How can the Adirondacks help California

“We can’t shower. We’re wearing dirty clothes. My kids had to wear dirty clothes to school this morning,” said Elizabeth Baker, when she was interviewed by CBS. Ms. Baker is a resident of a small town in California, which  is facing a record long drought currently. Another year of record low snow melts and very little rainfall has continued to afflict the western states with a problem rarely seen in a developed nation. They don’t have water. These are truly desperate times for the US not just California. The value of food produced by California reaching 37.5 billion dollars according to Western Food Press. It is the major producer of fruits and vegetables for the United States. An agricultural industry of this scale requires a lot of water. Despite the governor’s best efforts to control use of water, California is running out of water still, and its produce yields are dropping.  The question is what can we do to help? Many proposals exist to tackle the problem, but probably the most effective is moving the water from areas that have it to the West Coast.

            Building a pipeline from the Mississippi River, the Great Lakes, or another water-saturated environment on the east coast would be very expensive. Unfortunately we are somewhat out of options, and though it may seem absurd there is not much else to be done to help the West. one cannot just make water. As long drawing of water from these areas in the East is regulated, and water is taken from multiple areas, it will at least buy the West some time. This may seem somewhat irrelevant to the Adirondacks. The park was actually founded mainly with concern for the New York water supply. New York has the best water quality in the country, partially due to the formation of the Adirondack State Park. We need to help our fellow Americans who do not have water, especially considering how much food California puts on the table for us.

Thank You Megan Murphy for your help

Sources:

"East Porterville Residents Without Water As Wells Go Dry During California Drought." CBS Sacramento. CBS Sacramento, 27 Aug. 2014. Web. 22 Apr. 2015. <http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2014/08/27/porterville-residents-without-water-as-wells-go-dry-during-california-drought/>.

Cornett, Richard. "What Happens If US Loses California Food Production?" What Happens If US Loses California Food Production? Western Farm Press, 31 Oct. 2013. Web. 22 Apr. 2015. <http://westernfarmpress.com/tree-nuts/what-happens-if-us-loses-california-food-production>.

Lallanilla, Marc. "Shipping Snow: Could Eastern Water Ease Western Drought?" LiveScience. TechMedia Network, 6 Feb. 2014. Web. 22 Apr. 2015. <http://www.livescience.com/43176-drought-pipeline-water-projects-arid-west.html>.