[Student Reporters] H20-No! People Need to Be Aware of the Water Crisis

Kim, Tae-Hu/10th, F.W Buchholz High School

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) is a group of 26 cities and districts that provides water to a projected 24 million people in a 13000 km radius. It manages water from the Colorado river as well as the California Aqueduct and is one of the largest factors for distribution of water towards a municipal population in the United States.

Unfortunately even the MWD could not have prepared for the current water crisis in Southern California that has lasted about three to six years.

Some attribute the recent water crisis in California to global warming saying that an increasing temperature has led towards lower water levels.

Others however do not believe that global warming is a major factor towards the crisis. Hansol Kang age 15 states "overpopulation is the key culprit."

The population of Southern California indeed is a problem especially considering population distribution. While 75% of the rainfall occurs above Sacramento roughly 3/4 of the population of California claim residence below it. Therefore efforts have been made to export water from the North to the South - an effort that has failed on multiple occasions.

Various environmental agencies as well as politicians disagree with the proposed solution of water export from the north to the south. One of the main reasons in their decisions is based on the salmon and steelhead population in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and exports of water have actually decreased by 30% due to environmental concerns.

Then how can California solve its water crisis?

There have been various efforts put into action already in order to decrease the use of water. In Los Angeles the Mayor recently mandated a decrease in water used for municipal services. In the general California region the state has already proclaimed itself to be in a state of projected drought. Despite these efforts two things are imminently clear - that an increase in rainfall cannot displace two three or even six years of drought. Second that the population of Southern California will continue to grow.

As a result the population of California must acknowledge that they are in a drought. While small businesses and agricultural industries have cut down on the use of water and municipal services have lowered the amount of the resource they use it is among everyday citizens where the true solution lies.

It is not so much as 'water conservation' that will save the day - rather the promotion thereof. To instill the population with a sense of caution and perhaps even fear towards the rapidly diminishing water supply would set things right. Until then people will still leave taps running not patch up leaks and generally be wasteful. Perhaps when the water finally reaches such low levels that the shower no longer operates or the sink doesn't have any water will people realize the drastic consequences of their actions.