Essay On California

No topic in California is as divisive as the water use between the two halves. It seems that when water is an issue on debate in California the northern and southern end are as split as two different continents. The main issues splitting the state apart are Southern California’s lack of water resources, Northern California’s reluctance to give their water away, and the misuse of the state’s water in general. The lack of water brought on by the drought has further emphasized the tensions between the state, seeing as both feel a certain entitlement to it. Instead of arguing over who needs and deserves it California needs to improve the technology that governs both agriculture and urban water use. California’s main water supply comes from a few months of snow that accumulate in the northern half, and slowly melts providing a water source. This is a characteristic of western North American water supply, whereas in the central and eastern parts rainfall continuously falls providing water (Mote et al.). The California water supply in the form of snowpack is located in the north, yet the majority of the population lives in the south. The problem that is polarizing California’s is the West’s gradual decline in Snowpack …show more content…
Water is a basic human necessity, and although populations have not made wise decisions in making major cities in places without water it does not mean that they do not deserve water or that relocating cities is feasible. The moral argument could be made that Northern Californian agriculture accounts for up to two-thirds of the U.S. fruits and nuts and half of the vegetable supply (Agricultural Statistical Overview). With a market worth 50 billion, it would directly affect all states if California agriculture were forced to cut their production (Agricultural Statistical Overview). In this sense both sides are morally entitled to water, even in the face of a historical