Bodega, California, relies on a weekly truckload of water to meet its basic needs. Without it, the small city of some 150 residents just north of the Bay Area would be up a very dry river — unable to meet the essential water demands of its residents. The story of the village’s water shortage is but a one example of the water crisis facing California. In a new op-ed published in the San Fransisco Chronicle, Lester Snow — director of the California Department of Water Resources — calls on state residents to help solve the water shortage:

…Californians need to fundamentally change how we use water. California needs to make water efficiency a priority at home, in our communities, on the farm and at the office. We can take immediate actions to conserve, such as adjusting how and when we water our gardens, shortening our showers and running our dishwasher only when it’s full. As we buy new appliances for our house or make long-term investments in our outdoor landscaping, our decisions directly affect future water use.
 
Before the state’s energy crisis, most Californians used power indiscriminately in their homes. Now many of us avoid peak energy-use times, instead running appliances during the evening hours and using other energy-saving products. This fundamental change has resulted in significant energy savings. It’s time to take the state’s water supply problems just as seriously. We can do it … we must do it.

 
 
Read more here.

Source : San Fransisco Chronicle

Circle of Blue’s east coast correspondent based in New York. He specializes on water conflict and the water-food-energy nexus. He previously worked as a political risk analyst covering equatorial Africa’s energy sector, and sustainable development in sub-Saharan Africa. Contact: Cody.Pope@circleofblue.org