Students seek water conserving methods
by JUSTIN KANG
As water levels continue to drop in the state, conservation efforts need to be made to ensure the stability of the water supply that remains.
Since 2011, the state has been in a severe drought conditions. Water levels continue to drop to record lows, prompting Gov. Jerry Brown to issue a State of Emergency in January 2014, forcing millions of citizens to cut back on water consumption.
“We should conserve water because citizens of California believe as though the drought isn’t that much of a problem when in reality, it really is,” said William Kunkle, junior. “Not only through a natural perspective but also that of state governments.”
According to saccbee.com, the mandated water cuts range from 8 percent reductions to 36 percent reductions across all communities in the state and are arranged accordingly, based on the amount of water used during summer 2013. With these cuts in water, come the opportunity to practice conservation efforts that will, hopefully, save the little water the state still has.
Conserving water is simple and there are many ways in one can do to help save it. According to the latimes.com, some of these steps include washing dishes with lukewarm water, using a reusable water bottle and waiting to use the dishwasher until a load is full.
“I conserve water by turning it off when [it is] not in use,” said Hansen Dang, sophomore. “I shower really quickly and I water plants [every] 3 days and… at night so that it doesn’t evaporate quickly.”
Locating and fixing leaky pipes, not washing cars in a driveway and scaling back sprinkler times, are also some other ways one can to conserve water.
Although there are many ways to conserve water, everyone has to do his part to ensure the state’s remaining water supply stays adequate until the drought ends.
In the event that the drought does not improve, seawater intrusion, damaged ecosystems, land subsidence and the sudden sinking of the Earth’s surface are all possible results that can affect the state, according to ca.water.usgs.gov.
Finding different ways to conserve water is limitless, and most are easy to do. These conservation efforts help save tremendous amounts of water, but need the participation from all citizens in order to be effective.
“…The citizens are going to have to do it on their own if they really want to get through this drought,” said Kunkle.