You know it’s happening. The California Drought. But what you may not know is that it is possibly the worst one this mighty state has ever experienced. On January 17, Governor Jerry Brown declared a drought emergency for the state. While January is usually one of the wettest months of the year, January 2014 ended up being the driest in history for some cities, especially Los Angeles, that received no measurable rainfall for only the fifth time since 1878. Then on Thursday, January 30, the drought reached a new milestone when the U.S. Drought Monitor revealed that exceptional drought covered 9% of the state. Extreme drought coverage, the second worst category, increased to 67% (NBC Los Angeles). Three months in now, we are unfortunately still in bad conditions.

Remember the rainstorm a couple weeks ago? (You probably do, considering the fact that the Marymount campus was pretty much like a sloshy river that day and you were soaking wet by the time you reached math class.) Although a lot of rain came down, it wasn’t enough to resolve California’s problem; multiple storms would need to occur in order to make a serious impact. Hard to believe, but for the first time in about three years, Los Angeles received more than two inches. According to the National Weather Service, the storm doubled the total inches of rainfall of the rainy season, which started in July (USA Today). Los Angeles is still 7 inches below the normal 11 inches, but hopefully baby steps are the way to go.

As you can imagine, the CA drought effects not just the land itself, but also the people and the economy! The drought has trickling repercussions on its civilians’ daily lives. Some communities have implemented water usage restrictions and others are using “drought busters” to patrol water waste. USA Today writes that so far, this “drought has caused an impact of about $5 billion in the state’s $2 trillion economy” (USA Today). Consequently, food prices have also risen in grocery stores! If the drought continues to persist, don’t be too surprised if your favorite loaf of bread costs way more than it usually does.

Governor Jerry Brown has called upon Angelenos to do a small part in this terrible drought; he asked them to reduce water usage by 20%.  Here are some things you can do now to conserve water:

• Turn off the faucet while you brush your teeth. You’ll save up to 2.5 gallons per minute.

• Shower for 5 minutes. 12.5 gallons saved!

• Use a trashcan. Seriously. Flushing tissue down the toilet can waste 5-7 gallons.

• Check your sprinklers for leaks, overspray, and broken heads, and repair promptly. If possible, turn them off completely! (Cue Hilary Duff’s JLo wannabe stepmom in A Cinderella Story.)

• Plant low-water-use plants allowing you to not water them so frequently, but still have a lovely garden.

Now that you have a couple water-conserving tips in your back pocket, be sure to use them! Small changes can make a big impact.

Works Cited

Tips – http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?id=9437869

Water Conservation – http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Drought-California-Drought-Weather-Water-Conservation-250398291.html

Statistics – http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2014/03/01/california-soaked-but-little-drought-help-damage/5923281/