Super Drought: From the Notebook of Debbie Downer
California has a problem. (And it’s not just our freeways)
We are in the middle of a devastating drought. A drought whose implications few people seem to realize. A year ago, senior water scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and UC Irvine professor Jay Famiglietti wrote an article for the Los Angeles Times that should have caused terror. The article’s title was a horror story come to life: “California has about one year of water stored. Will you ration now?”.
People didn’t.
To set the scene for you, here are a few facts about California’s current state of drought:
- Reportedly, over 96% of California is in a state of drought and more than 34% of California is in “exceptional drought”- the highest level
- The drought has cost the state upwards of $5 billion dollars ($2.2 billion in agriculture alone), around 14,500 workers could lose their jobs
If these fun facts didn’t spark any motivation in you or provide you with enough context- just picture the desert, post-apocalyptic wasteland in Mad Max.
Many feel that future technology or El Niño will save us all from our arid end. Unfortunately, those theories don’t seem to be holding much water. One winter with a little rain isn’t going to fix a problem that has been building for years. Furthermore, El Niño is often followed by La Niña, a dry spell. Similarly, although technological projects (like desalination and water recycling) will certainly be a big help in fighting the drought, they are not a cure.
The people of Los Angeles could rival Dory in Finding Nemo in their ability to easily forget. Every once in a while when the drought becomes a big story in the news, people put on their concerned masks and pontificate on how their “neighbor watering his lawn” is causing all this mess. Then, the next day- it’s old news, they are freed from the burden.
Well my fellow Californians, these are worry lines worth getting Botox for.
The time has come. This, right now, is the scene in all of the popular superhero franchises where the city is in chaos and it needs a superhero to save the day (California State Governor Jerry Brown actually did declare a state of emergency). Guess what. That superhero is YOU. You hold the power to save the day! Just to make it easy for you, I’ll hand over a list of super special superpowers that you can use EVERY DAY to literally save our state.
Put on your capes and make up a kickass superhero name my fellow drought defiers because these tricks are so easy you’ll be saving the day left and right:
1. Showers should be short and sweet (now say that ten times fast)
Every two minutes you cut from your shower saves 10 gallons of water
2. “Honey, let the dishwasher take care of it”
It’s true. No need to rinse your dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. You’ll save 20 gallons each load!
3. Baths are for babies
…and for planet haters. Baths require twice as much water so skip the bubble bar next time you’re at Lush and go for a face-mask
4. Brushing your teeth? TURN THE WATER OFF
You’ve heard this one before. I know you’ve heard this one before so just stop doing it already
5. And for those of you who really want to get serious, click here
A year has passed since the deadline for our apocalypse. Take this not as a free pass, but further motivation. That’s one more year of water depletion. The question isn’t whether we are in a drought, but what will happen to us if we let another year go by without acting our part.
Fortunately, you’ll be glad to know that your friends here at Code the Change have been hard at work doing our part. We’re helping the heroes over at the Neighborhood Council Sustainability Alliance by building them a new website to facilitate communication between their councils. Look out for all the amazing work NCSA is doing for LA’s environment and be sure to check back here to see an exclusive interview with an NCSA rep!
— Gabrielle Roberts, Communications Team
