I know this may sound strange, but, to be perfectly honest, I think your lawn is rude. It’s screaming at me from the top of its thirsty little lungs: “California is running out of water, sure, but my humans don’t care. They like me. I’m pretty, and I’m green, and that’s all that matters. And they’re going to water me until their well runs dry, so there!”
See what I’m saying? Rude.
I am pure-bred California, and I’ve honestly never understood our obsession with lawns. They’re expensive, water-hungry decoration. They don’t belong here. But let’s be real. This isn’t just about lawns. This is about life. And water. And we are running out.
And there’s no need to beat around the bush. From the very beginning, we’ve had to “borrow” water from elsewhere to survive. We’ve raped lakes and valleys, rivers and wilderness to fuel our state’s endless growth. Owens Valley, Ground Zero in the history of water development in the West, was once a pristine wilderness. Today it is vastly unrecognizable—a nearly inhospitable plain with dust swirling through the sky—all so that the city of Los Angeles can rumble on in the shade of palm trees, amid the green glow of perfectly manicured lawns. What was once a desert is now a metropolis. And in trade, where there once was water is now only dust.
As we barrel forward into a fourth year of dry, more fields will fall fallow in the Golden State, and lakes will continue to vanish under the blazing heat of a hotter sun. According to recent data from NASA, we have less than a year’s worth of water remaining in our stores. Let that soak in for a minute, because unfortunately what we see in our crackled reservoirs is only the tip of an enormous iceberg in regard to the irreparable damage we’re doing underground.
Thankfully (kind of) there are some brand-new mandatory water restrictions from Gov. Jerry Brown. In my opinion, they’re a day late and a dollar short, or perhaps a couple years late and a gazillion dollars short—but hey, at least it’s something.
And there’s that spiffy new “Sustainable Groundwater Management Act of 2014,” which plans to “have a plan” by 2022, and then “achieve sustainability” by 2044. Seriously? Is it just me, or does 2044 seem a little too late in the “our reservoirs will be dry in 11 months” game?
We’re in a big mess. Due to the drought, 75 percent of our daily water supply currently comes from ancient underground aquifers. How can we possibly continue pumping that much water out of the earth every day? How is that sustainable? The simple answer is that it is not. Wells are running dry, so we dig deeper, and we continue pumping. California remains the only state with unregulated pumping of groundwater. This is embarrassing. And it should piss you off. Why? With this “freedom,” we have spent our most precious resource like a hapless young heir spends his fortune. Water is being sucked out of ancient aquifers at such a rate that parts of the Central Valley are sinking 1 foot per year.
So what do we do? Who is to blame? Why are we using so much?
Are we taking our most precious resource for granted? Yes, I think so.
Are we really going to run out of water? Maybe.
Might we all have to leave? Perhaps.
Can desalination save us? I don’t think so.
The important questions remain:
Where can we make changes? And are we willing to do so?
What is this life worth to us? And how much are we willing to change to save it?
I’ve been documenting the drought with photographs for quite some time now, through a personal project titled “Where There Once Was Water.” My hope is to be a voice for water, and in the process of doing so, I hear many opinions, including, “I’m so damn pissed about all these wineries, I’m going to keep watering my lawn until their water is shut off, too!” But I have a better idea.
Let’s start by looking in the mirror. Let’s change the way we live. Let’s change our habits, and let’s think about water—all the time. Let’s see it in everything. Let’s care enough to do all that we can to minimize our impact. Let’s take these responsibilities into our own hands and stop relying on government and corporations to do the right thing. And finally, let’s stop pointing fingers. Because without water, we’re done. Game over.
In all reality, the current drought in California may only be a hint of what is to come and is only a singular manifestation of a much bigger problem.
So I say, be the change!
• Kill your lawn! Plant a veggie garden in your front yard instead. You’ll save water and reduce your dependence on industrial agriculture. (They use 80 percent of our water here in the state.)
• Capture your gray water at home. Use biodegradable soap, and put buckets in the shower and the sink. Use that water in your new garden, or to flush your toilet.
• Eat less meat and dairy. People who opt for a plant-based diet have a water footprint almost half the size of those who consume meat and dairy products.
• Say no to bottled water. Most bottled water companies are pumping that water straight up from our already overtaxed aquifers right here in California.
• Take shorter showers. Easy cheesy.
• Flush the toilet less often.
• Slow down. Buy less. Want less. Need less. Use less.
• Recycle and re-use. Re-use your shopping bags, your coffee cup, your water bottle, your to-go containers. Less waste equals less water used (and less oil used—double yay!)
• Shop at farmers markets. Buy organic. Support the farmers who are doing it right.
• Drive less. Bike more
• Hang your laundry to dry. Less electricity used equals less water used.
• Stop washing your car! Yikes. Seriously. Search #DirtyCarPledge online for a free sticker to explain why your car is so filthy (aka “awesome”).
• Install solar. Less reliance on dirty energy is a goooood thing.
• Research the water footprint of the foods you eat (you’ll be amazed).
• And finally, be responsible about pro-creation. Overpopulation is a real thing.
After our self-check, let’s get pissed off about Nestle and fracking and blatant water waste. Let’s get angry about pesticides polluting our groundwater and about unregulated wells continuing to go unregulated. And let’s speak up when we see a #waterhog. Let’s hold each other accountable and conserve every drop we can. We’re all in this together.
My advocacy for water goes back a ways. In 2010, I rode a bicycle across the United States to raise money for WaterAid—an organization that provides access to clean water and sanitation in Africa and Asia. Why? Because water is life, and it’s a basic human right that I don’t feel anyone should have to live without. I didn’t realize at the time how very real this issue would become at home. But change is the only constant. So we must ask ourselves: What are we willing to change? And if we do indeed run out of water here in California, what’s your backup plan? As crazy as it seems, you may want to come up with one.
In the meantime, let’s get serious. Let’s stop pointing fingers. Let’s challenge ourselves to individually and collectively become the most responsible stewards of our resources that we possibly can—and yes, for starters, that means saying farewell to your treasured (and rude) green lawn.
Brittany App is a professional photographer on the Central Coast with a big heart and a passion for water conservation. You can visit her online at AppsPhotography.com or find her current project at facebook.com/WhereThereOnceWasWater. Send comments to clanham@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Apr 23-30, 2015.