After years of struggling with severe drought and diminishing water supply, California is in a very delicate situation. According to the US Drought Monitor over 90% of the state is in an Extreme Drought status, and over 40% is in an Exceptional Drought status. This drought has led the already water limited-state of California to face more severe shortages.
Water levels in Lake Mead, Nevada are dropping significantly due to high water withdrawals to sustain Southern California cities, and the drying aquifers and personal wells in Southern California only add to the problem, creating a higher water demand. In Northern California, many of the lakes are seeing about half of their normal levels. The final straw for California was when the Sierra Nevada mountains, which are normally covered with 6ft of snow and a significant supplier of fresh water, were completely bare.
Now, the time of voluntary water reduction programs has passed, and California is taking a much stronger approach. As of two weeks ago, Governor Jerry Brown made an executive order to cut urban water usage by 25% across the state. However this will be done, whether through price increases or mandates on water usage for specific applications, is left up to the local governments. Some ways that Californians have already been cutting residential water usage is by not watering their lawns as often, cutting down on shower times, buying more water efficient appliances, and reusing water from the shower or sink for watering gardens. While all of these small actions will add up to huge water savings, there are many residents who are calling out the Governor for not dealing with the biggest water consumer in California: Agriculture.
While the urban water usage in California is mandated to reduce by 25%, the agricultural water usage in California was not given any kind of mandate for water reduction. Instead, they are now required to monitor and record their water usage. Looking at the water usage in California, Agriculture accounts for 80% of all the water used. The state holds an array of agricultural products such as dairy, grapes, nuts, and a variety of fruits and vegetables. With the increased drought, there are questions as to whether the farming of these products is still viable in the state of California. Many of the products grown are extremely water intensive, such as almonds, which account for 10% of the states total water usage.
While California is beginning to take its first forceful steps towards water reductions, it is uncertain as to how much this reduction of urban water usage will effect the water deficit currently faced by the state. Although a promising start, farmers may soon find themselves also facing water reduction mandates in California.
