The California Aqueduct

This manmade "river" carries water from the Sierra Nevada into the Central Valley farm belt, and all the way to Los Angeles, which is essentially a desert. It was interesting to note that there were no dead lawns where we were in the San Fernando Valley. In fact, there seemed to be little awareness in Los Angeles, that there is a drought.

The movie Chinatown, and the excellent book The Cadillac Desert by Marc Reisner, detail the fierce water wars between north and south in this state as Los Angeles expanded from a sleepy Mexican outpost to a huge metropolis.

As we drove through the Central Valley today, the effects of the drought were everywhere. Almond orchards are being removed, replaced by signs in dusty fields that say things like, " Congress Created Dust Bowl". My picture shows the lush green irrigated fields, the arid, dusty dry ones and the enormous power lines carrying power generated by dams high in the Sierra and south to the ever expanding developments of the Los Angeles basin.

It wouldn't surprise me if the water wars continue to heat up again as the drought continues, Angelinos continue to water their lawns, we continue to let ours die, and the government continues to try to figure out how to balance the interests of farmers, ranchers, environmentalists, developers and business..

I think I'm glad we have a well….