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 drought that could happen.
A change in the climate and overuse of water are 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 adapt to it.
Why is the West of America Dry?
The West of America is dry due to overuse and climate change.
The western 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 a human-created lake (not natural), usually due to a dam 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.
- Lack of snowpack
- Lack of soil moisture
- High temperatures
What happens is that 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, there 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 that the crop that eats the MOST water isn’t even one that 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.
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 by 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 third MOST impacted state by the drought. Even though Nevada is no stranger to droughts, now it has to reduce its water use by 5% to save Lake Mead. Oh, and it’s also the driest state in the U.S.
If you are wondering what 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 states that are the driest 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.
One option is that there are legit jobs where you can work from home and are flexible. Finding these legit jobs can be challenging because there is a lot of bullshit and scams.
This Network HERE is what I recommend. It’s a subscription service, but they weed through the bullshit and scams.
Plus, they can help you land the job and help with interviews, resumes. Give it a whirl, you might find gold. Oh, and working from home can be VERY nice!
Another idea that I LOVE is affiliate marketing.
This is where, if you post a link and if someone clicks on it and buys something, or even fills out a form or downloads a free app, you can get paid.
What I love is that you can do it anywhere, anytime, it’s very flexible, covers many niches, and can be a lot of fun.
I’m giving away free guides on how I earn money with it, and my system HERE. It’s free, so what do you have to lose, right?
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 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 that you can create your own medicine from natural plants HERE. The best part is that 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.