california's worst drought in centuries is the "inside story." hello, i'm ray soares. in normally drizzly san francisco, 1/100 of an inch of rain fell in january. los angeles had no measurable precipitation at all. ranchers, taking a look at dried up pasture land and the skyrocketing cost of feed are taking thousands more cows to slaughter. for the first time ever, the state's water authority closed the gates and would not release water to municipalities. it doesn't have enough. normally snowcapped mountains are bare, or covered with the measliest in the west. docks in marinas stand high and

dry on what were once lakeshores. water has been an issue in the southwest as long as we have had cities in the desert and had agriculture in places it rarely rains. but this winter drought is drawing more attention and more concern than usual. >> today i'm declaring a drought emergency in the state of california. >> it has been nearly three weeks since governor jerry brown first declared a drought emergency in california. and now in what was supposed to be the peak of the rainy season, farmers and city dwellers are concerned. >> i've been cutting back on my watering and my shower time. >> it's california's third consecutive year of drought. >> we have been saving everything we can in 5-gallon buckets when we take a share. >> typically from december to

march, 2014 is disappointing. it has only rained about two inches. president obama pledged the support of federal agencies, and the governor is calling on californians to cut their use of water by at least 20%. >> don't flush more than you have to, don't shower longer than you need to, and turn the water off when shaving or brushing your teeth. >> california's state water project said it may have to stop shipments of water to local agencies soon, barring emergencies. the decision could effect over 25 million people. >> this is the first time in the 54 year history of the state water project that projected water supplies for urban water applies is zero. >> in the forests, there have been wildfires, a rare event in winter. last be january there weren't any. this january, 406. and in the sierra nevada

mountains, the snowpack water content, a water supply used during the dry season, is only 12% of normal levels. this is from a lack of snowfall. ski resorts in the sierra nevada mountains are seeing this now firsthand, relying on artificial snow making, some resorts have closed, and others have laid off workers, and ski rearen't the ones needing rain. farmers and planters, processers and truck drivers are really feeling the heat. >> if we don't get rain in a 30-day or so window, we'll be in pretty much dire straits. >> california's agriculture industry is worth $40 billion. no rain could mean food stamps for farmers and food shortages for americans. >> i can't grow any crops. it doesn't go to market. it creates a shortage and what

happens with a shortage? prices go up. >> the u.s. is expected to announce whether they will have federally controlled to farmers this month. the southwest has seen drought cycles before, and it will see them again, but the colorado river is already a relative trickle when it reaches california. and even better water management and prices hasn't kept pace with water management in metropolitan areas in a time of short rain. water in the west on this edition of "inside story," looking at the challenges presented by the drought, dave from the western growers' association, which represents farmers in california and arizona. he's the senior vice president of government affairs and communications. from phoenix, dave shatski, and

from california, peter glick, the president and founder of the pacific institute, a group that promotes environmental sustainability. and mr. glick, there have always been droughts in the southwest. and how bad is this one, compared with the ones that you've seen in the past? what's different? >> that's right, we have wet years, we have dry years, and the climate is variable, especially in the western u.s. but without a doubt, the drought is unprecedented. we have had stream and pleasure measurement in the state of california. and by any measurement, really, this drought is deeper than we have seen in the last 150 years. basically deeper than we have seen in the modern history of california. we're in a big hole, and it doesn't look like its getting any better. >> dave, what does it mean for your members?

is it yonder they can just and use water one way or another, are we already talking about a situation that's well beyond that? >> well, farmers are highly innovative and able to adapt to changing circumstances, and i think that goes with the occupation, but as peter said, we're in a third dry year, and this year is particularly dry, and we're coming to a point for many of our farmers in california, where there is no mitigation or alternative strategy to keep your crops alive. the only strategy is to try to minimize losses. laypeople off and hope for mother nature to turn the spigot back on. >> so there's no calvary coming over the hill. and unless rain falls out of the sky, there are no caches that you can petition for. >> california doesn't have what you call an average water year. we have a wildly volatile

climate here, and our precipitation numbers go up and down every year. when we're in an extended low precipitation leek this, farmers turn to ground water supplies to keep the foods going into the country, and we have very low levels, in a state that depends on farming, where the food is produced, and that water is not going to be available much longer. >> tom, you've heard peter glick and dave talk about the situation in california. is arizona in the same boat? >boat?or a boat that's not sittn water? >> ray, i think our boat is floating right now. some of the california problems are related to the state water project, which is internal to california. arizona shares usage of the colorado river with california and other states, and there has been a drought on that river as well. but arizona is really good shape, and there are a variety

of reasons for that. we have been kind of planning for this sense at least 1980 and before that in terms of our ground water management code and a lot of conservation programs. storing water underground and other programs that flow out of the ground water code. so in the short-term at least, we don't foresee any water shortages in arizona. we have seen some impacts on some of our ranching community and we have seen some forest fires in the summers over the last few years, but from a water supply stand out for our municipal and agriculture users, we're in pretty good shape. >> isn't your water replenished to a certain degree, by californias and snowfall. and aren't you suffering the same drought they are, whatever reserves? >> we are suffering from the

14-year drought on the colorado deliveriver, which supplies wato arizona, and we also, they have had good years recently. and bad years, and the reservoirs inside of our state that are key to our water users, on the verdi river, are half full. and the colorado river reservoirs are 49% full. and we see no allocation reductions, no water use limits because we have the reservoir storage, and we have ample ground water storage. which we have artificially stored water under ground for just this occasion. >> peter glick, a lot of places are pulling water out of the colorado river. when we have a cycle like the one we're in now, do those formulas change? does everybody have to take out

a little less? we just heard tom talk about how arizona's water remains the same. and what does that mean for the colorado. >> unlike arizona, california has a very complicated water system. in the winter, we get our rainfall and snow in the mountains in the northern part of the state primarily. and there are local ground water resources in the northern part of the state. and rivers in different parts of the state. parts of california gets some of its water from the colorado river. in the past, not all of those resources have been in drought at the same time. and in fact, this year, as tom mentioned, the colorado river is relatively low, but it's not low enough to promote a shortage call on the colorado. so even in southern california, those areas dependent on colorado river water may see their whole allocations, whereas

other areas that are dependent on snowfall in northern california have very very low reservoirs. it depends on where you are, and how didn't you are. and what your options are. but even in california, some farmers and cities are in better shape than others, and it's going to be a mixed story even here. >> but what if this continues. does this force really tough choices down the road? if we're not in a three or four year cycle, but a 12 year cycle as sometimes occurs in the world. >> yes, that's a great question. this is the third year of the drought. and if the drought ends this year, we'll muddle through, and there will be financial and economic challenges associated with that. but what if there's a fourth or a firth year of drought? in australia, they had a similar situation. starting in the year 2000, they had a bad drought going on for a couple of years, and they kept

going. some called it the millennium drought or the nine year drought. and they were doing things from a policy perspective and a government perspective that here in the united states we haven't started talking about yet. it's bad now, and it could get a lot worse, and frankly, maybe this is a harbinger of climate change, and not something that we have to accept for years, but long-term. and that's going to be tough for policy. >> we're going to take a short break, and we'll talk about what that harbinger might look like, not just for where people live, but some of the most valuable agriculture in north america.

>> it's a way of life for upwards of 50 million people that depends on managing and disbursing a natural resource, what do you do? what can you do when that

resource isn't being replenished. water in the west in this "inside story." dave puglia, if this continues, as california considers how to allocate limited resources, can the farmers say, look, we produce a big part of the gdp of this state s we have to be supplied. >> california produces when half of the fresh produce in the united states, and there's a real value of that, not only for nutritional reasons, but for economic reasons, and as we go through the decades, we look at an insecure water supply system. what do we do about that? we have a water supply and conveyance system in california that has served the means in our state for decades, but it was designed and built for a population about half the size

we have today. we're headed for a population of 50 million by 2050, and even without tech industries' continued growth and vibrance to the economy, we have to upgrade our infrastructstructure and conveyance system in the state. there are many other tools that have to be put in place and used more than now. desalination have potential, and i think all of those tools have to be brought to the table if we're going to manage our resources and protect what is part of california's legacy and economy. >> tom, is arizona already there? >> well, certainly in the short-term, we're already there, and i'll throw out some numbers that might evidence what our water conservation and use programs have accomplished in the state of arizona. so if you look at the time period, 1957 to 2011, our

population has gone up 4.7 times, and our gross product has gone up 1,587% since 1957. and our water use has gone down from 7 million to 6.9 million. so we have done a lot of good over the years. we do also see growth coming in the future in all of our sectors, potentially. agriculture, industrial and municipal. and the governor recently charged the department with putting out a strategic vision, looking out over 100 years or so. how we're going to meet those challenges, and it includes some of the things that we're talking about. desalination, and water supply infrastructure, and funding for those items to move forward. we're going to have to keep up the good work we have done in

all of these decades. >> you know, tom, i've been to arizona farms, and it's almost visually incongruous, and remarkable and strikingly beautiful to drive through lush fields that you know are just the result of irrigation. nothing fell from the sky for the silage, or the thirsty crop of cotton. it's something to see cotton bowls bursting in white standing in a dessert. if this goes on, can you contemplate saying to farmers, hey, maybe we can't grow cotton in arizona anymore. it uses too much water. >> i think there's a misconception with our farmers in arizona, since the 1980 ground management act, which created mandatory for farmers. and those folks have invested a lot of money in improving their

efficiency. $3,670 per acre of land in conservation and efficiency so they got to about 80% efficiency. in yuma, arizona, which produces 90% of the leafy green vegetables for the united states in the winter months, they have grossly increased their production, but they're still using the same amount of water they did in 1970. so the farming economy is very important. and it creates a lot of benefit for lifestyle and open space, and it's part of arizona's economy. so we will find a way, as we have in the past, to use water efficiently and allow those farmers to continue, if that's what they desire to do. >> peter glick, are the people of the united states, because of the problems of the southwest, should they be thinking about either more expensive food or more expense i have water for

farmers? >> . >> he makes a good point, with the efficiency in arizona. and the relate is that we have seen efficiency nationwide. and especially here in california, we use a lot less water today than we and 50 years ago. a lot less in the urban sectors, and the farmers have become more efficient in changes in irrigation authorize, but you asked a question that i think is a key one. there are short-term things we have to do because of this extraordinary drought. wwe may have to let our lawns go brown, and let our toilets go mellow yellow. but there are things that we have to make fundamental changes in the way we manage water in the west. is this the way to grow crops

with old style irrigation techniques? is this the time when we ought to be discussing changes in our industrial structure and urban makeup? we all have lawns in our backyards in the west. lawns ta we adopted from old style english gardens. they may have long-term changes in the way we think about water, the way we do it, and the way we allocate the limited resources that we have. >> we're going to take a short break, and when we come back, we'll talk about what the future might look like optimally, and what people will put up and what they will comply with. this is "inside story."

>> welcome back to "inside story." i'm ray soares. it is the rainy season in california. but it's not raining. the cause is a big zone of high pressure.

which meteorologists are calling the ridiculously resilient ridge. we're talking about the impact of the ever worsening drought. and still with us. dave pugly a. and dave, from arizona and berkeley, california, peter glick, and you heard peter before the break talking about all of us having to look at lifestyle changes, and i wonder if you're already doing that in arizona. sometimes when i jump out of a car when i'm in the southwest i only afterwards realize that some of the lush lawns i'm seeing are made out of plastic and are we going to have to see more of that? >> certainly, as i mentioned earlier, arizona's conservation efforts have changed the landscape. and certainly, we have also been looking at ways to collaborate with the other states that we

share the colorado river with, including california, wyoming, nevada, new mexico and utah. over the past 12 or so years, those collaborative efforts, through conservation and programs that peter already mentioned have really resulted in popping up the elevation of lake mead on the colorado river, the primary reservoir that provides water to california, nevada and arizona, by 10 feet or approximately 1 million-acre feet of water, and recently that has included the republic of mexico. so one thing that will happen is the states will get together with the federal government and find more ways to collaborate and find ways to create equity and sharing the risks and the water supplies that we share with the colorado river. >> but in order to put best practices in place, you have to

have water in the first place. and some of this has a heavy dependence on what nature does, doesn't it? >> yes, we have been in a drought for 14 years on the colorado river, and despite that, we have not hit any shortage of elevation in lake mead. and those elevations do exist pursuant to a collaborative program put together in 2007, with the seven states and the federafederal government. it's not like there's no water in the river. and we have huge reservoirs on the colorado river, and they're almost half full despite very bad hydrology over the 14-year period. we have seen that going back in prehistoric records that go back 1200 years at least.

which use tree rings for approximately what the flow of the colorado river was. >> let me turn to dave. and should we be talking much more seriously, and with a greater sense of urgency to the public about more expensive water and more expensive food and more stringent conservation issues in the coming years? >> i think we do, and we also have to educate the public about the reality of the global food sourcing strategies that are employed around the world. the fact of the matter is, while there will be some crops that cannot be grown in california for lack of water, the major supplier of those foods, grocery stores, restaurant chains, will find another way. and that usually means leave being the united states. so one of the real imperatives that we have to consider here strategically, is whether we value a domestic food supply. whether we value our food being

produced by american farmers on american soil and delivered to homes. because without that water supply, we'll see more of our food supply outsourced. >> peter glick, we have a very short window before we have to go, and are people doing more in their homes and can they do more in the short-term? >> we can do more in every single sector, from our homes to businesses to farms. we have made great progress in improving efficiency and conservation, and we're doing more with the water we have. but there are limits. and the good news, there's the potential for far better efficient appliances and irrigation systems, but there are growing constraints, and i don't think that we fully recognize the long-term implications. >> it's great to talk to you peter, tom and dave. and that brings us to the end of this edition of "inside story."

thanks for being with us, the program may be over, but the conversation continues. if you want to hear about this or any show, log onto our facebook page or send us your thoughts on twitter. our handle is aj "inside story" am. or reach me directly at ray soares news. in washington, i'm ray. >> high above the artic circle, >> stand by....

>> in some of the world's coldest waters, canadian military divers are preparing for a search and rescue training mission. >> the bottom is about 40 meters, 120 feet down, the water is about 2 degrees below zero celsius. they can stay down there 40 minutes to an hour without really getting too cold.