Another Water Year And Another Stupid Drought Resolution

Let’s Stop The Insanity of Repeating History And Expecting Something Different!

By Albert Robles

The 1st of October in California is notable as the beginning of the New Water Year. And right on cue, just like the classic New Year’s song Auld Lang Syne extols “Should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind,” we make water conservation resolutions that are quickly forgotten after the first rains and repeat the same insanity year-after-year. For California’s continued economic prosperity, let’s stop this insanity before it’s too late. Water experts agree that today’s water crisis is bringing California to the brink of an economic catastrophe. As improbable as it may seem, especially after weathering massive earthquakes, fires, pandemics and other disasters, California’s economic undoing may very well come from the scarcity of water – an economic problem previously only associated with Developing Third World Countries.

California is currently experiencing the worst drought in generations! (YES, PLURAL.) As reported on Sept. 30, 2021, even though California’s extreme drought persists state officials said that they will consider imposing mandatory water restrictions later if the drought continues. WTF! In addition to the total rainfall in California being among the lowest ever recorded, even more distressing, California’s water reservoirs are on average at less than 25% of their capacity – most have not been this low since their construction. And, if it weren’t for the COVID-19 induced economic slowdown, California’s water crisis would be more dire.

Earlier this year, Gov. Newsom called for a voluntary 15% reduction in water usage, but sadly in some parts of California water usage actually increased. Although today’s world is politically charged and agreement on anything is also in low supply, even pro-Trump rural Central Valley residents and pro-vaccine Biden city dwellers, and everyone in between, can agree that for the sake of California’s economic prosperity, we need to immediately impose a statewide water conservation mandate, because the Governor’s voluntary 15% reduction was an abject failure.

Five years ago, after a similar voluntary effort also proved unsuccessful during the last drought, when the water crisis was not nearly as dire, then-Governor Brown issued a statewide mandate to reduce water usage by 25% and it worked! But, not unlike the COVID-19 situation we’re experiencing today, when public pressure lessens from lower COVID-19 deaths and/or hospitalizations, we quickly return to old habits and the crisis reemerges. Similarly, during a drought, as soon as it rains, we quickly return to the wasteful water habits of yesterday that cause tremendous stress on California’s water resources infrastructure, and we find ourselves repeating the same stupid cycle. We need to accept that we live in a semi-arid state, one that climate change is only making dryer, and that the beautiful lush green landscape we see is a Hollywood-made-mirage. We need to permanently break from wasteful water practices of a bygone era, stop going back to old habits when it rains and not be fooled into believing there is more than enough water in California. Our new normal is at best a semi-permanent drought and at worst an enduring perpetual drought; either way, our drought water conservation efforts must be stepped-up and made permanent. We need to confront this existential water crisis that threatens the California Dream before it’s too late.

Let’s stop believing that one year it will rain enough to make up for all the others; stop thinking drought conditions are abnormal; and stop the stupidity of discontinuing water conservation after it rains. Now that the recall election is over, Governor Newsom, we need mandatory water conservation now! More importantly, let’s stop repeating the stupidity of the past and make this New Water Year’s drought resolution for water conservation a permanent mandate before it’s too late.