California is home to 38 million people and growing, however, many of those who reside there are aware of the looming environmental disaster that is The Great Drought. For the last few years it has only begun to sneak up on the people of California and has only recently reached a tipping point so great in the West Coast, that government officials have passed several laws that negatively affect the state in its entirety.The drought is running rampage from Eureka to San Diego and was a foretold message ignored many years ago.

Now that the drought has entered into another year, people are only beginning to realize the true terror of what keeps amplifying into something we might not be able to control anymore. The precious Sierra Mountains, a vital source of water for the Californians, have been lacking a significant amount of snow pack in the last several years, with 2015 being the worst year for snow in recorded history[1]. This just solidifies the intense anxiety in which everyone has on the future fate of their homes. With almost 0% normal snow pack in both Lake Tahoe and the Truckee River, we are forced to look elsewhere in states such as Arizona, where they are also facing a drastic water shortage. Arizona also originally receives much of the Colorado River water intake, where that has decreased tremendously AS WELL, with Lake Powell at less than 45% of water in its reservoir. This continuous drought cycle has also been just another problem for the ecosystem in terms of governmental environment dangers.

Last week, notoriously controversial California Senator Dianne Feinstein obtained total Senate approval of a bill that would completely annul environmental protection agency acts in order to bring more water into the state.That means a potential loss in many already endangered species in fragile ecosystems, most notably the salmon who have recently almost touched the brink of extinction from over-fishing just a few years ago. This $300 million effort is quickly adding California's already $500 billion debt with the $1.1 billion Governor Jerry Brown authorized in relief for various routes to help ease the drought. Another scary aspect to the bill will expand the government's hold and power over water, which then means corporate entities leading potentially down the road.

However, the most important people that are hit with this issue are farmers, with their long standing family homesteads and livelihood will only re-spell what the Dust Bowl produced. However, there is some type of hope to be taken from our distant neighbors in the flooding Texas and Mid-Western states where a forecast of a wet upcoming winter may favor the West again. But, that projection was made this same time last year, raising skepticism as to whether or not if this might be beginning of the end of a stable state.

[1] http://www.rgj.com/story/news/2015/03/31/drought-sierra-snowpack-worst-century/70734500/