THE WATER QUEEN As the number of dry wells in Tulare County rose one woman was in charge of finding long-term solutions for residents Denise England water resources program manager for Tulare County became known as the Water Queen as she directed state and federal funds to those most in need The California Disaster Assistance Act had historically been used following emergencies such as floods and fires In these events the devastation is easily visible and understandable The funds had never been applied to drought relief so England’s efforts were laying the groundwork for future drought responses You’re trying to take things that make a lot of sense in flood or a fire and you’re trying to apply it for drought she said 5 To begin immediate relief in Tulare County England oversaw the installation of water tanks at private residences while at the same time seeking the viable long-term solutions residents needed surrounding fields on some of the nation’s most productive farms Maria Medina and her family live in Okieville and their well went dry after more than four years of drought Okieville used to be such a pretty place I had grass Now I just have a poor dog chained up to a dead tree 1 The Medinas are not alone In rural Tulare County where Okieville is located and groundwater is being pumped for agriculture more than 1,700 wells were dry by September 2015 2 With no water coming out of the taps some families in Okieville came together to run pipes or hoses into the wells of neighbors sharing what little was left of the water in the aquifers Many families were forced to fill buckets with the few drops that came out of hoses just to flush their toilets Dealing with the water shortage became a tedious time-consuming chore Other families began relying on state aid Starting in 2014 California governor Jerry Brown allocated 3 7 billion for drought-relief programs 3 Those who owned their homes were among the luckiest because they qualified for a 2,500-gallon 9,464 L tank filled weekly by water trucked in by the state government 4 Renters weren’t so lucky Rental homes weren’t eligible for the tanks because the tanks were 6
Okieville resident Tino Lozano used a hose to extract water from his nearly dry well 7
considered a home improvement and state funds could not be used for improvements for rental properties In addition to installing and filling water tanks the state also paid for and delivered bottled drinking water donated to food banks provided public showers and distributed funds to low-income families to help pay rising water bills These efforts in the face of the California drought were unprecedented H2O TO GO While the drought has caused hardships for many across California one business has boomed water delivery In Nevada County Garrett McInnis owner of the company H2O to Go was busier than ever delivering water to residents Just as in Tulare County to the north Nevada County saw a growing number of wells go dry New customers called every day wanting information about putting in a tank and water system and setting up water delivery McInnis’s business increased so much he bought three new delivery trucks WHAT IS DROUGHT It was clear in the daily lives of its residents that Tulare County was in a drought Yet the technical definition of a drought is complicated The simplest definition of a drought is a phenomenon that occurs when the water consumed by humans and nature exceeds the rate at which rain and other sources replenish it It is a balance of supply and demand A study in the 1980s found there were more than 150 other published definitions of drought demonstrating how this phenomenon involves a wide array of complex and interrelated factors 6 Adding to the complexity droughts unlike most other natural disasters happen very slowly This can make the start of a drought difficult to pinpoint 8
US Geological Survey technicians collect data to characterize and classify droughts 9
