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Nick Ramos
Mr. Hawkins
American Government, Period 5th
10 November 2015
What are the Effects of the California Drought?

California is experiencing harsh times as we are now considered being in the middle
of an extreme drought. California is in a state of emergency because we are now in third
year of the drought. The drought is affecting many conditions throughout the state. The
drought affects a wide spectrum from farmers to consumers. Together Californians must
enforce measures to alleviate the consequences of the drought.
The current situation in California requires everyones attention. This spring
California had experienced its driest three year stretch. Our climate varies tremendously
from temperate rainforest on the North Coast to the extreme parched land of Death
Valley. According to the United States Drought Monitor more than 80 percent of the state
is in extreme or exceptional drought. The extreme drought happens once every 20 to 50
years and wreaks havoc on crops. Meanwhile, an exceptional drought comes every 50 to
100 years. This causes water emergencies by draining reservoirs, streams and wells. The
California drought is costing us about 2.7 billion this year. According to a UC Davis
study team, that the statistics suggest the states overall economy can withstand the
impact. In their latest estimate of the four-year droughts economic effects, professors at
the universitys Center for Watershed Sciences said the drought has reduced seasonal
farm employment by 10,100 jobs this year. Economic losses of 2.7 billion is about equal

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to five percent of annual agricultural production and about one tenth of one percent of
Californias economy is still growing. Indirect jobs were lost like truck drivers, food
processing workers and others partially dependent on farming. Some farmers are holding
up reasonably well in spite of the significant water shortages. The drought is still a
relatively a small drop of Californias massive economy.
The severity of the drought can be partially blamed on the resilient ridge. It is a high
pressure area that sits for many months over the eastern Pacific Ocean. This ridge sends
storms that would normally hit California up over the Alaskan panhandle and the Yukon.
This leaves California unusually dry. The ridge extends from British Columbia down the
coast of California. The ridge has blocked the storms from making their way down to our
state. This furthers the effects on our already dry and parched state. California has had
low rainfall over the last two years which compounded the drastic conditions we are
facing. The resilient ridge is a mystery. High pressure areas usually develop during the
winter, and normally they breakdown, allowing the storms to get to California.
Climatologists dont know why this ridge has persisted so long.
The drought is causing many problems for farmers. A great example is that of almond
crops. Almonds and many other nut trees have become more popular in the past twenty
years. Almond crops are very lucrative for farmers. Almonds need year round water.
The almonds are very expensive as a result of the water situation. California also grows
nearly one half of the nuts for consumption in the United States. Some farmers are now
uprooting these nut trees before they are past their prime. It is very sad that they do not
have the water to keep them alive. Similarly, annual crops, like rice or tomatoes, could
not be planted this year and the fields left empty. This farming problem is also affecting

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the consumers wallet. The price of the fruits and vegetables is on the rise. For example,
berries rose in price by about 80 cents per clamshell, broccoli by 11 cents per pound,
grapes by 64 cents a pound, melons by 24 cents a pound, packaged salad by 23 cents a
bag, and peppers by 26 cents a pound. Researchers at UC Davis predict about 428,000 or
(five percent) of the irrigated cropland wont be planted this year in the Central Valley,
Central Coast, and Southern California. With the reduced crops and subsequent harvest
jobs have been hurt. The UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences claims that our state
will lose 17,100 agricultural jobs because of the drought. California farms use eighty
percent of the state water. Farmers in the dry Central Valley alone may stand to lose
$810 million this year from keeping their fields idle. (Central Valley Project) Currently,
the Legislature, hoping to remedy the job loss, is seeking to move the state toward local
management of groundwater. Hopefully this will reduce the predicted impact of the
farmers loss of jobs and crops.
Groundwater is keeping our state hydrated. As of June 25, 2015 groundwater
accounted for 60 percent of Californias water supply. The state of California does not
view groundwater as a public commodity. Ground water is not regulated like the water in
rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. There is currently a drilling frenzy to scoop up groundwater.
As a result and because of many years of Californians draining an incredible amount of
water from the ground to grow crops and water landscapes with no return in water our
state is sinking. In a 2015 article by Nathan Halverson The Secrets of the Drought the
startling facts about Californias groundwater depletion include:

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1.

Californians drained about 125 million acre-feet of groundwater (about 41

trillion gallons) from the Central Valley between 1920-2013, according to the
U.S. Geological Survey.

2. California is sinking at a record pace-one farmer in the Central Valley

reported his land sank more than 18 inches last year.
3. It will take at least fifty years for the Central Valleys aquifers to naturally
refill, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
4. California has permanently lost about 18 million acre-feet (6 trillion gallons)
of water during the past century, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
5. California now is pumping water that is 20,000 years old.
6. A great swath of the Central Valley is desert.
7. No-one knows how much groundwater California has left.
8. Every time California drains its aquifers during a drought, it makes the next
drought even worse.
9. The electricity needed to pump groundwater now is about 5 percent of the
states total energy use.

The next issue caused by the drought is fish evacuations. Hatcheries like the ones in
the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta (which is ecologically important) are strongly
feeling the drought. In June the rainbow trout and steelhead trout had to be released from
two hatcheries. They were smaller and younger in size because scientists predicted that
by the midsummer, where the fish live it would be too warm for the fish to survive. This
is due to the limited mountain runoff. Since January 2014, the California Department of

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Fish and Wildlife has conducted stream monitoring, fish rescues, restoration projects and
many other actions to protect native freshwater and salt water-freshwater-salt water fishes
threatened and impacted by the statewide drought.
Drought conditions have been largely responsible for the recent fires in the state. We
are experiencing fires almost across the whole state. These fires are destroying acres and
acres of homes and property. The number of fires continues to increase, fire organizations
report a 36 percent increase in the last five years. According to the California Department
of Forestry and Fire Protection we are at a great risk for the continued fires. Just in San
Diego County alone there raged more than a dozen wildfires this year in the month of
May. This is especially noteworthy since their wildfire season is usually in the fall
following the dry summer. Not only are the fires dangerous for people and property in
their paths, they also set the stage for compounding hazards in the future, including
landslides, floods and poor water quality.
The drought is not only affecting farmers, consumers, fish, and firefighting efforts.
Homeowners are having to make sacrifices. Homeowners are tearing out their lawns to
conserve water. Water agencies have been encouraging people to make the switch to a
drought friendly landscape. In Southern California the Metropolitan Water District, the
agency in charge of over 19 million people, removed over 2.5 million square feet of
residential lawns this past July. Subsequently the agency saw a reduction of 20 percent in
water use. Closer to home, in Vacaville, residents were asked to only water two days a
week depending on their zip code. A quick drive around the city of Vacaville will show
many brown lawns and lawns that have been replace with drought tolerant landscape or
artificial turf. The city of Vacaville has been commended by Governor Brown for its

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continued water conservation. Landscape is only one example of homeowner efforts to
deal with the drought. Many homeowners are only flushing toilets when absolutely
necessary, saving shower water in buckets to water plants, installing low flow shower
heads and toilets, and drinking only bottled water from out of state. The length of
showers for many have been drastically reduced, car washing only if you have an
appropriate shut off nozzle, and water features (ponds, waterfalls, swimming pools) being
more closely monitored are now habit. Restaurants and hotels have also contributed by
serving water only by request and not washing linens and such if guests are staying more
than one day in the hotel.
Finally, it is important to note that both the State and Federal government have ear
marked money for drought relief. Governor Brown approved a $1 billion dollar plan to
deal with Californias persistent drought, a mix of short term relief and long term water
projects. (Los Angeles Times, March 2015) Millions of dollars will go toward food and
emergency drinking water in hard hit areas as well as wildlife preservation. However the
bulk of the legislation would fund infrastructure initiatives which may not be completed
for years. Examples of these initiatives include water recycling and desalination. Flood
prevention is also a part of this legislation as our state has been ravaged by both fire and
dry, dry land. President Obama along with the United States Department of Agriculture
has authorized money to the western states, specifically California to assist with drought
relief. Governor Brown said in a statement This aid will provide new opportunities for
farmworkers and rural communities most impacted by the drought and make the state
more water-efficient and drought resilient. (Los Angeles Times, June 12, 2015)

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One of the big questions that people ask is when will the drought end? Many believe
El Nino will put an end to the negative effects of the drought in California. El Nino
refers to the warming of the Pacific Ocean that brings sea surface temperatures above
average. El Nino conditions, which can last for a year or two, develop concurrently with
atmospheric changes leading to a variety of global effects, including drier than normal
weather. Climatologist Bill Patzert with NASA Jet Propulsion Lab is giving this El Nino
the nickname Godzilla as the El Nino of 2015-16 is expected to be one of the strongest on
record. On October 25, 2015 the Federal Emergency Management Agency is urging all
Californians to be prepared for the heavy rainfall and resulting flooding that will occur
with this El Nino, yet another effect of Californias drought. Further, El Ninos are
extremely unpredictable. Many experts believe El Nino will cause greater storms in the
southern part of the state. If this is the case our drought will not be put to an end. More
than 75 percent of the demand for irrigation and drinking water is in the south state, the
backbone of Californias water supply and delivery system and most of its reservoir
capacity is in the north. The president of the Pacific Institute, an environmental policy
group based in Oakland reports Were much better off if it rains in the north than in the
south. The researchers at the UC Davis Center for Watershed sciences are uncertain as
to whether this years El Nino will substantially raise water levels in northern reservoirs.
One of the researchers said It looks like a shotgun blast. You wouldnt want to bet on
this. Maybe we will get a lot of water. Maybe we wont. (UC Davis Center for
Watershed Sciences, October 4, 2015) If the El Nino causes rain in Central and Northern
California it will however ease the burden on the states water supply. It is reported that
the biggest benefit to California, especially Southern California, from El Nino could be

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the replenishment of groundwater supplies. The National Centers for Environmental
Information predicts California would need between 9-12 inches of rain between now and
January 6, 2016, in order to both pull itself out of the drought and begin to replenish the
environment. Californians must keep in mind that it takes long term relief to fix a longterm disaster.

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Geiling, Natasha. http://thinkprogress.org/climate. 5 June 2015. article. 25 October 2015.
Ghose, Tia. www.livescience.com. 15 July 2015. Article. 28 October 2015.
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Kasler, Dale. "http://www.sacbee.com." Sacramento Bee 18 August 2015: 25. article. 11
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Nathan, Halverson. https://www.revealnews.org. 4 June 2015. article. 11 November 2015.
Poppick, Laura. www.lifescience.com. 30 December 2014. Article. 30 October 2015.
Reese, Dale Kasler and Phillip. California drought ipact pegged at $2.7 billion.
Sacramento, 18 August 2015. Newspaper.
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November 2015. article.