The Great American Drought

There have been recorded incidents of drought in America since long before Europeans arrived, dating back to at least the thirteenth century. Droughts are a perfectly normal weather phenomenon. Every now and then, a confluence of factors merge to create severe droughts with far reaching economic impacts.

California Drought

Since the opening of the twenty-first century, drought conditions have been migrating throughout each of the 48 contiguous states. California and the rest of the Southwestern U.S. have been hit hardest. A number of conditions occurring at once have exacerbated and lengthened the drought in California. Higher than normal temperatures reduce the amount of groundwater available for evaporation, which in turn prevents more rain from falling.

Water Conservation Tips

Droughts like this may seem like regional issues, but their effects can be felt far and wide. The vast majority of American produce is grown in California and farmers are struggling to keep production high enough to meet domestic demand.

As it affects radiate across the country, so too can the solutions come from across the country. You can take simple water conservation steps at home today that, if enough people follow, can make great strides toward lessening the impact of the drought in California. Here are a few easy tips that anybody can implement right away:

• Know your water usage habits – knowing how much water you use and where you use it is the first step in reducing your usage.
• Keep showers short, seven minutes or less.
• Use a flow meter bag to determine whether or not you should replace your current showerhead with a high efficiency model.
• Wash dishes in a filled sink, as opposed to running the water continuously.
• Run your dishwasher and washing machine only when totally full.
• Upgrade your toilets to high efficiency models or install fill cycle diverters or toilet tank banks to minimize their water use.

Download our Drought: A Growing Concern infographic and share it with your friends and family to inform them on how they can help conserve water.