Don't be fooled; the drought's not over.
The rainy conditions of late convince residents of Arizona that there is no longer a concern over rain levels. In fact, we should be more considerate of our water use now to avoid deceiving ourselves.
There is no guarantee the rain will keep coming. Wednesday's rain could be the last we see for months. As always with moisture in the desert, we hope it doesn't happen this way, but we cannot bet on it.
Reservoirs in the state are drastically below capacity. After the storms last week, the water level of Roosevelt Lake increased by three percent from January. Put in those terms, it sounds like everything is going well. But we have to remember that most reservoirs in Arizona are below 20 percent of capacity. After the rainfall, Roosevelt Lake is at 15 percent capacity.
That leaves 85 percent of nothing but a nasty width of white salt deposits around the rim of the lake. If you go up to camp at any of the lakes, campsites that used to be waterfront now require squinting to see the waterline.
Our best bet for an ease of drought conditions is the spring thaw of snow in the high country. The February storm put between six and 12 inches on top of the snow already built up in northern Arizona. That's more snow than we have seen in two years.
The runoff from Tonto Creek into Roosevelt Lake was 1,500 percent above normal last week, which gave Roosevelt Lake its 3-percent water level increase. After warm weather thaws the mountain snow, the water levels in Arizona's lakes should increase considerably.
When we consider the reduced water levels of the lakes though, it becomes a question of whether or not the spring thaw will be enough. Since we are deficient in a foot of precipitation, it is doubtful we will get the water we need from the snowmelt.
While we received more rainfall in January and February than we did in all of last year, we may have seen the last of it. With the hot weather comes speedy evaporation of any precipitation Arizona may receive.
All this leads to one simple conclusion: conserve water. It may seem slightly unnecessary when you have yet to wash the water spots off your vehicle from the last rain, but the desert is a tricky place. We can see more rain in a month than we saw all of last year - and then not see a single drop for the next six months.
Conservation of water now will ease drought complaints in the future. If we take five-minute showers, wash only full loads of dishes and clothes, plant desert vegetation, and sweep our carports and patios instead of using a hose, we can head off water shortages before they begin.
The state government does not force residents to conserve water until absolutely necessary. Instead, they turn off city fountains or lay pavement where turf used to be, and other measures that nobody notices.
They air commercials suggesting different and easy ways to cut back on water usage. If we ignore the suggestions, we may be forced into the same position California was in 15 years ago, when residents received fines for over-watering lawns or taking long showers.
When you live in a desert, awareness of your environment is important. Just because water flows out of your faucet every morning, does not guarantee an endless supply of water.
Kym Levesque is a journalism junior. Reach her at kymberly.levesque@asu.edu.
