California 2014: H2-Low
Typically when you talk about water in California the only thing people agree on is that it’s wet. Other than that, well, it’s a topic full of opportunities for arguments. This year however, there’s something else most Californians agree on about water: We don’t have nearly enough of it.
Coming on the heels of several relatively dry years, the 2013-14 “wet season” is shaping up to be one of the driest on record. Lakes and reservoirs around the state are well below seasonal norms and the Sierra Snow Pack, California’s “savings account” when it comes to water, is holding only about 20 percent of the normal water content. If it continues, and most long term forecasts indicate it will, the lack of water in California could have severe impact in several different ways.
The most obvious impact is on agriculture. With less surface water available, some farmland will inevitably lie fallow this year. Others might have to be irrigated from wells, a costly option at best.