California is currently experiencing its worst drought on record. Dozens of cities have enacted strict limitations on water usage and declared fines on violators. In the drying woodlands, fire crews had to fight 140 new wildfires in the week of August 17 alone. For the last three years, the rains have not come, sending nearly the entire state into a drought emergency. Farmers depended on reservoirs to help their crops through the season, but when that failed they pumped up thousands of gallons of water from underground aquifers. But now, the aquifers are being used up at devastating rates. The dry area stretches across a dozen states and includes fields that account for 1/3 of the country’s cattle and half of its fruit, vegetables, and wheat production.
As someone who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, my family is one of millions that are directly affected by the drought. Prices for produce and meat products have risen this year. As of July 2014, 60% of California is officially in extreme drought conditions. The 38 million residents of the Golden State have been forced to cut their water usage by 20%. This severe drought endangers dozens of communities in and around California. So far, no permanent solutions have been found, but as a society the only thing we can do now is to conserve water and hope for the best.