United States: California faces a historic drought
Among the main reasons for this episode of drought, lack of snow. The California Department of Water Resources has indicated that he did not find snow to April 1 in 2,000 meters in the mountains of the Sierra Nevada, a first in 75 years.
"Because of the lower snow accumulation on record and as the end of the drought," the worst ever recorded according to scientists, "is not in order, the Governor Jerry Brown announced Wednesday saving measures Water to Reduce Waste (...) and invest in new technologies to better prepare California to face drought, "said a statement on Wednesday. "This historic drought demand unprecedented measures," he insisted.
Replacing lawns with cactus
The catastrophic drought in the western United States is straining the groundwater, threatening the water supply in this region where 40 million people live. Among the measures announced Wednesday, California will require the replacement of 4.6 million square meters of lawn with little water plants such as cacti, agaves or succulents.
The City of Angels had already introduced incentives such as "lawn against dollar" program, but on a voluntary basis.
Jerry Brown has also ordered the creation of a rebate program to replace old water and electricity installations with more efficient models and technologies, including drip that release water directly to plant roots .
"Water Police"
"Standards toilets and taps" will be revised to limit the flow of water, and the recalcitrant who continue to water their lawn every day, and to pour half into the gutter to limitations contempt already in place could be punished.
A "water police" for more awareness that sanctions already in place, but it could become more severe. Grilled lawns should increase notably through the campus, golf courses, cemeteries and other California public places, now forced to drastically reduce watering.
Jerry Brown also asked for water distribution agencies to change their rate structures for "discourage waste." Experts estimate and a pricing that discourages watering the most sunny hours, when water evaporates instead of penetrating the earth, or that penalizes the "outside" consumption (lawns, swimming pools ...) by compared to the "internal" consumption (kitchen, showers, baths, laundry) can be effective in reducing consumption.
Agriculture in the viewfinder
Farmers in this state called "basket of fruit and vegetables" in America, often accused of watering and pump the water table of inconsequential way, also will have to restrict themselves. A tense subject, given the billions of dollars in farm income and thousands of jobs at stake in this industry.
Farmers "who have already paid the heaviest tribe drought so far, with thousands of acres fallow amounts of water available already greatly reduced and thousands already dismissed employees, will have to declare more regular amounts of water they use, in order to fight against the "abuse and" unlawful or unreasonable uses. "
Tim Krantz, a professor of environmental science at the University of Redlands, "agriculture is largely the largest consumer of water, and some varieties should not be grown as rice, other reduced as alfalfa ". Conversely, low water-intensive varieties such as jatropha, with which we can produce biofuels, should be developed, he says.
Among the main reasons for this episode of drought, lack of snow. The California Department of Water Resources has indicated that he did not find snow to April 1 in 2,000 meters in the mountains of the Sierra Nevada, a first in 75 years."Because of the lower snow accumulation on record and as the end of the drought," the worst ever recorded according to scientists, "is not in order, the Governor Jerry Brown announced Wednesday saving measures Water to Reduce Waste (...) and invest in new technologies to better prepare California to face drought, "said a statement on Wednesday. "This historic drought demand unprecedented measures," he insisted.
Replacing lawns with cactus
The catastrophic drought in the western United States is straining the groundwater, threatening the water supply in this region where 40 million people live. Among the measures announced Wednesday, California will require the replacement of 4.6 million square meters of lawn with little water plants such as cacti, agaves or succulents.
The City of Angels had already introduced incentives such as "lawn against dollar" program, but on a voluntary basis.
Jerry Brown has also ordered the creation of a rebate program to replace old water and electricity installations with more efficient models and technologies, including drip that release water directly to plant roots .
"Water Police"
"Standards toilets and taps" will be revised to limit the flow of water, and the recalcitrant who continue to water their lawn every day, and to pour half into the gutter to limitations contempt already in place could be punished.A "water police" for more awareness that sanctions already in place, but it could become more severe. Grilled lawns should increase notably through the campus, golf courses, cemeteries and other California public places, now forced to drastically reduce watering.
Jerry Brown also asked for water distribution agencies to change their rate structures for "discourage waste." Experts estimate and a pricing that discourages watering the most sunny hours, when water evaporates instead of penetrating the earth, or that penalizes the "outside" consumption (lawns, swimming pools ...) by compared to the "internal" consumption (kitchen, showers, baths, laundry) can be effective in reducing consumption.
Agriculture in the viewfinder
Farmers in this state called "basket of fruit and vegetables" in America, often accused of watering and pump the water table of inconsequential way, also will have to restrict themselves. A tense subject, given the billions of dollars in farm income and thousands of jobs at stake in this industry.
Farmers "who have already paid the heaviest tribe drought so far, with thousands of acres fallow amounts of water available already greatly reduced and thousands already dismissed employees, will have to declare more regular amounts of water they use, in order to fight against the "abuse and" unlawful or unreasonable uses. "
Tim Krantz, a professor of environmental science at the University of Redlands, "agriculture is largely the largest consumer of water, and some varieties should not be grown as rice, other reduced as alfalfa ". Conversely, low water-intensive varieties such as jatropha, with which we can produce biofuels, should be developed, he says.
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