California USA, 2.8b Flashcards
What happened in California?
From January 2014, California had been in a 3rd year of drought, and a state of emergency was declared. There was lower than normal rainfall on the west coast, and too much dependence on the Colorado River caused water supplies to drop.
What were the main hazards in this drought?
Subsidience, as groundwater levels dropped, land started to settle at lower levels.
Contamination of land and drinking water next to seawater which was drawn inland by a lack of pressure.
Wildfires started and spread quickly as vegetation was so dry.
What were the impacts on people?
Cost California 2bn a year - it meant there was less money to spend on people, infrastructure and buildings were damaged due to increased extraction from groundwater which caused subsidience, many acres were taken out of crop production which caused loss of food + income, and the increased wildfires created a risk to peoples lives and property.
What were the impacts on the ecosystem?
Water was diverted so rivers, etc, get less which caused impacts on the wildlife - eg. water levels too low for salmon to breed in rivers, The warm weather that lead to wildfires caused enviromental damage - air pollution and destroyed wildlife/habitats.
How did individuals, organisations, and governments respond to the drought?
Individuals - farmers used water efficient irrigation, homeowners encouraged to check for water leaks, and protesters campaigned against selling local bottled water.
Organisations - University of California created a research project for efficiently managing groundwater.
Government - Ran public education campaigns, brought in state laws that required a 25 % cut in water use in Cali.
