The And Its Effects On The United States Essay

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.

Would you like to go without a shower for five months? California right now are in an unfavorable and enormous drought. As a result, many citizens don’t have water to drink water, flush the toilet, take a shower, and wash the dishes. Also, Farmers don’t have enough water to harvest crops so if they can’t harvest crops, we won’t have enough food. Therefore, I support the regulations that allow the California Farm Bureau to control groundwater for all citizens.

It was a blistering summer day and it was so hot you could fry eggs on the sidewalk. I remember the day as clearly as if it happenned yesterday. The water ninjas were prowling the streets. Mocking undercover espionage and often anonymous, they secretly watch you, snapping away photos of all your wastefulness with their iPhones. Then uploading the evidence for the world to see – and the newly empowered local Glendale water agency – to blatantly see. Within five minutes of me starting to wash my car, I look behind me and there were the water district people. They did the whole calling me “mam” cliche and asking whether I knew the laws. In the end, they wrote me up a citation for using water on a non watering day. This is just an example of an incident that can occur when excess watering occurs. Luckily for me I managed to get out of the citation for being a first time offender and promising not to do it again. Many of the conventional beliefs have laid blame on the homeowners hooked on having the shiny clean cars, crisp green lawns, and sparkling swimming pools.  However, the conventional beliefs don’t always tell the whole story. The truth is California communities all across the state have tremendously reduced their average water consumption. There have been both successes and failures in the fronts of California’s drought and the conservation efforts, but as we go forward there is a definite need in better planning.

Over the years, conflict has emerged over whether the water that is distributed to the state of California should be equally provided to every part of the state, regardless of where the water has come from. People have argued that California has small water systems that they polluted by industrial uses, which makes them less efficient. People have also claimed that the state’s water systems are located in low income communities which makes it hard to gather funds for improvement. However, the distribution of water to all parts of California has many positive aspects to it. Many regions of the state have water restrictions and limited uses of water, which makes makes it more difficult for these regions. People have argued that the provision

Californians have been struggling with trying to conserve our water for over three years. Twenty-Thirteen was our driest year in many populated areas in California, and it doesn't seem to be changing any time soon, unless we all act now. In twenty-thirteen, Los Angeles and Sacramento, went down on record as the driest two cities in California. A drought is when area of land scarcely drop rain. Droughts are caused from climate changes and lack of precipitation, resulting in a shortage of water. Water is vital for all living things and is the essential component of all life. This ongoing drought has drastically affected the state of California. The long-term change in climate is truly affecting California. Our water reservations are lower than

Ever since the early nineteenth century until today, the California water crisis has been an issue that is yet to be resolved. As one of the largest states with a population of over thirty million (Class Discussion); water consumption is in high demand. "From the very beginning, California was a state with tremendous agricultural potential"(Chan, S., and Olin, S. Pg 136). A similarity from both the California of the early 1800 's and today is that water is an expensive and important resource being sourced primarily from the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The difference between then and now is that previously we had an abundant water supply but we did not know how to utilize it effectively to meet demand. Contrast that situation to today, and the demand for water remains, however the supply is no longer available to meet the needs of Californians. In this paper, we will discuss the legislative decision 's to bring California’s water supply to its people, the fight for conservation, and discuss the drought as it is today.

The water users of California have been asked to cut back water use whenever possible. This means shorter showers, drought resistant landscape, and low flow options for faucets and sprinklers. Farmer’s alike have been spotlighted to cut back on water use for it is calculated that they consume 80% of the state’s developed water supply (pacisnt). Although cutting back is a way to help conserve what is available, it is imperative that a new supply of fresh water be found before California overdrafts itself to no supply at all.

Around 44% of American citizens rely solely on groundwater from aquifers for their drinking water, according to the National Ground Water Association (NGWA), a cooperative organization dedicated to improving groundwater knowledge (National Ground Water Association [NGWA], 2010). However, groundwater depletion in California’s Central Valley has begun to have a more pronounced impact on the population and the environment located in this area. Groundwater depletion in this region developed partly because of a problem represented by the idea of the tragedy of the commons, which is expounded upon by Thomas Dietz, Elinor Ostrom, and Paul Stern in “The Struggle to Govern the Commons” (Dietz, Ostrom, & Stern, 2003). The concept of the tragedy of commons evolves from the belief that individuals will undoubtedly act in their own self-interest when a shared resource, such as water or air, is at stake as explained by Dietz, Ostrom, and Stern (2003). Garrett Hardin (1968), the father of this theory, wanted to explain that there has to be a change in the world’s approach and “ideas of morality” to prevent the exhaustion of limited resources.

“The state should regulate groundwater because normal average people will not have water available for them to perform their necessities if there is no limit to how much groundwater is being taken out of the ground” (California ). California’s weak ground water legislation have allowed more to be taken out the returned.Farmers should realize that too much water will cause people not to be able to use the restroom, wash their hands, use the sink , and take a shower.People will not be able to obtain proper hygiene.

California is the nation’s leading agricultural producer and one of the major agricultural regions of the world. Reductions in precipitation and water available for irrigation are being largely offset by increased groundwater pumping, an unsustainable situation at least in the southern Central Valley” (Wang 6997-6998). What will California do when we have used most of our underground water? What solutions will we be left with as a state? Maybe now is the time for California to enforce new laws in order to find a solution to this water drought. Besides raising water prices, California needs to enforce all residents living in California to reuse water by making it a state law. Residents and business owners in California should be notified ahead of time regarding this new law so they can prepare their business and homes with water systems that will allow them to reuse water. These water systems should be required to use recycled water to irrigate landscapes and crops. By enforcing this law the entire state would be able to conserve more water towards the possibility of ending this water drought. Homes and businesses in California should also be required to install graywater systems to water lawns and flush toilets. If residents do not apply any of these new laws then residents should find themselves with a fine of a

In California, groundwater is not merely part of the hydrologic cycle, but a key component that supports the state’s economy, contributes towards environmental stewardship, and supports communities that may range from being partially dependent to solely dependent on groundwater. Groundwater in California has always supported the urban settlement, irrigation in the arid Central Valley, and functioned as a backup water source during droughts. Given the importance of groundwater in the state, California pumps more groundwater than any other state, pumping roughly 16% of national groundwater use (California Department of Water Resources 2015). Despite groundwater’s importance, there has not been an established system to manage groundwater throughout

The lecture “The Political Ecology of Water Restrictions in California Cities” by Dr. Kris Bezdecny, Assistant Professor of Geography at CSU Los Angeles, provided lot of information in regards California Drought and how the water is used in California. The urban communities have been ordered to reduce their overall water use by an average of 25 % compared to 2013. On average, 30-60% of the water Californians consume is used outdoors, but what really, was an eye opener is the amount of water used in Agriculture. A single almond requires about a gallon and a half of water to grow. “The amount of water that California uses annually to produce almonds would provide water for all Los Angeles homes and businesses for almost three years” said Dr

The state of California is in the midst of a five year drought. The results of which are beginning to reek havoc on the state’s municipalities, farms and wetland habitats. If the state continues as is supporting in thirsty agricultural industries, towns and cities at current levels, not only will this exacerbate already tenuous water supply problem within the state it will have ripple affects throughout the South West. Surrounding states will have to adopt even more stringent restriction for farms, cities and industries which may have further calamitous economic results. However, the most difficult questions like proper allocation or modifying water rights have yet to be answered and likely will not be resolved before California’s water situation worsens. Last April standing in front of a snowpack at just 5% of normal levels, Governor Jerry Brown declared the drought in California has reached a crisis level and instituted state-wide water restriction for towns, cities and municipalities. He called for a 25% reduction of water usage by urging Californians flush less, take shorter showers, and let lawns turn brown. Although agriculture accounts for roughly 80% (Northern California Water Association) of all human consumption of water this industry was exempted any restriction by the governor. With a drought which shows no sign of letting up, powerful farm and environmental lobbies, difficult to

The intended reader for the article is a professional, someone who is a politician or a legislator who works for the state. The main point of this article is arguing how California needs to create a groundwater management for better regulation of their water resources. The use of vocabulary shows that the author is writing to a very knowledgeable person about California’s water problems. The choice of words is technical, for which the reader should understand when reading the article. In addition, the format of the article is solution-oriented, where the beginning starts with the introduction of California’s water problem and concludes with a solution. This is an extensive article with lots of technical information regarding the sustainable

The New York Times article "The Risks of Cheap Water" provides a fascinating overview of the water crisis in the United States, with an emphasis on the situation in California. According to Eduardo Porter, the author of the article, California is facing a serious water drought but the deficiency of water is caused by price controls, subsidies and the lack of water markets. Porter states that water prices are too low and do not cover infrastructure services. Therefore, charging consumers with higher price would have more significant impact on conservation efforts. Porter then reports how the farmers, “who accounts for 80 percent of the nation's water consumption”, are wasting more water than regular people. Giving the farmers the right to use