What Is California Drought

Hello have any of you thought through on how California is experiencing a serious drought and the state will be challenged to meet its water needs in the upcoming year? 2013 was the driest year in recorded history for many areas of California, and current conditions suggest no change is in sight for 2014.Water is always important in California, but this year no one in California can afford to waste any water.
What is a Drought?
If you say the word “drought,” most people think hot, dry weather with too little rain. While any or all of those conditions can be present during a drought, the definition of drought is an extended period when a region receives a deficiency in its water supply, whether atmospheric, surface or ground water. A drought
can last for months or years, or may be declared after as few as 15 days. Generally, this occurs when a region receives consistently below average precipitation It can have a substantial impact on the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region. Although droughts . can persist for several years, even a short, intense drought can cause significant damage and harm to the local economy. The cause of droughts is easily understood, but hard to prevent. Depending on the location, crop failures, famine, high food prices, and deaths can occur. One of the scariest parts of a drought is the onset time. Unlike other forms of severe weather or natural disasters, droughts often develop slowly.
Droughts are caused by a depletion of precipitation over time. Unlike a dry spell, prolonged lack of rain will cause regions around the world to slowly dry out. Because of the slow onset of droughts, their cost is often only estimated. Frequently, droughts are billion dollar weather events and are one of the top three threats to population in the world (along with famine and flooding).

Drought can have serious health, social, economic and political impacts with far-reaching consequences. Water is one of the most important resources for human survival, second only to breathable air. So when there is a drought, which by definition means having too little water to meet current demands, conditions can become difficult or dangerous very quickly.
The consequences of drought may include:
Hunger and famine Drought conditions often provide too little water to support food crops, through either natural precipitation or irrigation using reserve water supplies. The same problem affects grass and grain used to feed livestock and poultry. When drought undermines or destroys food sources, people go hungry. When the drought is severe and continues over a long period, famine may occur.
Thirst All living things must have water to survive.
People can live for weeks without food, but only a few days without water.
Disease Drought limits the amount of clean water for drinking, public sanitation and personal hygiene, which can lead to a wide range of life-threatening diseases and sickness.
Wildfires The low moisture and precipitation that characterize droughts can quickly create hazardous conditions in forests and across range lands, setting the stage for wildfires that may cause injuries or deaths as well as a large amount of damage to property and already shrinking food supplies.
Social conflict and war when a precious commodity like water is in short supply due to drought, and the lack of water creates a corresponding lack of food, people will compete and eventually fight and kill to secure enough water to survive.
Migration or relocation Faced with the other impacts of drought, many people will leave a drought-stricken area in search of a new home with much better supply of water, enough food, and without the disease that were present in the place they are leaving.
Why is our water supply stressed?
Some areas of the state find it difficult to meet all needs for
water.
Water deliveries from some key water projects have been permanently reduced due to environmental restrictions, while other systems struggle with aging infrastructure and other challenges.
Our state’s population continues to grow, with 60 million Californians expected by 2050. That means more people, farms and businesses will rely on our rivers, and groundwater for their daily needs.
Climate change already is affecting California 's water resources.The changing rain and snowfall patterns will result in longer periods of drought.
Droughts are completely natural, but their devastation can be far-reaching and severe.
Atmospheric conditions such as climate change, ocean temperatures, changes in the jet stream, and changes in the local landscape are all causes of droughts.
What can we do to save water?
Water is an important part of California’s state. Our economy, our environment and our day-to-day lifestyle need water. But our water supply is limited. We can help make the most of it by using water wisely every day.
Saving water is not hard. We simply need to be smart about using what we have.
Rethinking the way we use water ,soboth indoors and outdoors ,will help stretch our limited supplies and ensure water is there when we need it. If we all work together, we can make a difference for California’s future.
There are many easy ways to save water indoors, from taking shorter showers to making sure that the dishwasher is full when you run it.
Because the majority of water used at home is used outdoors, even small steps to save water can yield big savings. Little things like fixing a broken sprinkler or making sure that you are running your sprinklers in the cool of the morning can save lots of water.
Remember, every drop of water is important. Use water
wisely.

Works Cited
California Democratic Delegation Calls for Hearing on California Drought. Lanham: Federal Information & News Dispatch, Inc, 2014. ProQuest. Web. 21 Oct. 2014
Drought Ravages California Farmlands. Washington, D.C.: National Public Radio, 2009. ProQuest. Web. 21 Oct. 2014.
Thibodeau, Patrick. "California Fighting Drought with Tech." Computerworld 48.4 (2014): 6. ProQuest. Web. 21 Oct. 2014.