Drought affects society through multiple facets, especially through its ability to create fluctuating economies due to its affect on agriculture, electricity, and water usage, as well as the ways these processes are developed. When droughts turn dangerous, conservation is key, but this conservation is usually expensive. Virtually everyone is affected, even timber workers, as drought leads to increased chances of wildfires, causing wood companies lose money. Water is used in everyone's daily lives, so its essential that we conserve it for the sake of the environment and in turn the economy, as raised water and electricity bills ravages homes and businesses. Drought especially highlights the procurement of water sources, agricultural difficulties,
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While this is a monumental environmental impact, the use of hydropower to bring electricity goes down, affecting society economically. During the 2014-2015 winter, California faced a hydropower efficiency of less then 10%, while in 2006 there was a power supply of around 40% (Beaudry, 5). California uses hydropower by turning turbines held in large reservoirs, and while snowfall and precipitation would usually fill it back up, drought makes these resources deplete. Since the 2000's, hydroelectricity has declined in the state of California, where some form of drought is prominent year after year. With this resource unavailable, natural gas has become increasingly used and increasingly expensive, as hydropower is much less expensive than most forms of energy generation. California ratepayers spent a total $1.4 billion between 2011 and 2014 due to the shift from hydropower to gas power. This, along with a $1 billion spent on expenses from 2007 to 2009, make up a total of $2.4 billion spent in shifting electricity due to severe drought (Gleick, 2). These expenses go directly to the public, and those who live in California face both higher water and electricity bills. In 2015, the people of Cowan Heights averaged a water bill between $400-$500 monthly (Nagourney, 1), much higher than any average water bill. Water companies in California have risen rates since the governor's drought package and switch in water resources, in order to make respectable revenue. Many conservation laws have been put into place, but even with these orders in place water is still an expensive
While this is a monumental environmental impact, the use of hydropower to bring electricity goes down, affecting society economically. During the 2014-2015 winter, California faced a hydropower efficiency of less then 10%, while in 2006 there was a power supply of around 40% (Beaudry, 5). California uses hydropower by turning turbines held in large reservoirs, and while snowfall and precipitation would usually fill it back up, drought makes these resources deplete. Since the 2000's, hydroelectricity has declined in the state of California, where some form of drought is prominent year after year. With this resource unavailable, natural gas has become increasingly used and increasingly expensive, as hydropower is much less expensive than most forms of energy generation. California ratepayers spent a total $1.4 billion between 2011 and 2014 due to the shift from hydropower to gas power. This, along with a $1 billion spent on expenses from 2007 to 2009, make up a total of $2.4 billion spent in shifting electricity due to severe drought (Gleick, 2). These expenses go directly to the public, and those who live in California face both higher water and electricity bills. In 2015, the people of Cowan Heights averaged a water bill between $400-$500 monthly (Nagourney, 1), much higher than any average water bill. Water companies in California have risen rates since the governor's drought package and switch in water resources, in order to make respectable revenue. Many conservation laws have been put into place, but even with these orders in place water is still an expensive