California Senators Introduce Legislation To Help Ease the Pain of Drought

  All of California is in a drought and a huge swath of the state is in the worst category, exceptional drought. The drought is causing major problems for the state, including wildfires. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection has responded to over 4,000 wildfires across the state since January 1. One of those wildfires is currently raging within Yosemite National Park. Water wells are also going dry in some communities. Easton, the small farming community I grew up in, is experiencing dry wells. As a result, two businesses have had to close their doors.   California Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer introduced legislation earlier this summer called W21: Water in the 21st Century. The bill would help communities in California and across the nation better deal with and prepare for drought. W21 would expand rebates and grants for water conservation and efficiency. It would also support local investments in water recycling and groundwater management and storage, investment in desalination and water conservation technologies, create an open water data system, and help communities become better prepared to deal with drought. 

To continue reading, click here

Photo: Don DeBold

Gina-Marie Cheeseman is a central California-based journalist who writes about sustainability, environmental issues, and healthy living. With a degree in journalism and a passion for social responsibility, she writes for a number of online publications. She believes that collaboration between the public and private sectors can help solve many problems facing the planet and its people. Mashable.com named Cheeseman as one of the “75 Environmentalists to Follow on Twitter.”