Emergency in California

The California drought is reaching alarming levels. The voluntary efforts to reduce water consumption all over the state have been insufficient, and now Californians have the obligation to cut water use by 20%.

This is why governor Jerry Brown issued a few days ago an executive order to save water from Sierra Nevada, which can hardly keep its name since its snowpack barely reaches 5% of its usual content this time of year. A third of the water that goes to the state’s tanks and reservoirs comes from there. The prospects are very poor.

Last year, Brown called on all Californians to voluntarily save 20% of their water use. The result was insufficient and, combined with the lack of rain, turned what used to be optional to mandatory. Cities, with very different water consumption levels, must cut use by 25%, even if it’s through fines.

Los Angeles is one of the metropolis that has been campaigning for years to reduce its water consumption. The municipal services have already drastically reduced its water use, and residents are replacing their lawns with plants more suited to the semiarid climate, as the governor is promoting now. The people of Los Angeles are saving water, but the challenge remains.

Brown’s strategy focuses once again in cutting water use only on the residents’ part, leaving aside the agriculture industry, which is the state’s biggest consumer. If the drought is so severe it must change the lifestyle of Californians, it should also impact the countryside, replacing high water consumption crops such as different kinds of nuts, for others more suitable.
Likewise, there must be a change in the policy allowing for unlimited access to underground water supplies.

The same happens with the oil industry, a big water consumer with its hydrofracture system – which also constitutes a pollution danger for the underground drinking water reserves.

The long drought requires significant changes in the individual consumption patterns, but this time is different. Without the joint sacrifice of other industries, the adapting process to the new reality will be much more difficult.