California drought pits farmers vs. cities. But neither is the biggest water victim.
In the West, the water that gets us by on a daily basis is the rain.
The big rivers and streams that feed into our big lakes and rivers give us the water we need for our agriculture and industry.
Our cities are responsible for water that is used in various ways by residents and businesses and, in a state like California, for irrigation, power and municipal services.
So, when the rainy season lets out and drought hits, as it did this year, it affects everyone.
Farmers, cities and all those who live in the West suffer. Their water bills rise, their taxes go up and they are forced to do things they think they could have done without water when they could have used it.
And then the water agencies turn around and say, “Hey, you can’t complain. You had no choice here.”
Why not?
The answer is simple. The agencies’ biggest customers are farmers. And they are the ones who suffer the most when there’s a drought.
It’s not a perfect equation, but it’s fair.
But, as it should be, as long as agriculture doesn’t use too much water, it’s OK. And while our agriculture is the largest user of water, it’s by no means the biggest in the world.
Agriculture consumes roughly 1/5 of all the water used by humanity. And it’s not as if the rest of us have to worry about how much water we actually use.
Of course, nobody thinks we use enough water.
Why do we think that? Because it’s all we see. It’s all we see when we look at a map of water and agriculture.
When it comes to water use, however, there is something else that affects us.
Water use and agriculture are a growing problem in California.
And when agriculture goes down, so does California’s water.
California is getting less water for agriculture, and that’s the problem.
It’s hard to