The Importance Of Drought In Southern California

Twenty two million four hundred twenty two thousand six hundred fourteen people claim residency in Southern California. All of these millions of people have to survive off of two vital elements, food and water. Humans are able to survive two weeks without eating, but can only go for two days without water, before they die of dehydration. Southern California primarily receives its water from lakes and rivers from the North and from ground water that is pumped out. Currently, Southern California is in great need of water because of the drought that has consumed this section. Southern California relies on other places water resources and groundwater to provide for the millions that live in the area. It is very hard to depend on rainfall because of the little amount due to the climate of the section. Since the water is imported to Southern California, the state has an aqueduct system set in place to allow water to flow from North to South. This system provides drinking water and generates an average of six thousand five hundred GWhs of hydroelectricity each year. Around seventy percent of the water in the structure is used in urban areas in the Southern California region. Since the aqueducts can not produce enough drinking water for all twenty two million, groundwater is pumped out of …show more content…
More water is imported to substitute for the lack of rainfall due to the hot weather. This water comes from other places, such as the Colorado River and rivers in Northern California. The importation will not last forever and Southern California must start thinking about creating more desalination plants to convert our plentiful ocean water to usable water. This would tremendously help with the drought, but would cost the state millions. The people wold have to vote to produce these plants because it would be people’s tax dollars that allow and pay for the