California has always been known for its sunny weather and clear skies, but this state has recently been following a pattern of reaching a drought every few years. Water is essential to human life, so a water shortage is definitely concerning news, especially for a state with as large of a population as California.
This past year, California’s rainfall had been a record low compared to recent years, putting the whole state into a drought. To put things into perspective, statistics from the National Integrated Drought Information System show that 100% of California suffers from moderate drought, and 94.8% of the state suffers from severe drought. The lack of rainfall coupled with the frequent use of water by millions of Californians has created a devastating impact on the environment. Without enough water to sustain a lot of the plant life, the vegetation in California has been drying up along with the many reservoirs and creeks which no longer have enough water. This, in turn, leads to a much drier climate, less water available for commercial and personal use, and also an unfeasible environment for vegetation. With plants lacking enough water in such dry surroundings, California has been increasingly prone to wildfires. In the past few years, this state has already been faced with many horrifying wildfires drastically harming humans and wild habitats. To make matters worse, the dryness and hot weather have once again returned to a record high along with the low rainfall, putting the lives of people and wildlife at risk of an uncontrolled fire.
This is obviously very frightening to hear, so how exactly will we combat the issue of a drought in a state as large as California? It should be mentioned that while personal conservation of water is essential to help mitigate the harmful effects of the drought, it does not make a lasting impact on the water source for the whole of California. However, if most of the state’s population were to start a genuine effort to conserve water, there would be a noticeable decrease in water usage. Thankfully, California’s government has begun initiatives to counteract the problem in more ways than simply asking people to conserve their water use. For example, the state government has authorized a desalinization plan in response to the drought in recent years so that ocean water can be deemed safe to use. Along with this, restrictions on water usage are being enforced, and commercial systems are being enacted in order to “recycle” or reuse water for different purposes.
California, the sunshine state, has been notorious for its frequent droughts, and now people are once again faced with a water crisis. Thankfully, there are efforts done by both the population and the government to gradually stabilize the situation, but the drought remains until we can get appropriate amounts of rainfall.
Sources:
“California.” Drought.gov, www.drought.gov/states/california.