Shayla Gasca
The grass is green when it’s watered – except in California.
California is in a severe drought. The drought not only affects LPC students, but it affects California residents, farmers and tourists.
The drought has dried 25 percent of all bodies of waters in the state, including snow in the mountains.
LPC Program Coordinator for the viticulture and Winery Technology Program David Everett said, “[the drought] won’t end, and this is the new normal.”
As reported by NASA, from 2013 to 2014 the Sierra Nevada snowpack has reduced by 20 percent.
This past January, Gov. Jerry Brown had announced a drought State of Emergency. He had also requested state officials to take actions to reduce water use.
LPC student Diana Soto said, “people need to stop using water like its nothing, because it’s making the situation worse.”
The State Water Resources Control Board requires all urban areas to cut water use by 25 percent.
LPC student Yuni Vega said, “there’s a lot of places we could cut back in water.”
For California, among other states, the drought has made hundreds of agricultural farms harder to produce fruits and vegetables.
Soto said, “my biggest concern is how it will affect nature and animals.”
The U.S. Forest Service predicted 12 million trees were killed due to the current water shortage, according to californiadrought.org.
The drought can also cause a higher risk of wildfires.
Because of the drought, money has become an issue. The economy has risen the prices of food and water.
“Everything will get a lot more expensive.” Everett said, “that’s gonna impact everybody very hard.”
Farmers across the state have switched to using tertiary treatment water for their crops – it saves money and water.
Wastewater must undergo three levels of treatment, which is called tertiary treatment, in order to become quality for use.
The viticulture program at LPC has been using the tertiary water, and it allows it to irrigate the crops.
Everett said, “I rather see people water a crop of corn in front of the house than a useless green grass.”
In the Bay Area brown is the new green.