Less than 60 days remaining before dozens of California communities run out of water

(NaturalNews) Chronic drought conditions throughout the West continue to wreak havoc on the general public, as well as farming operations, but in California, things are about to get much worse.

Some regions of the state are now within two months of completely running out of water, according to CBS San Francisco, which reported that communities in central and northern California could see their water supplies completely vanquished in less than 60 days.

"The areas in jeopardy include Colusa and El Dorado County. These are relatively small communities and they rely on one source of water," the news site reported, adding, "Butte County north of Sacramento is getting hit hard."

The water supply at the Big Bend Mobile Home Park near Oroville, which is home to some 30 families, has gotten so low that it is now turned off between 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m.

"Hard when you have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night," resident Michelle Payne told the local news site. "I guess we're not flushing."

A single well supplies her entire community, and while there are other wells on the property, they have all gone dry.

At-risk towns increasing by the month

"There's really nothing can you about it," resident John Dougherty told CBS San Francisco. "I don't water any plants... try to cut back on toilet usage... whatever we can do is what you gotta do... all we can do."

"Pretty much anything that was alive weeks ago is dry, 'cuz we haven't been able to water," added Payne.

Some area residents have taken to driving five or more miles to get drinking water from a spring box, both for their consumption and for their animals.

Statewide, the water shortages are increasing. In one month's time, for instance, the Water Resource Board's list of cities and towns at most risk of running out of water within two months has grown from eight to 12; the Big Bend Mobile Home Park is now on that list.

"There is some help on the way for the people here. The state just approved plans to drill a new well. It's not clear when the work will begin," CBS San Franscisco reported.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, the western drought remains widespread, with California suffering the worst of it. Nearly all of the state is either suffering "Extreme" or "Exceptional" drought; most of the state is in the "Exceptional" category, which is the worst.

The center says dry conditions in the West are affecting more than 51 million Americans, or roughly 16 percent of the population.

'It will take substantial snowfall'

As reported by Bloomberg News, California will continue to suffer chronic drought without substantial mountain snowfall this winter; snowfall that melts in spring replenishes the state's water systems, but there has been a dearth of snowfall in recent years.

"All eyes will be turned to the winter because it is a really critical winter, not just for California but the rest of the West and the lower Great Plains as well," Mark Svoboda of the National Drought Mitigation Center in Lincoln, Nebraska, told Bloomberg.

"For the majority of the West, the lifeline is the snow that falls in the Rockies, the snow that falls in the Cascades and the snow that falls in the Sierra," he added.

Kevin Werner, the western regional climate services director with the National Climatic Data Center, told Bloomberg that the Western states of Arizona and New Mexico were able to experience some relief from their drought during the recent annual monsoon season. Also, they were relieved by a great deal of rain that fell from hurricanes Norbert and Odile. But that rain did not make it far enough north to have much impact, so snowfall remains vital for California.

"Most of our water, from 80 to 90 percent of it, falls in the form of snow in the winter time," Warner told Bloomberg.

Natural News editor Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, reported recently that, in California, some residents are now experiencing water rationing of just 50 gallons a day.

Sources:

http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com

http://www.bloomberg.com

http://www.naturalnews.com

http://science.naturalnews.com