On Saturday, the Sacramento Bee reported the dire implications of the water supply forecast made by state and federal water managers on Friday. Immediately following the announcement, state water officials urged Californians to cut daily water use by 20% to ease the impact of a drought that “could be the next serious hit to California’s economy.” Click here to read the full article. To learn more about what you can do to conserve, please check out our conservation programs here.

In related news, The New York Times today reports how the California agricultural industry has been hit the hardest in the nation by a combination of unfortunate factors. Click here

to read how the statewide drought and national recession have crippled what the NY Times refers to as “the country’s biggest agricultural engine.”

While farmland is more scarce here in Southern California than in the Central Valley, the agricultural industry as a whole represents a vital sector of our state economy. Addressing the water supply needs of our state’s farmers will no doubt be a critical part of any long-term supply planning done at the regional level.

This entry was posted on Monday, February 23rd, 2009 at 12:29 pm and is filed under Central Basin News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.