Firo: New Tool Deployed...So What?

Title: Another California Reservoir "Fix"? Don't Hold Your Breath.

So, they're patting themselves on the back for... updating a water control manual? Seriously? The Coyote Valley Dam's manual had only been updated twice since 1959. Let that sink in. We're talking about a piece of infrastructure older than most of my readers, and they're acting like this is some kind of revolutionary leap forward.

FIRO: Acronyms Can't Magically Make It Rain

FIRO, or Forecast-Informed Reservoir Operations, sounds fancy, right? Like some kind of AI-powered water wizardry. But let's be real, it's just using slightly better weather forecasts to decide when to hold back more water. They're acting like they invented the concept of looking at the weather before making decisions. Give me a break.

"FIRO is now inherently bound into our operating rules," says Malasavage. Translation: "We're finally doing what we should have been doing all along." I mean, offcourse, better late than never, but the self-congratulatory tone is just nauseating.

And this "Lake Mendocino FIRO Steering Committee?" Another committee? More bureaucracy? That's exactly what California needs to solve its water crisis. More meetings. More PowerPoint presentations. More people patting each other on the back while the state slowly turns into a desert.

Virtual Trials and "Success": A Grain of Salt, Please

They ran "virtual trials" of FIRO. Okay, great. So it works in a simulation. That's like saying a car can drive perfectly... in a video game. Real-world conditions are a little different, wouldn't you say?

They claim FIRO increased water storage by 19% in Water Year 2020. That sounds impressive, until you realize that Water Year 2020 was "the third driest year over a 127-year record." So, they squeezed out a little more water during a drought. That's like winning a participation trophy at the Special Olympics. Is that really something to brag about?

And then there's this gem from DWR Director Karla Nemeth: "Our ability to accurately forecast incoming storms has improved dramatically in recent years." Has it, really? Last time I checked, the weather forecast was still wrong half the time. Maybe I'm just jaded, but I'll believe it when I see it.

This whole thing feels like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. A minor tweak to a decades-old system while the entire state is facing a water apocalypse. Is this really the best we can do?

So, What's the Real Story?

It's PR, plain and simple. They need to show they're "doing something" about the water crisis, so they trot out this marginally improved system and declare victory. Meanwhile, the real problems – antiquated infrastructure, wasteful agricultural practices, and a complete lack of long-term planning – continue to fester. Color me unimpressed.