California farmers are still dealing with extreme dry conditions — and it doesn't look like Mother Nature plans to help anytime soon. Gov. Jerry Brown last week declared a drought emergency for the Golden State, saying it's facing perhaps the worst drought in more than 100 years. His remarks, made at his San Francisco office, came as firefighters continued to battle fires in the foothills of Los Angeles County, adding to the stress of an already parched land.
In an effort to curb the effects, Brown asked state residents to voluntarily reduce their water consumption by at least 20 percent, noting that mandatory restrictions could come next. This doesn’t bode well for farmers, but the government is offering some compensation.The USDA has designated 27 of California’s 58 counties, along with portions of 10 other states, as natural disaster areas because of the drought, according to an article by Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle. This means farmers can receive emergency, low-interest loans to help get them through the rough patches.
What people are really praying for, though, is rain. They might see some drizzle at the end of January, but it likely won’t be enough to make a difference, according to the report.
Voluntarily reducing water use, which proved helpful in past dry conditions, is “a critical step for the state amid this crisis,” Timothy Quinn, executive director of the Association of California Water Agencies, was quoted by the newspaper.
Brown also called on the state to hire more firefighter to battle the flames. Meteorologists fear that with 90 percent of the state suffering from drought, this could be a year with a lot of fires.
Snowpack in California’s mountains is 20 percent of normal average, while its largest reservoirs are below record lows and its major waterways flow with "significantly reduced" water, according to a CNN report by Michael Martinez. California has suffered from “extreme dry conditions” since 2011.
Brown said he would set into motion an initiative that would make water transfers easier between regions in the state, and is petitioning the federal government for further assistance.
On Jan. 22, House Speaker John Boehner visited California to announce an emergency drought-relief bill to help farmers.
If passed, the bill would temporarily halt restoration of the San Joaquin River, designed to bring back the historic salmon flow, and allow farmers to pump from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta as water permits. It also forms a House-Senate committee to tackle water troubles.
The bill is expected to be introduced in February, reported Scott Smith for the Associated Press.
Other Western states are also threatened by drought. According to an article in the Yakima Herald by Kate Prengaman, the USDA has designated moderate drought status for 93 percent of Washington; 75 percent of Oregon is in severe drought. PD
—Summarized by PD staff from cited sources
EDITOR'S NOTE: This article was updated with additional information on Feb. 4.
