Water is the foundation for life as we know it and in California it is disappearing at an unprecedented rate. According to the United States Drought Monitor, California is currently experiencing the state’s worst drought in over 1,200 years, with over 44 percent of the state falling into the “exceptional” drought category.

On April 1, Gov. Jerry Brown (D – Calif.) issued the first ever mandated statewide water use reduction. Brown called for a 25 percent decrease of urban water use from 2013 levels, increased enforcement of water waste management and investment in new water conservation technology, among other initiatives.

It’s positive that Brown understands that government intervention must be taken, but he is targeting the wrong people. While individual communities must monitor their water use, there are two major areas that need addressing. For one, fossil fuel companies must be held accountable for not only their water consumption, but for their role in contributing to climate change. Secondly, California must revise its outdated water regulations, which are contributing to the difficulties present in mitigating the water crisis.

Brown is outspoken about the existence, and the dangers of climate change. “I can tell you, from California, climate change is not a hoax… We’re dealing with it, and it’s damn serious,” Brown said on ABC’s “This Week.” Given Brown’s apparent understanding of the existence of the issue, his lack of regulations on the very industries primarily responsible for climate change is disappointing.

An April 6 article from Thinkprogress.org explained how in 2014 California “used nearly 70 million gallons of water to frack for oil and gas in 2014.” This is roughly the equivalent of 514 houses a year. When framed in this light, it is easy to argue that the water consumption of fracking is miniscule and should not be a priority.

However, as Patrick Sullivan, spokesperson for the Center for Biological Diversity and Californians Against Fracking, points out, the water used by fracking is contaminated and cannot be recycled back into the overall water supply. For example, water used from showers is recycled through an intensive, state sponsored filtration system. Additionally, fracking contributes to the very reason California is experiencing its worst drought in over 1,200 years — climate change.

Fracking is just the tip of the iceberg. According to an April 6 article from Grist.org, California’s oil and gas production in 2014 consumed 42 billion gallons of water or, “enough to fuel San Francisco homes for three years.”

Now, to putting all of the blame on fracking and fossil fuel emitters is tempting, yes, but it leaves out a major issue.

According to an April 10 article from the San Francisco Chronicle, California’s current system for determining water rights was created over 100 years ago, using the “first in line, first in right” logic. Think first come, first served.

Because water is not considered a public resource, the only determinant for ownership is based on being the first one there. There is zero incentive for conservation because if one person gives up rights to his or her water, another will simply snatch it up. With a significantly smaller population, this worked fairly well. However, today, with a population of over 38 million people, California’s archaic system leads to major inefficiencies.

Brown has correctly identified that climate change is responsible for intensifying this drought and that action must be taken. However, to place the burden of conservation on the individual in unjust, and will not be enough. Brown must take a step back and target the two areas that do have the potential to have a large-scale impact: fossil fuel industries and statewide water conservation laws.

Azor Cole is a junior public relations major and geography minor. His column appears weekly. He can be reached at azcole@syr.edu and followed on Twitter @azor_cole.

Published on April 15, 2015 at 11:29 pm