San Diego beach showers are turned off for time being. Photo: Shutterstock
Back in January, California Governor Jerry Brown declared a State of Emergency. After nearly four years, the drought is now regarded as one of the worst droughts in California history. Naturally, it’s something easily ignored because water is still coming out of our faucets. That certainly does not mean the issue isn’t there and still getting worse.
Thankfully, the California State Parks are beginning to take matters into their own hands. They finally cut off all shower usage at San Diego County beaches. The San Diego Union Tribune states that eliminating showers could save up to 18 million gallons of water a year as an average shower uses roughly 1.2 gallons.
Despite this awesome decision to eliminate beach showers in San Diego, it’s still not enough. In order to see some real results, it should be a state-wide law. We should all be doing our part to conserve water. It’s really not difficult.
Thankfully, though, there may be some hope on the horizon. Forecasters are watching El Nino carefully, and it’s shaping up to be a wet winter. The wettest, in fact, since 1998. But that’s not all good.
“A strong El Niño could be good news for the extreme drought in California,” said AccuWeather‘s Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson. “Unfortunately, a sudden turn to a stormy winter could also result in dangerous mudslides and flash flooding for the state.”
Here are 10 easy things you can do that will make a big difference… if we all do them together:
1. Take shorter showers.
2. Turn off the faucet when brushing your teeth, lathering your hands with soap, and doing the dishes.
3. Water your lawn less or not at all. Consider a turf lawn.
5. Plant drought resistant plants.
6. Wash your car less or better yet, not at all.
7. Check pipes for leaks.
8. Use a broom rather than a hose to clean sidewalks and driveways.
9. Properly position and schedule and your sprinklers to avoid watering unnecessarily.
10. Never throw away water left in a drinking glass.
