This winter’s wild swings in weather – an early lack of rain, then late-season Sierra snowstorms, followed by a torrent of subtropical moisture – shows the need in California for long-range tools to better manage water supply.

At a Paleo Drought Workshop in San Pedro on April 19, six experts will discuss research on centuries-long precipitation and streamflow records, new forecasting tools and planning strategies to help reduce Southern California’s vulnerability to drought. 

Using a recently completed guidebook, prepared by the University of Arizona for the California Department of Water Resources, attendees will learn how to access available Southern California data that they can use to test water supply reliability under a wide range of weather conditions and climate scenarios.

Severe and persistent droughts are not new to Southern California or the Colorado River Basin, a major source of the region’s drinking water. Tree ring records suggest that these areas have experienced extreme variability in precipitation and streamflow with several indications of multiyear droughts lasting more than five years between the year 1400 and today. Armed with new tools, water managers will be better able to plan for the possibility of extended droughts.

The workshop is sponsored by the Water Education Foundation and California Department of Water Resources.

There are still a few tickets left. Click here to register and find out more information on speakers, additional topics and location in San Pedro. The $50 registration fee includes coffee and pastries in the morning, lunch and materials.