As we near the end of another extremely dry year in California many concerns abound at San Luis Obispo High School regarding the multi-year drought.

A September 9 info graphic put out by the United States Drought Monitor shows that 82 percent of California is in an extreme drought or worse. Exceptionally high temperatures inland of San Luis Obispo have made the drought much worse in places like Paso Robles and Templeton.

This past winter, many ski and snowboard trips to the Sierra Nevadas had to be cut short or canceled due to little snowfall.  As of July, Lake Nacimiento was at 19 percent capacity and Lake San Antonio was at 4 percent capacity.

San Luis Obispo County is calling on us to conserve the precious water that is left by fixing any broken appliances like faucets and toilets, and the lack of water has even prompted people to stop washing their cars.

“I have noticed how dirty some cars have become, because people are no longer washing their cars at home,” sophomore Sofie Janette said.

Fortunately, there could be hope for California this coming winter. In a recent article for The San Luis Obispo Tribune, local meteorologist John Lindsey talked about early indicators of a possible El Niño winter moving in. Although El Niño is by no means guaranteed rainfall, this winter has the potential to begin reversing this devastating drought.