In the month of January, the amount of rain in San Jose has taken a sharp increase. As a result, the Guadalupe watershed is overflowing. Rain is a major factor but that is not the only reason for the flooding – pollution is a major factor as well.

When Lincoln Lion Tales reporters went to the Guadalupe River and Penitencia Creek, rivers that the Guadalupe watershed feeds, they noticed trees that had been taken by the water and turned into bridges, as well as waters that were traveling at high speeds. San Jose residents’ lack of responsibility in regard to littering has led to floodings  in the area, and according to Gina Adriano at Santa Clara Water News, “dumping anything into a creek is illegal”.

You might wonder how pollution connects to the flooding: littering can cause blockages in the sewer drains. This of course stops water from going through into the creek, also it affects negatively the water quality and health of the habitat. To minimize blockages, there are a couple of things you can do, such as not flushing anything down the toilet that you shouldn’t be, as well as minimizing use of fertilizers and pesticides. Fertilizers and pesticides can flow into the streets and once rainfall comes it washes into the creek, damaging the wildlife.

The first couple of weeks of January saw heavy rainfall. Northern California saw so much rain that at the end led to flooding, mudslides, power outages and other damages. With so much flooding you may be asking yourself: is the drought over? Partially; forty two percent of California is still in a severe drought. Although the immense amount of rainfall has helped, that won’t be the only thing that gets California out of the drought. Snow from the mountains will have to melt and flow down to the creeks which could take a while. For this reason it is important that California residents still preserve water to the best of their availability.

Gallery • 15 Photos

Flooding in the Penitencia Creek 11/26/17 (Brandon Sullivan/ Lion Tales)