A Brief Note On California 's Water Crisis

California has always had a warm climate, yet its supply of water has rarely been affected. In 2014 California’s water shortage issue truly began. Due to low amounts of snow in the winter in recent years, California has tried to equal out these shortages by drilling water from underground aquifers. Yet, underground aquifers recharge much slower than surface water sources. California has already made significant drawbacks to attempt to limit the amount of water they use, so these aquifers can recharge. But still resources continue going down and the Central Valley Aquifer’s water level is rapidly declining. Luckily, on April 7, 2017 the drought stage of emergency in California was ended. Yet the issue isn’t truly resolved. Glen MacDonald

California state and some other west regions face the problem of severe drought and the researchers show several reasons to explain this phenomena. According to research in weather data for the past century, in terms of overall precipitation and spring snowpack, the past three years are not record-breakers and paleoclimate studies show that the current drought is not exceptional given the natural variations in precipitation of the past seven centuries. It cannot thoroughly attribute drought to global warming. California may be faced a future of “perfect drought” because of following reasons. Rising heat increases the evaporation, continuing depletion of ground water, and growing water shortages on the Colorado River [1]. It is predictable

The California Drought is one of the most catastrophic weather and climate related events in recent history. It has singlehandedly altered the geographic landscape of the state and brought down entire industries to a grinding halt. Not since global warming became a prominent fixture in the national spotlight has a climate issue so deeply challenged Californians to reconsider their lifestyles according to their climate conditions. This essay will examine the origins of climate change and the California Drought, how the two are related, the current state of California as a result of the drought, and the future outlook of California.

Water resources in the state of California have deteriorated drastically as a result of the current drought event in the west coast of the United States. This has resulted in insufficient supplies of water to residents of southern California, as well as the devastation of wildlife and aquatic ecosystems that are characteristic of this area. This policy analysis will provide the context of the issue, as well as possible solutions, followed by a proposed policy plan to reach the policy goal of equitable and reliable water allocation in the state of California, drought resilience, as well as restoration of the destroyed ecosystems.

Right now there is a drought in California and it is due to the water usage. Bach in the gold rush due to miners mining for gold, the rivers became polluted and freshwater became limited. After the earthquake in San Francisco that cause a big fire, San Francisco was in dire need of water so they made a plan to built a dam in Hetch Hetchy. Many people argue as to whether to build the dam and in the end the dam was built and that has shape California’s water system hugely. The use of water in California now has not been in the best interest of the state because The amount of water use for agriculture is disportional, laws are making us use more water than needed and the Indians and environment are being harm.

Californians are being heavily fined for using a certain amount of water a month, which impacts the daily lives of everyone. Water is a natural resource that is crucial to everyone’s survival. Whether if it’s being used for cooking, showering, gardening, washing your car or just simply drinking purposes; water is a necessity for everyone. Though the bill has not yet been passed by congress and officially has not become a law, the issue still remains on the table. The drought in California has taken a massive toll on agriculture, the environment and infrastructure. The drought is on its route to damage California’s climate change. In the past three consecutive years the average rain fall has drastically decreased, and the winter temperatures have increased. Since majority of California’s water comes from the Western Rocky Mountains, the water supply there is dropping resulting in more strict laws and regulations on how much water can be consumed by the average

California’s continuous drought not only affects California, but essentially impacts the entire food system. Could you imagine an entire state unable to contribute to the growing demands of a thriving economy? As California enters its fifth year of drought the consequences of an ever depleting natural resource, water, continues to negatively impact landscape plants, agricultural production, wildlife, and the economy. The lack of water in California has the potential to have a devastating effect on an ever thriving economy.

California is known for its vast production of agriculture; having some of the most fertile soil on Earth, a 4-year drought is not what California wants. The lack of water in California has had dramatic effects within the state. In fact California’s governor, Jerry Brown, has declared it a state of emergency. A drought is a serious weather condition in which many people and the environment is entirely affected. A drought is essentially a difference in the amount of water in a region and the amount of water that the people and the environment in that region needs (Mann et al. 2015). The definition of a drought varies throughout regions depending on the amount of water each region receives and needs. The time limit to announce a drought also

California is undergoing a huge environmental crisis of water shortages across the state. California produces almost half of the US grown vegetables, fruits, and nuts. It produces more than 400 commodities (CDFA,2013). The drought has had a huge effect on agriculture because the farmers have received drastic cuts on their water usages which greatly affected their yields. The whole United States is feeling the effects due to the drought because of less crop yields, prices have

Due to the lack of rain in the past few years, and particularly in the last few months, California faces severe drought. This is the worst drought in more than one hundred years. The impact of California drought affects community, agriculture, organic ranchers, and dairy farmers. Because of these facts, the United States must rethink the way it uses water. Californians alone are asked to reduce their water usage by twenty percent to prevent water waste.

There is a freshwater crisis in the United States that is currently taking place in California. Unfortunately, this is California’s third consecutive year of drought. California has recorded the lowest amount of water in their reservoirs and sadly a large number of them have already dried up. The drought is regional, and caused by multiple reasons such as lack of rain, global warming, pollution, and over usage. 100 percent of the state is in drought, with 82 percent of the land designated as in ‘extreme’ or ‘exceptional’ drought, these are the highest levels on the U.S. Drought Monitor scale. Thirty-seven million people are affected by the drought.

Currently California is facing a water shortage. The issue has been addressed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in February. He called for all state agencies to find the way to help in the statewide water shortage. This is California’s third consecutive year of drought and last spring and summer was the worst of the season because it had the lowest amount of water recorded and California’s reservoirs were at their lowest point as well which did not help in the water shortage. Many agencies have been acquired to find possible solutions to the water shortage, the Department of Water Resources has been directed to find solutions to the problem as well as asking people to conserve water.

California is experiencing one of its worst droughts in history. Water is made up of two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen. It sounds so simple, but it should not be taken for granted because without it we would cease to exist. It is so necessary for survival that without it we would die in a few days. Fortunately, the California drought has not reached that level. Yet, there is a need for concern because human beings are not among the only living organism that depends on water. All living organisms depend on it, from a mighty bald eagle, to the bright orange California poppy. Not only does it bring life, but it also plays a role in the economy as well. There are many occupations that rely on water and if one industry is directly affected then presumably fifty or more are indirectly affected. Water is in high demand, but there is not enough supply to meet it. It is extremely difficult to predict next week’s weather, let alone next year’s total rainfall. In a 6-10 day (accumulated) precipitation forecast history shows that meteorologist have only been correct about 40% of the time. This is a great cause for concern because it makes it extremely difficult to know if we are rationing enough now. As mentioned before, water is in great demand and it is intrinsically necessary. So, how much will California lose if the drought continues and what can be done to ease the situation? I will report on the current water system in CA, the users (i.e. urban and agriculture), and different

(2014). “Water Supply – Unsustainable California: The Top 10 Issues Facing the Golden State.” United States Common Sense. http://uscommonsense.org/research/unsustainable-california-the-top-10-issues-facing-the-golden-state-water-supply/?cacs_redirect=True.

The drought that has been occurring in the state of California, has brought on many complications. The drought is currently on its third year of dryness in the state. According to USAToday, the past three years have been the worst consecutive years of precipitation in the last 119 years of recorded weather data in the state. The California drought is just of many climate changes that have occurred throughout planet Earth’s time, while others are saying, global warming is to blame. Many ask if this problem can change into a more complicated situation, while others ask what could happen if this problem is left unresolved.