New authorities maps show practically all the West is in drought and it is not even summer yet: “That is unprecedented”

In an unprecedented move, Southern California officers declared a water scarcity emergency and requested roughly 6 million residents to restrict all outside watering to simply as soon as per week.  

"We knew climate change would stress our water supplies and we've been getting ready for it but we didn't know it could occur this fast," mentioned Gloria Gray, chairwoman of the Metropolitan Water District Board of Administrators.  

The most recent authorities maps show practically all of the West is in drought, and 95% of California is struggling severe or extreme drought.

"This is actual. This is severe. This is unprecedented," stated Adel Hagekhalil, normal manager for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.  

California just isn't alone as reservoirs throughout the West are draining.  

Lake Mead, the biggest reservoir in the nation formed by the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River, needs a brand new pump to make sure water can circulation to Las Vegas. 

"The problem with climate change is that it takes all of the historic patterns and sort of shifts them," NASA scientist Dr. JT Reager informed CBS Information' Ben Tracy. 

Reager mentioned the West is in a 22-year megadrought, as climate change makes it hotter and drier. 

"We're simply starting to see the dominoes fall. It's drier, we're starting to see much less water in our reservoirs, and we have fires, and in California, there's just this series of penalties that we anticipate," mentioned Reager.