Over the past few centuries, California has suffered from several droughts. The increase in population and lack of sufficient rain has made it difficult to collect enough water to fill reservoirs. The little rain that has fallen in metro Los Angeles has been wasted because of locations. Most of the water falls into storm drains and gutters which flow straight into the Pacific Ocean (Barnett). Many economists believe that the drought will not severely affect California besides having an up and down relationship between water conservation and usage for agricultural and statewide purposes (Megerian). In the following essay, I will talk about the drought in California, how it has affect California in the past, how it affects the environment, and …show more content…
Los Angeles has gone through 3 major droughts which have all passed within a few years. The first major drought, in 1928, was called the “dust bowl” because of its conditions. It was considered a lengthy and highly severe drought. Many agricultural ---- lost money due to withering crops and dying animals. It came to the point that the Humane Society was called multiple times to rescue the starved and dehydrated animals. The drought finally ended in 1935. Many water works and reservoir projects came out of this to find better resources and more efficient ways to conserve water. The second major drought we’ve faced occurred from 1976 to 1977. Although it was a short drought, there were approximately $1 billion in economic losses. Farmers and agricultural communities had it the worst. It became prominent that this drought could severely cripple the state’s water supply. Fines were put into play if water usage was not cut down 10 – 15%; water conservation efforts were continued even after the drought ended to make sure that it would never happen again. However the drought came back in 1987, leading to $250 million economic and agricultural losses. There was a lack of water in Sierra Nevada; it was believed that the Sierra Nevada will never be able to go back to the appropriate sustainability because it became more and more severe. Eventually, the drought was called to an end in 1993 when the reservoir was up to 80% full