If you’re reading this, chances are you don’t really have to think about where your drinking water is coming from, how your food was grown, or what effects such processes have had on the environment. Specifically, in reference to our drinking water, around half of the US population gets their drinking water from either public or private wells.
Global warming is causing increased droughts throughout the world, and this has brought some areas to the brink of a water crisis. February 2, 2018, was supposed to be “Day Zero” for Cape Town, South Africa, the day on which the city was set to run out of water. That date was subsequently reset to July 15, 2018, after area fruit growers used up their allotment of water, and through conservation measures. For many areas, overdevelopment, population growth, and climate change have upset the balance between water usage and supply, and areas from North America to South America, and from Australia to Asia, are increasingly facing threats of drinking-water shortages.
The Salton Sea is the largest lake in California at around 970 square km. But it’s not the product of the powers of nature, it’s the product of a major engineering mistake over 110 years ago. Its creation wiped out the town of Salton and it grew to become a popular fishing and leisure spot during the 1950s. It also became an important local wildlife refuge.
The Water News Network is San Diego County’s source for water news and information.
