When I visited Santa Cruz, CA this summer, I was asked by a cashier if I wanted to spend a few extra cents to pay for a plastic bag in which to carry my purchases. "What?" I said, before I realized what he'd actually said. "Do you want to pay for a plastic bag?" he repeated. "No, of course not," I said, realizing (not for the first time that trip) I was on the environmentally conscious west and not the more consumer friendly east.

If I visited the area today, I'd have to request a glass of water at a restaurant rather than have its presence assumed like a basket of warm bread. Such is the current water crisis in California, the area's worst since rainfall was first recorded 163 years ago, according to the San Jose Mercury News.

In its recent history, Califorina hasn't been hit with the severe droughts it has experienced in its less recent history, such as a 240-year long bout that began in 850 and a 150 year-long one beginning in 1100 (those periods were analyzed by other means besides tracking rainfall, such as tree-ring analysis).

"We continue to run California as if the longest drought we are ever going to encounter is about seven years," Scott Stine, a professor of geography and environmental studies at Cal State East Bay, told the San Jose Mercury News. "We're living in a dream world."

Not all areas of the state are equally prepared for a dry period that could last for years. According to the Wall Street Journal, certain areas of southern California have the infrastructure to handle drought-like conditions without rations until 2015, but northern California, as previously mentioned, has already instituted water-restricting policies.

That's mainly because of environmentally-conscious areas like Santa Cruz, where initiatives to expand water storage are strongly opposed because of their potential to disturb natural habitats and increase human population, according to the WSJ. In light of the recent shortages and potential for a sustained drought, however, the interests of people whose livelihood depends on water (like farmers) are slowly being served over environmental concerns.