While all of this does not sound very hopeful, it is not as bad as other counties farther inland in our state where "Extreme" or "Exceptional" (the worst) drought conditions are causing (1) water quantity to be inadequate for agriculture, wildlife, and urban needs; (2) fields to lie fallow; (3) fire season to last year-round; and (4) wildlife death to be widespread.
This is all happening just when we felt we were finally getting over the last crisis, COVID-19, and the set of multi- year challenges it brought with it. And with a drought come limitations on water usage. For any county in California, it is tough to remain compliant with possibly the strictest state environmental regulations in the country under normal circumstances-but in times of drought, what can Orange County do?
For starters, accept the reality of California's "lean and fat years" when it comes to water resources: We are not the East Coast and cannot rely on a consistent rhythmic pattern of the seasons-including abundant rain-year in and year out. Our reality is one of a cycle of some wet years followed by a string of dry years.
Then, we need to monitor the drought's progress. The website
www.drought.gov not only allows you to look at local drought conditions for your local community, but also lets you browse through its regional Drought Early Warning System (DEWS) section for California/Nevada, as well as other regions of the United States; examine the drought's impact by sector; access historical, current, and forecast data and maps on drought throughout the country; and even sign up to receive local drought alerts via e-mail. Of course, keeping up with local news, especially regarding compliance with water restrictions, is something every household, community, and business should be doing as well.
Finally, we need to accept that these conditions are real, and that it is in our best interest to align with sound environmental best practices to save money, access possible tax rebates, and avoid potential noncompliance fines, as stricter regulations will continue to be imposed. To give just one example, gas-powered gardening equipment is set to be banned beginning in 2024. Landscape companies that get ahead of the curve and start replacing their gas-powered equipment with battery- operated, handheld equipment early will fare better and be more competitive in the long run.
We can look at the drought with alarm, or we can look at it as being the "current" crisis (just like COVID-19 was when it came on the scene in 2020), face it, learn from it, adapt accordingly, and hopefully come out stronger at the other end. There will be future droughts. There will be other crises. Fortunately, we live in an age where the best tool to deal with any crisis-knowledge-is at our fingertips: literally just a click away.
www.caioc.org
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