Californians Recognize Water Shortage
Despite significant winter rainfall, most California residents view the state’s water shortage as a serious problem and say they are willing to conserve, according to results of a new survey.
Of the 1,200 people surveyed, 81 per cent said the state has an ongoing water shortage, even in times of normal rainfall. A little more that a quarter of the respondents classified the situation as a crisis, and just over half said it is significant. Thirteen per cent termed it a minor problem, and four per cent said the state’s water situation is not a problem at all.
The answers crossed geographic lines in the four major media markets surveyed – San Diego, Los Angeles, Sacramento and San Francisco.
The findings dovetailed with the re-launch of a state-sponsored conservation campaign entitled Save our Water.
The public-education program by the state’s Department of Water Resources and Association of California Water Agencies features real people’s stories about how they saved water from replacing grass with native plants to turning off the tap when brushing teeth.