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There is no arguing that California is in a drought and has been for years. What is up for debate, at least recently, is how severe this year's drought will be. The debate, it turns out, involves a lot more than rainfall. Water infrastructure developers, farmers, the governor, and even a small, endangered, fish, are all pushing for a definitive forecast.
At first glance, the typical indicators are promising. Snowpack in the Sierra Nevada Mountains is at 80% of its normal levels and precipitation in the mountains is near 90% of normal. California's worst drought years have been preceded by much lower numbers. Still, officials at the Department of Water Resources have pointed out that new factors are pressing on the system, making these numbers less optimistic than they initially appear. An ever-increasing population and degradation of Sacramento River Delta smelts means that what would have been a small drought could have a catastrophic impact.
Population, in particular, can seriously exacerbate drought conditions. Analysis of recent severe droughts in California and Georgia has revealed that, in these two cases, are an example of a problem that does not have a root in global warming. Instead, the situations were caused by populations that have outgrown their water supplies.
Traditionally, increased demand has been satisfied by damming, or re-damming, rivers, and digging deeper to reach the dropping water table. Now, the water is running out. Rivers are running dry. In California, the desert is growing. To top it off, a judge has banned increases in pumping to save a small, endangered fish.
Many are calling for the construction of new canals and aquifers and Governor Schwarzenegger has declared mandatory rationing but out of this, one thing has become clear: the nation's water resources are not capable of supporting unlimited use from an endlessly expanding population. So what do we do? Reduce our consumption, encourage conservation, and reuse what we can. In this situation, like so many, the only option is going green.
For more on the latest in environmental news and issues, check out Focus Earth: March 28, 2009: California Drought and Green Tech Revolution.
Read more about water:
How to Go Green: Water
Trust Your Tap Water
How to Never Drink Bottled Water Again
7 Questions You Need to Answer to Conserve Water Now
The Beauty Queens of Drought Tolerance
Deserts Have Ecosystems Too, You Know
Drought Around The World: Atlanta In Perspective
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