Tag Archives: drought

Infrastructure, Sustainability

Should Drought Stricken Families be Thankful for a Tankful?

droughtExtreme drought, dry wells, wildfires, and lost jobs are forcing us to take a careful look at our water usage priorities.

If we don’t preserve water, what will happen to our children?

This is an important question asked by a central California man whose well has run dry and now must rely on water delivered by the county to a tank that is shared by 2 families. Each delivery supplies about 1 week’s worth of water.

I encourage you to watch this video and consider the questions: What’s more important – golf or families?  Is all water use created equal?

Drought Talk: Is All Water Use Created Equal?

Is a class war lurking behind the drought?

Posted by AJ+ on Thursday, August 20, 2015

Rainwater Harvesting Education, Sustainability

California Gets Proactive About Drought

half-dome-534768_640Finally, some great news about the California drought!

A recent release from the California State Water Board  (also shared by ARCSA) announced a $30 million grant to be awarded to 30 school districts for education on stormwater capture and conservation.

The drought response outreach program (DROPS) for schools was established by the California State Water Board and will include on campus rainwater collection systems, bio swales,water wise landscaping along with education of conservation.

Education, including hands on experience, will help students understand the importance of conservation and how to plan for tomorrow. California Governor Brown and the State Water Board clearly understand that the time is now to do something about future water availability. Proactive response to a 4 year drought has been implemented. Let’s hope other states, including Washington State, take notice and follow with their own programs.
Sustainability

Are We Heading for a Groundwater Overdraft?

field-698343_640Much of the world is in danger of a groundwater overdraft.

In an episode of 60 Minutes that first aired on Nov. 16, 2014 (and rebroadcast on May 31, 2015), correspondent Lesley Stahl covers a story about how groundwater is being pumped from deep aquifers below the water table, to satisfy our growing population’s demand for fresh water.

According to the story, “Water experts say groundwater is like a savings account — something you draw on in times of need. But savings accounts need to be replenished, and there is new evidence that so much water is being taken out, much of the world is in danger of a groundwater overdraft.”

In some parts of the world, the ground is actually sinking because of all the water that has been pumped out to meet water demands for agriculture and other basic human needs.

Jay Famiglietti, a leading expert on groundwater states “These aquifers near the surface, they can sometimes be replenished very quickly. If we’re talking about a deeper aquifer, that could take tens or hundreds of years to recharge.”

Click here to read the script or watch the video and leave a comment to share your thoughts on how we can replenish our water “savings account”.