Image 1 of 10 |California drought myths  Farmers suck up the majority of the state's water. Of the water available, roughly 40 percent goes to farmers, 10 percent to urban uses and 50 percent environmental uses such as rivers, lakes, wetlands and refuges. There's no true villain in California water policy. All sectors need to better use and manage water.  Image 1 of 10 - California drought myths  Farmers suck up the majority of the state's water. Of the water available, roughly 40 percent goes to farmers, 10 percent to urban uses and 50 percent environmental uses such as rivers, lakes, wetlands and refuges. There's no true villain in California water policy. All sectors need to better use and manage water.  Farmers suck up the majority of the state's water. Of the water...available, roughly 40 percent goes to farmers, 10 percent to urban...uses and 50 percent environmental uses such as rivers, lakes, wetlands...and refuges. There's no true villain in California water policy. All...sectors need to better use and manage water.  Image 2 of 10 |California drought myths  Treated sewage water is undrinkable. "Toilet to tap" water can be cleaner than bottled water, some experts say, and many Californians are already drinking it. Orange County has an indirect potable reuse system to purify human wastewater. More than 200 wastewater treatment plants dump effluent into the Colorado River, a primary source of drinking water for Southern California.  Image 2 of 10 - California drought myths  Treated sewage water is undrinkable. "Toilet to tap" water can be cleaner than bottled water, some experts say, and many Californians are already drinking it. Orange County has an indirect potable reuse system to purify human wastewater. More than 200 wastewater treatment plants dump effluent into the Colorado River, a primary source of drinking water for Southern California.  Treated sewage water is undrinkable. "Toilet to tap" water can...be cleaner than bottled water, some experts say, and many Californians...are already drinking it. Orange County has an indirect potable reuse...system to purify human wastewater. More than 200 wastewater treatment...plants dump effluent into the Colorado River, a primary source of...drinking water for Southern California.  Image 3 of 10 |California drought myths  Food prices will go through the roof. When farmers face higher prices due to drought conditions, retail prices rise only slightly. A 10 percent increase for the farmer, usually means about a 2 to 3 percent increase for the consumer. Four years into the drought, many farmers aren't even facing higher prices as they're dealing with the conditions by pumping ground waters and shifting crops, most of which are buffered by being part of a global market.  Image 3 of 10 - California drought myths  Food prices will go through the roof. When farmers face higher prices due to drought conditions, retail prices rise only slightly. A 10 percent increase for the farmer, usually means about a 2 to 3 percent increase for the consumer. Four years into the drought, many farmers aren't even facing higher prices as they're dealing with the conditions by pumping ground waters and shifting crops, most of which are buffered by being part of a global market.  Food prices will go through the roof. When farmers face higher...prices due to drought conditions, retail prices rise only slightly. A...10 percent increase for the farmer, usually means about a 2 to 3...percent increase for the consumer. Four years into the drought, many...farmers aren't even facing higher prices as they're dealing with the...conditions by pumping ground waters and shifting crops, most of which...are buffered by being part of a global market.  Image 4 of 10 |California drought myths  Agriculture hasn’t faced water supply cuts. Last year, residential consumers made voluntary cuts while many farmers with junior water rights saw 100 percent reductions. This year residential consumers face mandatory 25 percent cutbacks while agricultural users are being cut back far more.  Image 4 of 10 - California drought myths  Agriculture hasn’t faced water supply cuts. Last year, residential consumers made voluntary cuts while many farmers with junior water rights saw 100 percent reductions. This year residential consumers face mandatory 25 percent cutbacks while agricultural users are being cut back far more.  Agriculture hasn’t faced water supply cuts. Last year,...residential consumers made voluntary cuts while many farmers with...junior water rights saw 100 percent reductions. This year residential...consumers face mandatory 25 percent cutbacks while agricultural users...are being cut back far more.  Image 5 of 10 |California drought myths  Shorter showers will save us. Water conservation is important, but its effectiveness is often overstated. Consumers can make the biggest impact by not watering their lawns.  Image 5 of 10 - California drought myths  Shorter showers will save us. Water conservation is important, but its effectiveness is often overstated. Consumers can make the biggest impact by not watering their lawns.  Shorter showers will save us. Water conservation is important,...but its effectiveness is often overstated. Consumers can make the...biggest impact by not watering their lawns.  Image 6 of 10 |California drought myths  We have an endless supply of groundwater that we can depend on. The water tables are dropping so the supply is not infinite but there's enough to get us through a few more years of drought. Right now, some 70 to 80 percent of lost surface water in agriculture is being made up by pumping ground water. The key is to adopt better methods for managing this crucial water supply.  Image 6 of 10 - California drought myths  We have an endless supply of groundwater that we can depend on. The water tables are dropping so the supply is not infinite but there's enough to get us through a few more years of drought. Right now, some 70 to 80 percent of lost surface water in agriculture is being made up by pumping ground water. The key is to adopt better methods for managing this crucial water supply.  We have an endless supply of groundwater that we can depend on....The water tables are dropping so the supply is not infinite but...there's enough to get us through a few more years of drought. Right...now, some 70 to 80 percent of lost surface water in agriculture is...being made up by pumping ground water. The key is to adopt better...methods for managing this crucial water supply.  Image 7 of 10 |California drought myths  Building more desalination plants will fix the problem. Only if you want to spend a lot of money. In the midst of a 12-year drought in Australia, many big cities built big expensive plants that are now sitting idle while taxpayers still pay them off. Residential customers typically pay $900 to $1,000 per acre foot for water while they'd pay $2,000 to $3,000 for water from a desalination plant.  Image 7 of 10 - California drought myths  Building more desalination plants will fix the problem. Only if you want to spend a lot of money. In the midst of a 12-year drought in Australia, many big cities built big expensive plants that are now sitting idle while taxpayers still pay them off. Residential customers typically pay $900 to $1,000 per acre foot for water while they'd pay $2,000 to $3,000 for water from a desalination plant.  Building more desalination plants will fix the problem. Only if you...want to spend a lot of money. In the midst of a 12-year drought in...Australia, many big cities built big expensive plants that are now...sitting idle while taxpayers still pay them off. Residential customers...typically pay $900 to $1,000 per acre foot for water while they'd pay...$2,000 to $3,000 for water from a desalination plant.  Image 8 of 10 |California drought myths  An El Nino year will end the drought. We need several years of heavy rain, not just one, to replenish surface supplies. This weather phenomenon that brings a warm band of water to the Pacific Ocean doesn't always lead to storms on the West Coast but when it does, our past records show that it doesn't put an automatic end to drought conditions.  Image 8 of 10 - California drought myths  An El Nino year will end the drought. We need several years of heavy rain, not just one, to replenish surface supplies. This weather phenomenon that brings a warm band of water to the Pacific Ocean doesn't always lead to storms on the West Coast but when it does, our past records show that it doesn't put an automatic end to drought conditions.  An El Nino year will end the drought. We need several years of...heavy rain, not just one, to replenish surface supplies. This weather...phenomenon that brings a warm band of water to the Pacific Ocean...doesn't always lead to storms on the West Coast but when it does, our...past records show that it doesn't put an automatic end to drought...conditions.  Image 9 of 10 |California drought myths  California knows how to manage droughts. "We do and we don't," says Jay Lund, a University of California at Davis professor in civil and environmental engineering. "Every drought is different as California is a dynamic place. You never step into the same drought twice. We still have a lot to learn."  Image 9 of 10 - California drought myths  California knows how to manage droughts. "We do and we don't," says Jay Lund, a University of California at Davis professor in civil and environmental engineering. "Every drought is different as California is a dynamic place. You never step into the same drought twice. We still have a lot to learn."  California knows how to manage droughts. "We do and we don't,"...says Jay Lund, a University of California at Davis professor in civil...and environmental engineering. "Every drought is different as...California is a dynamic place. You never step into the same drought...twice. We still have a lot to learn."  Image 10 of 10 |California drought myths  Environmental regulation is causing the water shortages. Yes, the environment uses the largest share of California's water with 50 percent going to everything from wetlands to Delta outflow. But it's important to know that a lot of the water that's allocated to the environment is reused by humans for drinking water and irrigation.  Image 10 of 10 - California drought myths  Environmental regulation is causing the water shortages. Yes, the environment uses the largest share of California's water with 50 percent going to everything from wetlands to Delta outflow. But it's important to know that a lot of the water that's allocated to the environment is reused by humans for drinking water and irrigation.  Environmental regulation is causing the water shortages. Yes,...the environment uses the largest share of California's water with 50...percent going to everything from wetlands to Delta outflow. But it's...important to know that a lot of the water that's allocated to the...environment is reused by humans for drinking water and irrigation.
California is in the midst of a four-year drought, the worst in 106 years. The Sierra snowpack is dwindling; lakes and reservoirs are reaching historic lows. The lush green lawns of the suburbs are turning brown and parched. Vast swaths of the Central Valley farmland are sitting idle. Mandatory wate