California Drought

       Most Americans have absolutely no clue where all the produce that fills up their grocery store comes from. The fact is the state of California accounts for 15 percent of national receipts for crops and 7.1 percent of the U.S revenue for livestock and livestock products (CDFA). California's agricultural abundance includes more than 400 commodities. It produces half of all U.S fruits, nuts, and vegetables. What would our diets be like if it were not for this perfect agriculture state? We may just be on our way to finding out. California is experiencing one of the worst droughts ever recorded. "We have not had this dry a time period in all of California's history since we've been keeping records- that's how bad it is," says Rep. Jim Costa, D-Calif. The drought seems to be caused by a vast of high pressure in the atmosphere, nearly 4 miles high and 2,000 miles long (Rogers). With each passing week California's lack of rainfall is becoming more serious.

       In early February, California received a rainfall of 3-4 inches. But is that enough? Not quite. City Council member says "We are a long way from where we need to be, but we have to start with some sort of raindrop." The San Jose Mercury News says the drenching is a result of something scientist call an "atmospheric river," formed in the Pacific Ocean that then moves to eastward to hit California. The San Francisco Bay area usually receives an average  rainfall of 14.5 inches by this point. They have seen just 3 inches.

       Restaurants in California are going to have to start easing up on glasses of water that are not asked for and refilling glasses unless asked to do so. A lot of water is wasted in restaurants through these routines and because of the seriousness of the drought- it is going to have to stop. "The water left on tables seems like such a small thing, but it's something that adds up over time, especially if the restaurant has busers refilling glasses," says Angelica Pappas of the California Restaurant Association. This idea of "auto-items" is a huge generator of waste in restaurants and is considered "good service."

        At  a state level, however, restaurants are not the biggest consumers of water. It's the farmers. They guzzle 80 percent of the water in California (Barclay). And in the restaurant 84 percent of water use is in the kitchen and in the bathrooms, according to the EPA. Across the state, businesses are looking for ways to cut back on water and getting consumers to do the same. Water rationing plans are underway. Maybe putting the second largest metropolis in the country in the middle of a desert wasn't the best idea. Who knew?
         
         President Obama visited the heart of California's parched land, Frenso California. Mr. Obama pledged $183 million from existing federal funds for drought relief programs. He also linked the drought to climate changed caused by rural America. He announced that he will ask congress for $1 billion in new funding for  a climate resiliency program to help communities prepare for climate disaster. Mr. Obama said, "A changing climate means that weather-related disasters like droughts, wildfires, storms, floods are potentially going to be costlier and they're going to be harsher."

         Ryan Jacobson, executive director of the Frenso County Farm Bureau, said Obama's announcement was " a great start, but won't fix long term issues." He says the water infrastructure needs major upgrades, and for other counties from the north to release more water. He does not want to blame this catastrophe on climate change entirely. Jacobson wants to focus on the immediate drought rather than focusing on something that is questionably tied to this or not. Republican representative of Frenso, Devin Nunes, attributes the drought not to climate change but to interference of the federal government. He criticized the federal government for shutting off portions of California's system of water irrigation and storage, and diverting water into a program for freshwater salmon. He blames the drought on mathematics and engineering.

       So whether the cause of this drought be weather, atmosphere, pollution, overconsumption or engineering, there is no doubt that there is indeed a drought. The solution is unclear at this point, but something needs to be done before it is too late. Because I cannot live without fresh fruits and vegies!

Articles Referenced:
http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_24904396/california-drought-whats-causing-it
http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/statistics/
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/02/09/274125150/is-it-enough-rain-for-drought-stricken-california
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/02/05/271997854/california-is-so-dry-some-diners-wont-get-water-unless-they-ask
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/15/us/politics/obama-to-announce-aid-for-drought-racked-california.html