I don't post much here but do stop by fairly regularly for some learning. As many may know, California (and many other western states) are in severe drought conditions. The governor had declared it an emergency and requested voluntary 20% water reductions.

LA Times
I'm aware of a nearby community of 5,000 that has approximately 60 days of water left in its reservoirs if we don't get significant precipitation.

It is not possible, on an individual level, to store ones way out of such a predicament. I'm curious what collective wisdom suggests for drought preparation. Please discuss. Thanks.

Get rid of conventional grass lawns and other thirsty landscaping. Turn off/alter public fountains. Low flow toilets and waterless urinals. More efficient agricultural irrigation (the really big water consumer!)

And finally, drink imported beer

Be ready for wildfires and lots of dead trees. Texas is slowly coming out of a multi-year drought which killed 15-30% of our trees, depending on location. A number of our state and national forests were closed because of too many dead trees falling over or dropping limbs. Falling trees/limbs were also responsible for knocking out powerlines whenever we had a bit of wind. Along with the power outages wildfires and forest fires wiped out quite a few homes and business.

You can't do much about the lack of water but you should prepare for power outages and wildfires. Make sure you have alternatives sources of electricity and that your bug out bag and bug out binder are ready to go.
-Blast

California voters may be deciding upon the fate of a project to tunnel water tunnels beneath the Sacramento delta - to bring water to SoCal. In our last drought, serious proposals were made to tow icebergs from Alaska to Santa Barbara.

Meanwhile,we could do a lot to improve our hydraulics and reduce waste. As populations increase, measures that seem extreme to manage water will become commonplace.

CA needs to get serious about desalination. the entire state is sitting beside the Pacific Ocean. yeah its expensive - but we may as well get serious about starting now. water problems are not going to go away.

Pete

My state doesn't have a drought, but I should probably do a few dry runs just as preparation.

I assume our people in that area have water saved up already. This might be a time to double check your water storage.

no harm in that thought, Bingley :-)

I have all my bulk water stored out of state... in the ground.

Storing enough water for drinking is easy, say 2 liters a day per person for 100 days is only 200 liters, easily stored in the form of ready bottled water.

Storing enough water for basic domestic needs other than drinking is entirely doable, but takes up a fair bit of space. Say 25 liters a day at a minimum, 50 would be better.
For 100 days that is several tons, fairly easily stored in purpose made tanks, cisterns or barrels.

Storing enough water for a farm or large garden though not actualy impossible is unlikely to be viable due to the costs.
An outdoor reservoir 2 meters deep and with a plan area 10 meters by 10, would store about 200 tons, a great deal by domestic standards but not really much for a farm. Also obtaining enough water to initialy fill a 200 ton store might be problematic in areas that are continually arid.
If however water is plentiful at certain times of year, then filling a 200 ton store from a natural water source is easy with a suitable pump.
Remember that significant volumes of water can be lost to evaportation from uncovered reservoirs.

A combination of water saving, and storage should suffice.
Use a low flush toilet normally, and in times of drought consider an outdoor pit latrine that uses no water at all.

Use a low flow shower head, and try to take short showers.

Not just wildfires, but even a house fire can draw down a small water system and leave the hydrants non-functioning. So as others have said, do everything you and your neighbors can do to prevent and mitigate fires.