The drought stricken State’s climate leaves its’ water supply to be volatile and unpredictable, creating a hash reality for all demanders of the scarce resource. In the worst of times California’s climate is destructive to the wellbeing of not only Californian’s quality of life, but the surrounding ecosystems. With unseasonably higher temperatures presenting issues farther into the future, in “Adapting California 's water management to climate change”, the authors Ellen Hanak and Jay Lund provide an overview of the effects California’s climate has during times of drought, and the complications it presents for the State 's water management. Water management in the state oversee a plethora of concerns; properly planning supply and delivery …show more content…
The Delta is the lifeblood of California’s water supply system, but when sea levels rise more and more of the levee system that blockades the salt and fresh water erodes, it leads to what is known as seawater intrusion. More simply, the contamination of freshwater by its salty counterpart. This process happens at varying rates, disrupting the water supply at a snail 's-pace or more in abundance, leaving a rippling effect to be felt for months, or even years. Climates’ effects on snowpack levels is far more measurable, where warming temperatures lead to higher levels of winter runoff. Thus depleting the snowpack earlier in the year, and leaving less for the spring and summer months to follow. Inversely, the average precipitations’ effects on the water supply are less measurable, due to the inability to correctly asses the amount of total runoff derived from precipitations role as the catalyst of the melting process. Measurements of this kind must be more than just an estimate, Hanak and Lund cite that “It is likely to be decades before we know if and by how much precipitation and runoff volumes are changing” (pg 20). But precipitations effects on snowpack volume must remain relevant, “the effects of reduced runoff due to decreased precipitation appear to be much more important than
The State of Colorado has suffered from a water shortage in recent years; a difficult situation which is easily visible when viewing the quickly shortening length of the Colorado River. Lake Mead, for example, is roughly 130 feet lower than it once was, marked by the stained rock which towers above the current water level. “The river has become a perfect symbol of what happens when we ask too much of a limited resource: it disappears. In fact, the Colorado no longer regularly reaches the sea” (Zielinski, 2010). Legislation was implemented early on to address this issue, though the results were (perhaps not surprisingly) rather unanticipated, regarding
I.) Water and Drought in California: Facts and data show that the weather we are experiencing here in California is that there is a difference between La Niña that brings the ocean temperature down and making them cooler and El Niño brings much warmer ocean temperatures. Currently california is experiencing a weakened La Niña. With a 55% chance of this weather continuing for the next 3 months. La Niña affect patterns of rainfall, atmospheric pressure, and global atmospheric circulation. Even though California is in a severe drought, with coordination, modernization, and compromise, California should be able to provide enough water for a growing population and growing economy.
At some point of our lives we have been asked or have heard the question, what can we not live without?. Many of us will not hesitate to mention family, friends, food, water, and other living essential we find futile to our survival. If we place these living essentials in order of importance some of us may place family over water. If you then think about it, we can live without our family, but we cannot live without water. Water gives us life its in our fruits, foods, and drinks. Without water we would not be alive and healthy for the most part. The importance of water is substantial and California is currently experiencing one of its worst droughts in history. The planet itself is also undergoing global warming, which only contributes to a more severe drought occurring in California. Droughts in California’s history did not have the contributing factor of Global warming diminishing their severity. California’s drought and Global warming share a common link in the factor that would contribute to the severity of the drought we are currently experiencing in California and
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
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.
Arizonans see California’s drought and water restrictions plastered all over the television and newspapers. Many Arizonans remain concerned about the well-being of Californians, while some may mistakenly think that it is not Arizona’s problem. I was one of those people, and while investigated the idea, discover how Arizona is in a bad situation because of it. What I, along with others, did not understand is the years of planning, legislation, and engineering that took place to get water to Arizona and the rest of the Southwest. The Southwest is an arid environment that relies on one river, the Colorado River, to deliver water to seven different
“Climate change” and its impact on basic water supply is at their foreground. It is an unfortunate reality that the terms of the Colorado Compact, the document dividing the Colorado’s waters, is an unworkable document. Based on allotments formulated in an “especially wet year,” the average volume now flowing does not meet the amounts specified in the agreement. Under the terms of the document, California receives the largest share, but with Southern California’s exploding population, this will be increasingly inadequate. Absent changes in both urban and agricultural use patterns, the deficit will only grow and further stress the state’s political and economic systems. Man’s mastery will thus prove illusory and short-lived and the original problems of water supply will return in highly magnified
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.
Water is the most important resource, controlling all aspects of life. The effect on climate change is changing California’s water quality and quantity. This creates
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 has had along history of dealing with its most vital resource water. It is not uncommon for a state/country to experience a drought that is the fluidity of the earth. Unfortunately it is extremely difficult to say when a drought will break for California it is vital that the state make breakthroughs in science and technology that can help us sustain a proper water supply that gives water to the masses. Exploring a section of California specifically in Santa Barbara, I will be looking at the history of water and finding innovative solutions for more sustainable practices within the county itself. Looking at past practices of water usage and the social, political, and current ideas of how drought has affected this area and the solutions for the enduring future.
Now you may be thinking to yourself, “How can California even start to cope with this drought? How can it go back to normal in a climate that receives little snowpack and rain?” Well although these issues are complex, there have been some achievements-political and otherwise-toward developing more resilient water supplies. One way is groundwater legislation: our Governor, Jerry Brown, signed legislation mandating “sustainable groundwater management,” though the law leaves local entities to define that idea further."We have to learn to manage wisely water, energy, land and our investments, that 's why this is important," said Governor Brown (CA.gov). Another way our government is helping is the spending on water projects.
“The Coachella Valley is always operating in a state of drought because it is after all the desert; but here in the valley where our number one industry is tourism there are lush lawns, sprawling golf courses and plenty of fountains” (Angela Monroe “Water Use During Drought in the Desert” Paragraph 3). Drought has affected California, also especially the Coachella Valley, in many ways that cause the state to create precaution for their water districts. The districts in the Coachella Valley can do their part in reducing the impact of the drought by creating more precautions to save water as a community.
Water is a crucial component to sustain human, animal, and plant life. When a problem that puts water supply at risk of depletion is encountered, people should concern themselves with the inevitable detrimental effects of water shortage. California inhabitants are currently faced with this problem. Although all of California’s citizens have some awareness to California’s drought issue, many are oblivious to the drought’s severity. They continue to leisurely use water due to assumptions that the drought is short term or that the lack of water is normal because the state is a desert. However, evidence clearly supports that California’s drought is drastic. In “Storms, Drought and California 's Water Situation: Key Points,” the article