“Bring on the Rain: California Drought”One of the biggest problems in California is the current drought. California is entering its fourth year of drought and shows no signs of decline. California continues to decline as the lack of rain progresses; due to the lack of rain, this drought is by far one of the driest/worst droughts to ever hit California. Over the last 100 years, California has had a long history characterized by multiple and diverse droughts; so, as California residents, the big question is: How can we hinder the progress of the current drought and potentially prevent more droughts from occurring in the future? The people of California need to do what Jerry Brown did and take this war on drought a step further (Fitzpatrick, 2014). Any changes the people of California can make in water conservation will ultimately have a positive effect on California's future. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essaySome of the most notable droughts occurred during the 1929-37, 1943-51, 1976-77, and 2007-2009 time periods (Paulson et al. 1991, p.591). California's history with statewide droughts is quite long, dating back to the early 1920s (Paulson et al. 1991, p. 591). One of the first droughts in California occurred during the 1920s and 1930s and lasted from 1928 to 1937 (Paulson et al. 1991, p.591). During this period, the 1928-37 drought accumulated one of the largest runoff shortages in California's drought history (Paulson et al. 1991, p. 591). This drought is also widely known to be one of the worst droughts in California history (Paulson et al. 1991, p. 591). The next drought would be 1943-51; this drought reached its peak in the period 1947-49. This drought had a greater impact in central and southern coastal areas due to water shortages in runoff and what some consider to be greater than the previous drought of the 1920s (Paulson et al. 1991, p. 591). The next California drought occurred in the late 1950s and early 1960s and lasted approximately 4 years along the central and northern coasts of California and exhibited the same effects exhibited by the two previous droughts (Paulson et al. 1991 , p.591). Another drought that had a profound effect on California was that of 1976-77. This was a very short but catastrophic drought (Paulson et al. 1991, p.591). This drought affected most of Northern California (Paulson et al. 1991, p.591). Most of Northern California dried up, which then affected Southern California because most of Southern California's water supply came from the North (Paulson et al. 1991, p.591). One of the most recent droughts was that of 2007-2009. it caused severe droughts in California and contributed to why California is currently so exceptionally dry (Cowin, 2014, p. 1). This drought saw record amounts of precipitation during the three calendar years it was ongoing. This drought was also the first to signify a statewide water shortage, a state of emergency in February 2009 (Cowin, 2014, p. 2). However, once 2010 arrived, California began to see the effects of the drought begin to abate with perceptions reaching staggering new levels; by mid-year projections were above 121% of average (Cowin, 2014, p. 2). In mid-2010 there was a small glimmer of hope that the drought would pass; but by the end of 2010 a new megadrought was on the way (Cowin, 2014, p. 2). The drought of2010-2013 is best known for how arid it made California today (California Dept. of Water Resources, 2014). These last three years alone have been the driest California has seen in 119 years (California Dept. of Water Resources, 2014). Due to prolonged dry spells, meteorologists have not been able to predict if and when the drought will end (California Department of Water Resources, 2014). When the water year ended on September 30, most state reservoirs held about sixty percent of the average for that date; and forty-one percent of average capacity (California Department of Water Resources, 2014). These tank numbers are significantly lower than average. With the possibility of this drought extending into subsequent years, these numbers could see an even greater decline, which will only cause California to become drier (California Dept. of Water Resources, 2014). The DWR and the California Association of Water Agencies have urged all California residents to reduce their water use because they believe California may be headed for its fourth dry winter (California Dept. of Water Resources, 2014). they must take on the obligation to help stop this drought and one way to do this is to further reduce water consumption. Governor Jerry Brown has already signed over 16 bills to help conserve water, but the people of this state need to go the extra mile and help too (Fitzpatrick, 2014). In the small city of Davis, California, if people watered their lawns properly, each home could potentially save up to 50,000 gallons of water per year (City of Davis Water, 2014). The city of Davis has approximately 60,000 residents, so we estimate that is approximately 4,000 homes, in a year the city could save up to 250,000 gallons of water (City of Davis Water, 2014). With nearly over 38 million residents in the state alone, imagine what the annual savings could be if Californians regulated their lawn water use. Also, the great thing about this plan is that it won't cost California residents a dime, in fact people will save money because they use less water. The best part about this plan is that it is relatively easy. Here are some ways homeowners can reduce their water usage. First, water your lawn only twice a week because overwatering can drown the grass and also cause pests to build up on your lawn (City of Davis Water, 2014). Water the lawn spike in the morning when there is no sun because more water is absorbed into the lawn (City of Davis Water, 2014). Also try to avoid runoff, so turn off sprinklers every 15 minutes because this gives your lawn time to absorb water sitting on the surface (City of Davis Water, 2014). Make sure sprinklers are always on your lawn, because if water runs onto the sidewalk or street it is just wasted (City of Davis Water, 2014). Also, try increasing the height of your mower when mowing, as this can help increase the amount of water your lawn can hold (City of Davis Water, 2014). Finally, avoid over-fertilizing your lawn. This will require more water than average (City of Davis Water, 2014). Another helpful tip is how much watering should be done per week during the following months. In March and April, watering should be 0.6 to 0.8 inches per week; in May-August watering should be around 3-3 cm per week; in September and October approximately 0.7-0.9 inches per week; and during the months of November through February, water as needed (City of Davis Water, 2014). Now,.