservoirs in the Rockies and Northern California...

[Read the whole article HERE:] http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/aug/26/tp-southern-california-escapes-effects-of-drought/