Case study - drought in California
California is a coastal state in western USA with a population of around 39 million residents. It has A natural region that experiences less than 250 mm of precipitation and has either hot or cold temperatures throughout the year. to the east, but there is usually plenty of rainfall to provide water along the coast. There are around 24 million acres (or 9.7 million ha) of farmland in California. Roughly 40% of the country's vegetables, fruit and nuts are grown in the state, which generates around $50 billion each year.
California has experienced A long period of low rainfall that creates a major shortage of water. since 2011. Irrigated crops use a lot of the freshwater supplies in the region. Rising temperatures, falling rainfall levels and a growing population are also contributing to the problem.
The drought has lowered Where water is stored in rocks beneath the ground. levels. This can cause lots of problems, such as:
- A fall in land levels. - this is a fall in the level of the land, which damages properties.
- Sea water intrusion - this is when sea water flows in to groundwater spaces known as Naturally occurring underground water stores.. People cannot drink sea water as it is salty.
- Fires - vegetation becomes very dry and intense heat, such as lightning strikes, can set it alight easily.
- A community of animals, plants and microorganisms, together with the habitat where they live. damage.
In 2014 California introduced a new law called the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act or SGMA. It aimed to regulate the use of groundwater supplies and make ground supplies sustainable by the year 2040 . However, many years after this law was put in place, wells are still drying up. There are still many improvements to make before the targets can be met.