Why is the US so Dry? 2 Solutions!
Kevin Whitsitt
Getting small business owners a pile of cash they don't have to pay back!
Lately, I've been hearing many stories of the Colorado river and reservoirs drying up and I was curious why this was happening. After talking to my father I was also curious about what the average person could actually do to prepare for this draught that could happen.
A change in the climate and overuse of water is causing the water shortage in the U.S.
Keep reading and I'll share the surprising thing I discovered about this megadrought, 3 reasons it's happening, 3 places that will be most impacted, and 2 solutions that the average person can use to adopt to it.
Why is the West of America Dry?
The West of America is dry due to overuse and climate change.
The west of the United States has been particularly hard hit by a drought. It's drying up lake Mead which is the largest reservoir in the U.S. A reservoir is human created lake (not natural) usually due to a damn on a river.
Lake Mead is at its lowest level since 1937 when the reservoir was first filled.
The river that creates lake Mead is the Colorado river which provides water for 40 million people in 7 states.
What the western U.S. is experiencing is a mega-drought and it's different than a normal drought. A normal drought is a dry spell, but then it gets wet again. With a megadrought it just stays dry without the wetness and this region has been experiencing this since the year 2000.
A drought is caused by 3 things.
What happens is snow falls on mountains in the winter. If not a lot of snowpack is formed on the mountain then this can create a drought. Then spring comes and the snow melts creating water that travels down the mountain to reservoirs like Lake Mead and the Colorado River.
This water is needed for life (no water = no life).
Before the reservoir or river gets the water the soil first consumes it. If the soil is "super" dry then it's going to drink a lot more of it.
Also if the temperature is "super" hot then the water will evaporate and less of it will get into the river and reservoirs. All three of these factors can contribute to a drought.
Lastly, is the consumption, and as more people move to the desert, with lawns and golf courses eating up water the more of it is consumed at least this is what I originally thought.
The truth is according to VOX HERE 14% of water use in the west is commercial and residential.
The VAST majority of water use (86%) is for the irrigation of crops.??
What is even more fascinating is the crop that eats the MOST water isn't even one humans eat it's alfalfa. Other water-thirsty crops would be ones that feed cows such as hay. Around 32% of the water that is consumed is for cattle.
You might be wondering what the U.S. is doing about this megadrought. As you can imagine they want the states that use the water to figure out how to reduce their use of it.
As you can guess the states that use the water can't figure it out so the U.S. government is stepping in (like the responsible adult) to impose restrictions.
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Hardest Hit Areas of the American Drought?
The hardest hit area of the American drought is the state of Arizona
In the past 20 years, Arizona has been hit the hardest with drought conditions. The state has been prone to fires with ponds and creeks drying up. Now Arizona has to reduce its water use by 17%, which is the most out of every other state that uses the Colorado river.
Another state that has been VERY hard hit by the drought is California. California is the top agriculture-producing state in the union. The good news is for some reason the state doesn't have to reduce its water use having to do with the Colorado River.
As you can imagine other states are not happy with this.
Of course, Nevada might just be the thirst MOST impacted state by the drought. Even though Nevada is no stranger to draughts now it has to reduce its water use by 5% to save Lake Mead. Oh, and it's also the dryest state in the U.S.
If you wondering what are the wettest states in the U.S. then you might be surprised to find out the leader is Mississippi in 2021. Following Mississippi would be Louisiana, Alabama, and Tennessee.
The state that is the drying would be Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Montana (at the bottom of the list).
You can look at a chart that shows the rankings of each state HERE.
What can I do to Prepare for the Drought?
The first thing that the government and your neighbors want you to do is cut back on water use. I'm not going to tell you to do that because it honestly sucks.
Another option that I'm a fan of is to just move to a better location. The trickiest part of relocating would be your work.
This is why I'm a HUGE HUGE fan of a side hustle that you can do anywhere. What I do and recommend is blogging and affiliate marketing. I've been at it for over 10 years and I created a free eBook that I feel can be a huge help that you can view at this place HERE.
A third option would be to create your own water.
Believe it or not, there are VERY cheap ways you can take water out of the atmosphere that you can use for your home. Even better this system is portable and can even be run without electricity.
Physiologically, being able to create your own water without the electric grid HAS to be empowering and give you some freedom.
Plus, it includes some killer bonuses that you can check out HERE.
Closing
I think we can ALL agree that we live in some crazy times right? Figuring out a way to have more security is a positive thing.
Apart from water or money security, another thing I'm a HUGE HUGE fan of is with healthcare. Now, healthcare is a very controversial area, and I actually got started over 10 years ago marketing health-related products that I still use today (I just don't sell them).
One thing I have to mention is you can create your own medicine from natural plants HERE. The best part is Nicole shows you how to use everyday plants for a variety of healing effects.
You know they have to be better than man-made pharmaceuticals.
If you want to be even MORE hardcore you could grow your own food, electricity, and be completely self-sufficient then you could check this out HERE.
I know I blew up your head with enough ideas, but I hope this post on the megadrought in the U.S. was helpful. Bye for now.?