...California has been widely known across the globe for its great agriculture. As its main source for economic growth, California prides itself on its ability to produce mass amounts of crops in order to serve our nation. The backbone of everything that goes on in California is built around the Californian farmers’ ability to produce crops. As of late, the task of producing crops has become more difficult than ever for farmers to accomplish. Farming, and producing crops, has become increasingly difficult for farmers in California due to the scarcity of water. With little access to fresh water for their crops, farmers in California are having a hard time maintaining their fruits, vegetables, livestock, and nuts. Water has been hard to come by...
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...California’s Water Problem Introduction: Water Sources in California In her book entitled Managing Water: Avoiding Crisis in California, the ecologist and historian Dorothy Green describes the complicated and intricate California water system (University of California Press, October 9, 2007). Green’s description and analysis becomes more important to the people of California with every week that passes/ This is because California is now in the fourth year of drought in which no rain, snow, or hail has fallen (“California Drought”, CA.gov. Online at: http://ca.gov/drought/). In her work on the topic, Dorothy Green describes very carefully the system by which the rain, snow, and hail that fall in northern California move downwards in a flow of water that serves the entire state thanks to the power of gravity. The river systems of California include Colorado River and the Sacramento River. These great river systems move the water southwards, (to Los Angeles) and westwards (to San Francisco), respectively. In addition to these well known rivers to the system of rivers in California includes more than thirty rivers including the Klamath, the American, the Tolumne, the Merced, the Yuba, the Kern, the Russian, the Tule, and right here in Los Angeles the Los Angeles River which runs right through the industrial section of downtown Los Angeles in a cement channel : In addition to the river systems of California, Green describes a network of dam release channels, canals...
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...percent of the state of California was in extreme drought. As California entered its fourth year of record-breaking drought, it was met with extremely parched landscapes. CBS News reports reveal that, “According to an aerial survey conducted by the U.S. Forest Service in April, about 12 million trees have died in California forestlands in the past year because of extreme drought.” Dead trees along with plant life in severe condition are seen throughout the Los Padres National Forest. These dead trees add another element to the hazards of the drought by threatening the dry landscape with the possibility of intense wildfires. On January 17, Governor Jerry Brown declared a drought emergency for the state of California. This...
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...The California drought has claimed to be a big epidemic for this state of dreams. This drought alone has been said to put many residents in a panic of what's to become of their beautiful state, but many wonder just how this crisis began in the first place. Residents and other American’s thought of ways just how this possibly terrifying ordeal came to be. Some say it is manmade, others believe it is due to the environment while a few believe it is the way for the big businesses and the rich to gain extra money or extra water. The facts will show us each of their arguments, but the truth is up to the people themselves. The droughts claimed current state can lead anyone to their own beliefs of the matter. For instance, California water usage website gives a list of current events of the presumed drought. California Water Usage says the drought is currently in its fourth year making 2014-2015 the warmest years on record. On April, the 1st the department of water resources stated that the snow packs is now at 5%; which they presume is the...
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...Environmentalists are said to be one of the main problems that causes the drought in California and they are defending themselves. Environmentalists have a problem with farmers and agriculture. It is point out that environmentalist tried to preserve the federal guideline that limiting water supplies from the north to the south California while farmers said they were restricting important source of water supplies from reaching places that need the water (“Facing Drought, California”). At this point, it can be seen that environmentalists and farmers have their right point of view about the water supply. One side supposes to preserve water for fishes and this can help fishermen survive while the other is against that people need more water than...
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...What if California’s drought continued? Not only the people in California would care, but as a whole, the United States would; California is one of the main sources where food grows. I predict that all the animals from fishes to bears would have to migrate to find a new home because of lack of food and fresh water in the area. As the scientists find a solution to the problem, Californians would try their best to continue to spare the water. Furthermore, water would become more expensive. Due to high demand and low supplies, utilities bill will shoot up to prevent water from being wasted. The laws on business restaurant might even change, by saying water can now be sold rather giving out of free; California may become the most expensive place...
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...Water Crisis Impact in California Monica Mois Essentials of College Writing/COMM/215 October 6, 2014 Carolyn Geiser Water Crisis Impact in California Due to the lack of rain in the past few years, and particularly in the last few months, California faces severe drought. This is the worst drought in more than one hundred years. The impact of California drought affects community, agriculture, organic ranchers, and dairy farmers. Because of these facts, the United States must rethink the way it uses water. Californians alone are asked to reduce their water usage by twenty percent to prevent water waste. Communities, Agriculture, Organic Ranchers and Dairy Farmers Many communities in California struggle with shortage of drinking water. One example is “the small community of Cameron Creek Colony in Tulare County is struggling due to severe drought. About ten percent of its residents have no access to water because their wells have run dry. Others have only intermittent access” (USDA, 2014). In other communities, residents are urged to avoid wasting water. The Waterboards.ca.gov (2014) website has a list of emergency water conservation regulations stating that every citizen is prohibited to use potable water to wash sidewalks and driveway, to use hoses with no shut off nozzles to wash their cars, water the lawn more than two times a week, and reduce the amount of watering time for each station using an automatic sprinkler system. Residents could face...
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...What would you do if you had 2.2 billion dollars? California has been in a drought for about four years. This means there are citizens and farmers who have less water than they are used to or they do not have water at all. So they are not able to live the life they are used to living. To prevent this, the state should have rules to save the water they do have. California suffered from the drought economically recently. In Source two it is informed that the “drought is expected to cost the states $2.2bn in 2014”. The money the states wasted on the drought could have been used for a better cause. The citizens and the government could have prevented the misuse of the water since they could not have prevented the drought. This drought...
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...Drought Having an Affecting In discussion on the California Drought, one controversial issues has been that if the people in California should be worried about relocating somewhere else. One the one hand, the drought not only affecting the people, the animal’s habitats but also the crops. On the other hand, some hope that the government will intervene and try to do something to prevent disasters from happing and having to worry about people moving to another state. The government should intervene and do something about the consumption of water people use and not only are the people being victims but other sources who depend on water also to survive. Living on the Garcia Ranch Edgar is surrounded by Mother Nature is a wonderful lifestyle....
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...1950s. The advent of inexpensive motorized lawn mowers and fertilizing chemicals made lawns a reality for the middle class. America has over 50,000 square miles of grass in cultivation. Now in 2014, California is facing a drought like none seen before in modern times. Crops are withering, lakes are running dry, fires are catching everywhere and yet, around every corner, I see manicured lawns. Vast expanses of nothing but healthy, beautiful, allergy inducing grass. It’s irresponsible, and harmful to our environment and economy. The 2013-14 rainfall season is on track to be the driest in 434 years, according to Lynn Ingram, a paleo-climatologist at UC Berkley. The concern generated by this drought brought together a group of emergency planners and water managers for an event known as the “California Drought Outlook Forum” on February, 20 2014 in Sacramento, California. They determined that the water outlook for the state was similar to the droughts in the 1970s. However, our water obligations have increased greatly in the following decades. Marty Hoering of the NOAA states, “The stress created by the current failed rains is more severe than for similar rainfall deficits 40 years earlier.” The central focus for this concern is the substantial agricultural business that California sustains, from avocados to almonds to pistachios, a number of crops are grown in California’s fertile central valleys. A recent report estimated that indirect and direct losses to agriculture would amount...
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...California's Water Crisis The state of California has dealt with many problems, one of the most major ones being the drought. California has dealt with droughts for many years now. The current drought isn’t the first,it's one of many. Myself along with many hope it is the last. Do the people in California have what it takes to solve the problem? California gets most of their water supply from the aqueduct,colorado river, sacramento, and from water conservation. The Los Angeles Aqueduct receives water from the Eastern Sierra Nevada. The aqueduct now gets the supply from basins and snow covered mountains within the state. This water comes from far distances just to get to anyones place. The colorado river provides water for the upper part of calfornia. The state gets water from sacramento, the surface water found their is about 85 percent and groundwater is about 15 percent. Thirty to forty percent of ground water is used by the state(aceplumbing). The most significant droughts recorded are from 1929-1934, 1976-1977, 1987-1992, 2011-present (California Department of Water Resources). According to the article the year 2014,overlapping the driest calendar year, ended September 30 the states 3rd driest in 119 years of record. The weather has a lot to do with the drought. The state has been struggling for a very long time. There has been a few ideas to try and fix the issue but those ideas are not enough because obviously the drought keeps...
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...Clark English 201C 13 May 2015 Man-Made Water Crisis Over the past several years the state of California has been suffering from a drought that has left behind many farmers in the dust with their fallowed crops. The Central Valley, located in the heart of California, is home to a vast variety of crops that feed the world. The valley has taken the blunt of the hit caused by the recent drought as many farmers have received zero allocations of their contracted water along with many water wells drying up. The lack of water not only has an affect on farmers but anyone else that enjoys the succulent foods that articulate from California’s farms. As the lack of rainfall has had an influence on the current shortage of water, it is not the only factor contributing to it. “In 2009, the department of Fish and Wildlife ordered restrictions on the water run-off, which began the now six-year-old policy of sending billions of gallons of fresh water annually into the Pacific Ocean” (Hill). With California’s extensive need for water, legislation needs to transpire in order to use what precipitation we do receive to be allocated effectively and efficiently. California has been known for many substantial reasons, ranging from the Gold Rush of 1849 to its beautiful coast line that attracts many tourists. One important piece that always seems to be overlooked is the agricultural industry that thrives in the Central Valley. California produces much of the nations food; 99 percent of...
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...All California residents are familiar with the statewide drought that began in 2012. Effects of it can be seen in day-to-day life in decreased rainfall, billboards and laws encouraging conservation, front lawns being replaced with drought resistant landscapes and little reason to take a ski trip during the winter months due to lack of snowfall. Water recharge has decreased due to the decline in precipitation in the past two and a half years, leaving California with a huge need to properly manage its water. According to Nature, consequences of the long-term drought are increased seasonal wild fires and destruction to ecosystems throughout California. Southern California felt the negative effects of dry vegetation during the series of fires...
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...2015. Rawls described California as a place of promise and paradox, which was true, however it is no longer thought of as a place of promise. Areas of California like Los Angeles and Hollywood have helped develop the ideology of California creating fame, success, and fortune, however current economic and environmental instability have altered its attractive identity. People no longer wish to live in California. Once admired for being “the place that never rains,” is now a growing concern. The lack of water is not only affecting the environment, but is worsening the economy. The drought of California has become familiarized throughout the United States. Although...
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...Recently, California is facing one of the most severe droughts on record. Many governors, large companies managers, and citizens start spending and investing a lot of money on draining groundwaters every year when there is a drought. This does not solve the problem of drought, but causing groundwater being withdrawn faster than it can replenish. Water conservation and water management are keys to address these issues. By enforcing laws and regulations, there will be a great improvement in water conservation and will help sustaining water resources. Severe drought has brought several disaster to all residents in California by drying out soils, reducing stream flows, decreasing tree growth and biomass, and reducing crop yields. Mohamed El-Ashry of the World Resources Institute estimates that 65% to 75% of the water throughout the world is wasted through evaporation, leaks and others. Therefore, water tracking is needed to reduce these leaks and would at least save 15% of these water from being wasted. According to water resource expert Sandra Postel, “By heavily subsidizing water, governments give out the false message that it is abundant and can afford to be wasted – even as rivers are drying up, aquifers and are being depleted, fisheries are...
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