Although California’s prolonged drought has been making headlines, many areas in the United States are parched.
According to 24/7 Wall St., the Western United States is in its fourth straight year of drought. California has been hit especially hard. Although 93 percent of the state is in “severe drought,” more than 44 percent of its land is classified as an exceptional level of drought.
“This was the highest such share nationwide, and the kind of water shortage seen only once a century,” 24/7 Wall St. said.
Still, drought persists across much of the country.
“Droughts in the U.S. Southwest and Central Plains during the last half of this century could be drier and longer than drought conditions seen in those regions in the last 1,000 years,” a National Aeronautics and Space Administration study said.
According to 24/7 Wall St., these nine states are running out of water:
- California. 93.4 percent of state in severe drought.
- Nevada. 85.7 percent.
- Utah. 53.2 percent.
- Oklahoma. 51.7 percent.
- Oregon. 49.9 percent.
- Colorado. 39.8 percent.
- Arizona. 29.5 percent.
- Kansas. 27.7 percent.
- Texas. 24.7 percent.
California’s drought has a significant impact on more than just that state. 24/7 Wall St. said:
California and the Great Basin are major sources of the nation’s food. The production of several water-intensive crops such as cotton, corn, soy, wheat and rice are already down substantially from when the drought began. Cattle and other livestock also require large quantities of water and nutritious pastures and drinking water.
Here are “17 Ways to Slash Your Water Bill” and conserve water at home.
What water-saving measures do you take at home? Is the area where you live experiencing drought? Share your comments below or on our Facebook page.
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