exploratory essay

Ammar Aloraini. Wanda Russell. English 160W. 27 February 2016.

Water Crisis In California

:Annotated Bibliography

Lustgarten, Abrahm, Amanda Zamora, and Lauren Kirchner. "California's Drought Is Part Of A Much Bigger Water Crisis. Here's What You Need To Know". ProPublica. n.p., 2015.    Web. 26 Feb. 2016.

The article discusses that the primary cause of California’s water crisis is drought attributed to mismanagement of resources, as well as human activities. As the writers argue, the drought has been majorly caused by human activities. For instance, due to urbanization coupled with the steady planting of water-thirsty crops has led to an increased use of water over the years. In essence, the article points out that human activities, such as poor agricultural practices and increased instances of lawn watering are the main culprits of the crisis.

As the writers assert, poor policies are governing the use of water, for example, through arcane laws, farmers have been encouraged to utilize more surface water, mainly the Colorado River, and to plant crops that utilize most of it. The writers have also highlighted what the state is currently doing to alleviate the water crisis and drought in the state. Some of the steps that are taken to relieve the problem include the use of less water. As the writers pointed out, the Governor, Jerry Brown imposed water usage cutbacks. Other measures entail the federal government, via “drought aid,” sending funds to desalinate ocean water which replenishes the supplies.

This article is reliable as it provides handy information that could be used in writing the final paper. The article is up-to-date because it is less than a year old and provides valuable insight into the water crisis in California. It also provides important steps that can be taken to control the drought in the state and alleviate the water crisis in the state. As such, this article provides tangible and credible information regarding the water crisis in California, and therefore, should be used as a source of information for the final paper.

Lalonde, J. "California Isn't Having A Water Crisis, It's Having A Runoff Crisis". A\J       – Canada's Environmental Voice. n.p., 2015. Web. 26 Feb. 2016.

The article discusses that human activities, including deforestation of the Redwood forest along the California’s coastline, as well as urbanization coupled with industrial agriculture are the main contributors to the water crisis in California. As the article discusses, urbanization has caused increased water runoff, thereby directing water to the wrong places. For instance, due to urban growth, the number of paved roads, suburbs, and artificial conduits have increased, meaning more concrete covers the surface thereby increasing runoff. As a result, there is a shortage of surface water. Also, industrial agriculture, which entails the use of chemicals has contributed to ecosystem destruction, which is exacerbated by deforestation. All these factors have directly contributed to the water crisis.

            However, the article recommends that capitalizing on water harvesting will alleviate the problem. However, the article also covers the issue of global warming. It discusses that global warming contributes to climate change, and can also be seen as a case of the water crisis in the state as it leads to drought. In essence, as the article points out, NASA’s study revealed that mega-droughts are linked to the rise in carbon emissions.

            The reliability and credibility of the article are not compromised because it is a journal article. The Alternatives Journal can be considered as Canada’s Environmental Voice, which publishes environmental articles. Therefore, the information presented is very useful in writing the final paper. It vastly covers the issue of the water crisis in Canada, and also touches on how to deal with the issue, which are important components in writing the final paper.