Severe Drought in California, USA

The drought in California, USA enters its fourth year with not enough rainfall and snow levels in its mountain at their lowest levels. Although we hear about the western U.S. in some kind of constant drought but now California has been the exceptional case as drought conditions have forced the government there to implement strict water cutting and rationing laws designed to cope with this emergency. Although I believe that the government was slow to cope with this and still thinks it can ride this through as you have seen the reports about wealthy people not accepting the new reality. But until strict measures are taken including providing water for certain times of day, this restriction, initially voluntary is not going to work. Water is the most essential ingredient and as the population has grown in California, the water requirement has also grown without a corresponding increase in rainfall and snow. Although the farmers with the most senior water rights are being asked to reduce water intake, this water rights issue should be scraped once and fall as it was done more than a century ago with less population and plenty of water. Some people are digging wells draining the underwater ground water so much that it is just a matter of time before it will also dry up to. Punitive fines not in the hundreds but thousands of dollars a day for water wasters including running water and washing their cars should be the main concern and if this does not work, then water supply should be reduce or curtailed for some hours each day. I know it is draconian and in an advanced country like the U.S. not happily accepted but if there is less water to begin with, then all people will suffer for the sins of the few who refuse to acknowledge that they live in a desert area sustained by artificial sense of abundance water supply.