As we all know, California is in a serious drought. The shortage on water is a big deal in Kern County as we mostly rely on the snow from the mountains around us for the mass amount of our water. In the past couple of years, the snow hasn’t come in the amounts that we need it to.

This year, the storm known as El Niño was supposed to provide a good amount of water for us. The snow on the mountains around us has been greater than it has been in the past years, so we have benefitted from that snow.

The problem is that we were not prepared enough for the storm. We were expected to receive more rain than usual, but we did not have a system set up to properly gather the water.

We were able to get water from the snow as it naturally makes its way down the mountain, but the rain needs to be collected as well.

We do not have the proper amount of reservoirs to hold the water produced from the storm.

That being said, I believe the community as whole does not care enough about the water shortage. It will not be taken seriously until we are at the point of disaster.

I’ve had discussions with many people on the topic, and most people say that they are not changing their ways to save water. Some people’s reasonings are that they do not care and others say that their water usage is a habit that is hard to break.

I am guilty of this as well. The only thing I have done to reduce my water usage is turning the water off as I brush my teeth. What I am most guilty of is turning the shower on and then using the toilet for around 10 minutes while the water is running. That’s a pretty large waste of water, and it is something I need to quit doing.

I think with the combination of a community working together to save water and our county having the proper methods and equipment to collect water, we can be in a better place in this drought. By no means do I think that it will get us out of the drought, as it is a natural event, but being in a better position when it comes to our water levels is much better than being in a worse position.