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Hinton stated that people feel the seriousness of the drought every day in their work and that they need to be working towards real solutions to it. Living in Sacramento, however, you don’t feel the same urgency because we aren’t as dependent on groundwater or other scarce resources in the same manner that these communities.
But advocates claim that government officials are also misdirecting their attention to the wrong approach. They argue that voluntary residential water cuts are not the answer and that restrictions should be imposed on businesses and industries that use large amounts of the state’s water.
“Corporate water abuse has to be addressed or no other measures will matter,” said Jessica Gable, a spokesperson for Food & Water Watch.
Gable stated that California’s current perception is that drought is linked to climate change. “But there hasn’t been any effort to curtail the industries using the most water, coincidentally those that also emit the most carbon that are fueling climate change.”
Onus misplaced
Edward Ortiz, spokesperson of the State Water Resources Control Board said that March was a major setback for Governor Scott’s water goals.
Ortiz said that “this is a concerning development for our response to the drought in California as a state.” Californians can respond to these circumstances by making water conservation a way for life. It should be a habit to conserve water regardless of the weather.
He stated that Californians need to “double down on efforts to conserve water inside and out of their homes and businesses.”
Residents are asked by community advocates if they wonder if big water users face the same pressures and painful decisions to conserve. For example, agriculture that uses large amounts of water (such almonds, avocados, tomatoes, etc.) or fracking where millions of gallons can be used to frack one fossil fuel oil well.
Gable said that, while every little bit counts, repeated pleas for people to save water can seem out of touch at best. Given that the industries that could dramatically cut the excessive water allocation to them are rarely held accountable, Gable said.
Amanda Starbuck, research director with Food & Water Watch, said cutting back on residential water use is like telling people recycling could save the planet. Although it is a significant action, it will not make a difference in the overall crisis.
Starbuck stated to CNN that it is also demeaning to attribute residential use to these crises. It’s a small fraction of overall consumption. It’s a much greater problem, and we really have to start bringing in big industries that are guzzling hydration during times of drought.”
A spokesperson for Newsom’s office told CNN that local water agencies have set new targets since March that should lead to lower usage — including the outdoor watering restriction — and more decisions are coming in front of the state board this month.
“We are hopeful that these actions will significantly contribute towards the state’s overall Water Reduction Goals as outdoor watering has been one of the largest single users of water,” a spokesperson stated in a statement.
The spokesperson also highlighted additional funding for water resilience, which the governor announced Friday in his budget proposal. This funding is part the $47 billion that will be used to address the effects of the climate crisis in the state.
The spokesperson said that the additional funding will allow us to reach more Californians and inform them about the importance of conserving water, as well as provide support for local water districts in dealing with the drought emergency.
Other sources are not available
Hinton stated that rural communities are often anxious about the water supply.
Hinton said that “the bigger story, at most for us, is that when we’re in the middle of droughts like this, it doesn’t just stop outdoor water use for our family,” but also shorter showers. “Our families are concerned that their water will stop flowing all together.
These are communities that don’t rely on reservoirs — where much of the focus has been for reaching critically low levels — but instead use private groundwater wells.
The problem is that groundwater levels in the state can sink under extremely dry conditions. More groundwater is then used for agriculture and other purposes.
She said that the families she works with feel the urgency because they are familiar with what has happened in the past. “We have people whose wells have dried up since the last drought but they have not been financially able to get them repaired or connected to a long-term solution.”
Hinton said that climate change has made drought a permanent reality. “This is something that we as a state have to deal with.” “The more we accept this and are proactive, the less we will be reacting to situations such as whole communities becoming dry or urban areas having to reduce water consumption to this extent because we have already overused the water available to us.”
