Publication Date February 9, 2016 | San Francisco Chronicle

How the drought boosts your utility bills, and global warming

United States
The dam at Folsom Lake is viewed on January 28, 2015 in Folsom, California. Located just east of downtown Sacramento, this city of 78,000 people is home to Folsom Prison, Intel, and Folsom Lake State Recreational Park. Photo: George Rose, Getty Images
The dam at Folsom Lake is viewed on January 28, 2015 in Folsom, California. Located just east of downtown Sacramento, this city of 78,000 people is home to Folsom Prison, Intel, and Folsom Lake State Recreational Park. Photo: George Rose, Getty Images

By starving California’s hydroelectric dams of water, the state’s four-year drought has cost consumers an extra $2 billion in utility bills and pushed up greenhouse gas emissions from power plants by 10 percent, a new study finds