The California Drought: 5 Things You Should Know

Living in Orange County, we’ve seen firsthand the effects that the drought has had on our communities. Beautiful Laguna Hills houses are sacrificing their lush, green lawns for the sake of the cause. We’re cutting our shower times in half, hoping to make even the slightest difference. Although most of us are aware of the drought, many Southern Californians are oblivious to the details of this disaster. At Golden West Shutters, we understand that knowledge is power so we’ve come up with 5 things you should know about the drought in California.

1. The past three years in California have been the driest on record.
According to the LA Times, 40% of the state is facing an “exceptional drought” and it doesn’t look like it’s going to get better. Last year was the hottest year to date with the country’s average temperature reaching 5 degrees higher than the 1934 Dust Bowl Summer.

2. 25% of America’s food comes from California.
California grows the majority of the United States’ food including thirsty crops such as alfalfa, almonds, pistachios, and rice. Last year, the state lost 6 million acres of farm land to the drought which resulted in a reduction in revenues by $2.2 billion and a loss of 17,100 jobs.

3. Desalinization is not the answer.
Although we have plenty of ocean water to go around, separating the salt from this water in order to use for recreational purposes is not exactly practical. For example, a desalinization plant is being built in Carlsbad, California cbd but in order for 50 million gallons of drinking water to be produced, tax payers will have to fork over a whopping $1 billion.

4. Farmers are becoming dependent on groundwater
Even though we have used groundwater for agriculture before, it has always been replenished by the rain. Now that there is no rain to replace the water we take, reservoirs are being exhausted and if we continue this, there will be dire consequences in the long-run.

5. There are ways you can help.
We understand that you want to keep your lawn in Newport Beach nice and green. By replacing your landscape with grass and shrubs that use significantly less water, you can make a difference. You can help the cause in other ways such as taking showers instead of baths, checking your pool for leaks, and refrain from buying bottled water.

If you want to keep cool without jumping in and out of a cold shower, you may want to consider installing shutters into your Orange County home. If you’re blessed with heating and cooling, shutters will prevent the A/C from escaping your house. If you’re like the rest of us and do not have such a luxury, our wood or plantation shutters will prevent sunlight from coming in and allow a cool breeze to blow through your windows. Call Golden West Shutters today at 1-888-804-6857 and we’ll find the best shutters for your Los Angeles or Orange County home!