Dry California takes action

When the 100,000+ Thais living in California talk to their friends and relatives back home, one topic is sure to be water โ€“ or rather the lack of it. Yesterday, the state governor ordered drastic water use restrictions as little snow remains to replenish supplies

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A snowboarder threads his way through patches of dirt at Squaw Valley Ski Resort, March 21, 2015 in Olympic Valley, California. Many Tahoe-area ski resorts have closed due to low snowfall as California's historic drought continues. In normal years, the snowpack supplies 30 percent of the state's water needs. AFP PHOTO/MAX WHITTAKER

Note to students: Thailand has its own water problems and I imagine there will be many jobs in the future related to water conservation.

Reliable statistics are hard to find, but there are certainly more than 100,000 Thais living in California, probably more than that in the Los Angeles area alone. When California Thais talk to relatives and friends back home, one topic is sure to be water – or rather the lack of it.

It is too early to put all the blame on climate change, but California is suffering from an historic drought with no end in sight.

Yesterday, the Government ordered a series of mandatory restrictions in the use of water. There may be more to come. Here are the details from AFP.

California Governor Jerry brown (L) addresses a press conference with California Department of Water Resources (DWR) workers at Phillips Station on April 1, 2015. California announced sweeping statewide water restrictions for the first time in history April 1, 2015 in order to combat the region's devastating drought, the worst since records began. Governor Brown issued the declaration at a press conference in the parched, brown slope of the Sierra Nevada mountains that would normally be covered by deep snow. AFP PHOTO / California Department of Water Resources / FLORENCE LOW

California unveils historic water restrictions over drought crisis

Los Angeles, April 1, AFP – California announced sweeping statewide water restrictions for the first time in history Wednesday in order to combat the region's devastating drought, the worst since records began.

Governor Jerry Brown issued the declaration at a press conference in a parched, brown slope of the Sierra Nevada mountains that would normally be covered by deep snow.

"Today, we are standing on dry grass where there should be five feet (1.5 meters) of snow," Brown said. "This historic drought demands unprecedented action."

The executive order issued by Brown would aim to achieve a 25 percent reduction in water usage across cities and towns throughout California by a combination of measures.

The reductions would be achieved by ramping up enforcement to prevent wasteful water use, while investing in technologies designed to make California more drought-resilient.

The order also set out new measures to reduce water use, including the replacement of 4.6 million square meters of lawns with drought-tolerant landscaping.

A man pushes his cart past a selection of drought tolerant plants on display at a Home Depot in Alhambra on April 1, 2015 in California." AFP PHOTO / FREDERIC J. BROWN

This lawn may not be green for much longer as water restriction measures are enforced. AFP PHOTO / FREDERIC J. BROWN

A statewide consumer rebate program would also be set up to encourage individuals to replace old appliances with modern, water and energy efficient models.

The measure orders campuses, golf courses, cemeteries and other large consumers of water to significantly cut use.

New homes and developments would also be banned from using potable water for sprinkler systems unless water-efficient drip irrigation systems are used.

Brown had already declared a state of emergency in California over the crippling four-year drought, the most severe on record.

Environmental experts welcomed the measures but cautioned it remained to be seen how effective they would be.

Water lines are visible along the steep banks of Lake McClure on March 24, 2015 in La Grange, California. More than 3,000 residents in the Sierra Nevada foothill community of Lake Don Pedro who rely on water from Lake McCLure could run out of water in the near future if the severe drought continues. AFP PHOTO/JUSTIN SULLIVAN

The drought has left swathes of California's landscape unrecognisable, with normally brimming lakes and rivers now dry and losses to the state's agricultural industry estimated at several billion dollars.

California Department of Water Resources Director Mark Cowin said the state can expect virtually zero water from the snowpack as it melts in the coming weeks.

"Water conservation must become a way of life," he said in a statement.

Only four years ago, the measured depth of the snowpack was three metres.

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