How California Rerouted its Rivers Hundreds of Miles to Water the Desert

California as we know it was largely built by a vast marvel of engineering - two enormous water systems, each covering a distance over 700 and 400 miles, respectively - one that provides water for nearly 60% of the entire state’s population, and another that irrigates half of all its crops. This is how one state took on its own geography, and created the largest water transport system on Earth - and how the failures of that system today are putting the state at risk.
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[@harktischris]

whenever you drive down I-5, you repeatedly drive along/over the california aqueduct, and I can't help but marvel at the sheer willpower and engineering behind the aqueduct everytime I see it.

[@RealConstructor]

If one aquaduct is getting you marveled, you should visit The Netherlands. That country is full of water management structures, otherwise half the country would by under water. And it’s a bigger agricultural giant than California, with less than half the population and about a tenth of the surface.

[@russbear31]

In the past year or two they have proposed building a new water system like this across the central Plains states. It would divert water from the Missouri River to Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and north Texas. This huge agricultural area has been dependent on the Ogallala Aquifer, which is like a huge underground freshwater ocean. More than 150 years of farming and ranching has almost drained the aquifer.

[@larsfridtjofnrheim1638]

CA got 85,9 m acre foot, Coloumbia river dumps 191,3 m foot into The Pasific every year. Move 10% off this water. Make a 365m long tunnel from Red Bluff. NV, AZ, Mexico can then keep Colorado water.Delaware Aqueduct is 86 miles and the worlds longest tunnel.

[@Favorite-catNip]

So. Why build when no water.

[@elizabethclaiborne6461]

Not going to happen. We who live on and demand on the Mississippi/ Ohio River system already have dibs on that water and CA doesn’t get to steal our water after squandering it’s own.

[@larsfridtjofnrheim1638]

@@Favorite-catNip There is always water in the Columbia river

[@larsfridtjofnrheim1638]

@@elizabethclaiborne6461 Agree, take from The Columbia. Shourter, 100 times cheaper, fast.

[@QuizmasterLaw]

this channel is gonna take off it's seriously great content, well presented, insightful, well grounded in facts, not sensationalist, able to extrapolate accurate trends and identify tendencies, yet NOT jumping to conclusion. Liked commented and already subscribed, great video!

[@kellyjohns6612]

🎯

[@MreeGdwn]

Agreed!

[@SamAronow]

Fun fact: not only is Los Angeles or any part of coastal Southern California not naturally a desert, but Los Angeles was actually _artificially dried out_ in the early 20th century, channelizing the numerous streams, lakes, and waterways in order to clear land for real estate development! Essentially, the re-routing of water into Los Angeles is meant to counterbalance the re-routing of water _out_ of Los Angeles. The main reason for this is that the city in the 1910s imposed a height limit on buildings, forcing developers to build out instead of up- they believed that tall buildings would cause road traffic... Furthermore, the growth of Los Angeles into a major city actually predates the rise of the "Sunbelt" by quite a few decades and is in fact a very industrial city, with most of the growth taking place between the opening of the Southern Pacific transcontinental railroad in 1876 and the outbreak of World War II.

[@geosophik9369]

Southern California was a semiarid place. Not a desert, but always a semiarid place since Spain first occupied the lands.

[@ckwind1971]

Super cool info

[@outdoorsbeyondnature1980]

California as different climates in southern Cali and in Central Valley. The climate is grasslands wetlands and desserts. The San Joaquin was wetter in the 1800s and early 1900s before the dams.

[@taliwalt5332]

Hi Sam! Love your channel so much...couldn't resist saying hello here.

[@randyisthechase5008]

Your information is "bunk". LA was the #1 agricultural county in the United States. But the huge influx of people moving into the area moved the farms out because of the manufacturing industry. My family "moved" out of the San Fernando Valley in 1945 because of the immigration and moved to the San Joaquin Valley.

[@chadmcvlad9794]

It would be interesting if as a part 2 to this you could go over Arizona’s water system and it’s conservation of water, as it is similar to californias system, but also vastly different

[@calypsomcdonnell1479]

Arizona has a water system?

[@TobeornottooB]

@@calypsomcdonnell1479 yes

[@TobeornottooB]

@@calypsomcdonnell1479 Its quite amazing.

[@mandymooligan9783]

Arizona is insane. Too many people moving here and not enough water.

[@TobeornottooB]

@@mandymooligan9783 It depends on how the water is used.

[@klubstompers]

San Diego's desalination plants are working wonders for the area. There reservoirs are so high right now, that the picnic tables around it are under water.

[@wishingb5859]

But they completely drained a reservoir to save money saying that desalination was too expensive.

[@rubes8065]

Carter, you’re an excellent host and I’ve enjoyed all your videos thus far. Truly interesting! Thanks again.

[@stinker43]

Having lived in Stockton CA for about 50 years, I knew most of this already. But it was still a great summary of CA's water and the need we have to develop more water sources to supply our population and agriculture.

[@Iamthedude]

Stockton is terrible.

[@-----------------------------]

How haven't you been shot already?

[@thornil2231]

develop more water sources ???? ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! WE NEED TO STOP GIVING WATER TO AGRIBUSINESSES.

[@svenrio8521]

​@@IamthedudeYes, but hey, it's home 😂

[@smike9884]

Great video. And THANK YOU for not having annoying background music! Can't count how many times I've had to give up on a video because of the background noise.

[@roBLINDhood]

Super interesting Carter!! Cool to know more about the development of my state.

[@darrellid]

Super quality content. Very informative. Thank you for sharing.

[@RK-cj4oc]

Thanks for the great work. Keep it up please!

[@weston.weston]

Great job, Carter. I learned a lot.

[@bradsillasen1972]

Outstanding production!

[@ravenken]

You are doing a really good job with your videos. I hope you find cause to keep it up. Thanks!-)

[@eatlaughandstupid4430]

simply amazing content...the narrative form flows...keep it up...

[@StanielP]

You just earned another subscriber. Love your videos about California

[@shadytreez]

Wow! Wonderfully done!

[@intoxicatedwithfear7264]

Thank you you have a great channel I'm a 12 th generation California out of San Juan Capistrano California Indian/Spanish family owns Rios Adobe..Thank you again I hope to send more to your channel your very informative on California.. salutations to you..

[@lindamcdermott2205]

Wow! Tons of work on this...nice job!

[@JayBobJayBob]

In the two years since this video was made, California has had 2 epic years of rain, effectively refilling all the lakes and Colorado river to full or near full status. I’m a third generation Southern Californian now 70 years old. my father built 1000 homes in Southern California and I did a paper on southern California water and wastewater systems in school. There’s so much more to be said about Southern California’s water. Southern California thanks to the San Gabriel mountains has a huge aquifer underneath it that modern drilling techniques over the last century have only increased the supply. It is also replenished by impressive sewage treatment plants, which process the water to drinkable before letting it percolate back down into the water table or flow down the Santa Ana river to the sea. Back in the 1930s Kaiser steel and Fontana built a wastewater system which takes under drinkable and poisonous water all the way to 5 miles offshore. This is to protect Southern California’s natural aquifer. Also so much rainwater is being captured in reservoirs as well as percolation lakes. There’s plenty of water to wash the mouths of all the haters!

[@michaeltnk1135]

It feels like as soon as a drought ends there’s a new one next year

[@anno-fw7xn]

climte change, that the new normal

[@SDguy3030]

@@anno-fw7xn clImAtE ChAnGE

[@marshalltucker9050]

Maybe don’t move to then develop cities in a desert?

[@michaeltnk1135]

@@marshalltucker9050 Nah SoCal is awesome

[@richardtheweaver4891]

@@anno-fw7xn unfortunately, there won't be a new normal until we've stabilized atmospheric CO2. And not even then, assuming Greenland's ice sheet is terminal. If so (if not it will be soon), kiss stable climate or coastlines goodbye for a thousand years or more.

[@jamesfarrell8339]

Excellent video I really enjoyed it Thanks 😊

[@OnTheHorizonSomewhere]

Spent 30 years in Cali, am a 4th generation Californian. One thing I never got enough of growing up was rain. The landscape gets so parched by summer, never got used to it. I now live in the Northwest where it's green year round and we got more water than we know what to do with. Much more conducive to human life up here but I get the allure of warm sunny weather. Gotta make hard choices in life.

[@seetheanimal5867]

Both places are communist hell holes that are mismanaging their natural resources into disaster 🤷🏽‍♂️ seems like an equal choice

[@calypsomcdonnell1479]

The weather sucks there.

[@djjukeboxhero6491]

Where in the northwest?

[@danielevans3932]

Californians usually know northwesterner when they see one. Pasty skin and pale faces.

[@ph8632]

@@calypsomcdonnell1479 < - - - It doesnt even know where "there" is! Yet the Moore Ron decided to chime in!!!

[@sierrrrrrrra]

The Ken Burns documentary on the national parks tells the story of Hetch hetchy valley. I would highly recommend it.

[@OtterMage]

That was interesting! :) Learning new things are always good

[@thetransformer6780]

Good job man, I live a little bit away from castaic lake. Always wondered about the water systems in California

[@jonathandevries2828]

That is interesting! thanks

[@HarvestStore]

Great video.

[@Vienna3080]

This makes me wanna see a video on the Utah Great Salt Lake, the lake alone provides 45% of the worlds Brine Shrimp, and 13% of the worlds magnesium

[@dr.a006]

I’ve grown up and live near it. Sadly it is drying up too. Years of drought plus crazy population growth, the 3 main rivers that feed it are constantly tapped out with the growth. Crazy to think in 1984 it was flooded and too high from the insane amount of snow that season and sudden runoff in the spring.

[@xanatax1844]

I’m really excited for a pipeline from the Pacific to Utah, to refill the lake! I feel like Oregon & Nevada will both be willing to authorize a pipeline. Nevada, in particular, I suspect would really like a cut of the salt water. 💜👍 It’s a multi-billion $$ project, that creates a bunch of jobs, and saves the environment … I think Oregon & Nevada will be ready to vote this in faster than Utah. 🤣 and it’s Utah’s lake.

[@norml.hugh-mann]

Fillng GSL serves no purpose worthy of a pipeline

[@Orion9856]

Great summary! You should also do one on the history and current state of California aquifers. It's a ticking timebomb.

[@cyrilblanchard1938]

I started watching your Channel last week about each state........so interesting..... I love Geography Corner Brook NL Canada💯📈

[@funbomb1102]

Great stuff so interesting

[@stephenskinner4857]

Carter, not only do you have much detail through your research, but knowing you are a young man that is AWARE of the World, makes me feel that there are some within the upcoming generations that understand much in the World that formal education has failed to prepare new generations to understand how to be citizens that can be GOOD decision makers. Keep up the GOOD work. By the way, another reason that California is productive in growing; the Central Valley has well drained soil because of thousands of years of the Central valley being a drainage basin when water was more prevalent. It also was a seabed thousands of years ago. The climate in California is also moderate because of the very constant temperature of the Pacific Ocean. Thanks - Stephen Skinner

[@markmark2080]

I really enjoyed this video after kind of stumbling on to it, it took me 4 - 5 hours to watch it because I have to locate everything on Google Earth as I go along and it's so easy to go off on a tangent...

[@rickc303]

This was awesome

[@slowliving2041]

Beautiful!

[@jordangoodwin84]

Awesome Video - should be a requirement for all schools in Ca to understand our water systems 👍

[@wistercrimson3904]

That was interesting.

[@pamelaorisek4822]

Missed the most impt fact, that most of colorado river water goes to growing feed for cattle cattle and exported offshore !!!

[@chevyboyforlife4234]

California put restrictions on water for farmers but not on their damn golf courses

[@camopirate5629]

Thanks!

[@ThatIsInterestingTII]

Thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed!

[@paulhammons7077]

Never going to seel that lake full again in my life time .. bummer

[@jasons3721]

Are you still breathing???

[@robertarnobit5357]

Good video 👍 lots of information. Now subscriber here.

[@ptectn]

Great video! Have you yet done a video of the Original California canal project from Owen Lake to LA that William Mulholland created back in early 20th Century? Interesting Story...

[@waheisel]

I do indeed agree that this video was very interesting. A similar project that I think is almost completely under the radar are the several canals and tunnels in Colorado that divert water from the headwaters of the Colorado River to the cities on the Front Range like Pueblo, Colorado Springs, and Denver. Of course that also depletes the water available to populations that depend on the lower Colorado including SoCal.

[@justinsanders8430]

interesting vid

[@blakespower]

california needs to create large condensers on the coast to capture all the cool humid air from the pacific ocean, no electricity needed once its built

[@kendallkahl8725]

A lot of people were starting to grow tropical fruit in California. Its going to be rough if they take a hit from this cold weather. The only farmland that stayed warm is the Imperial Valley and during the winter they stayed busy growing lettuce and tomatoes for winter salads.

[@Macaroni_King]

Great video all around and very interesting. Even so, we may truly be on the brink of a substantial desalination breakthrough even so if the research from May at the University of Tokyo's teflon-like fluoride ring filters gain traction in the commercial space any as it is expected to increase the speed of filtration by 2400% and while not directly not speculated probably to reduce energy consumption in the process by at least 80% by not needing the water to be pumped at 800-1000PSI through filter membrane inherently. It may unfortunately be 4-12 years away even so which doesn't help the current situation at all.

[@TohaBgood2]

5th largest GDP not 6th. Yeah, California passed the UK a little while ago. Think about that. California has a larger GDP than the UK and India, and more than twice that of Russia.

[@TopeRopeTom]

You mean a state which part of the largest economy in the world and is basically the whole west coast is big… well duh if you took the whole east coast and made it one state the same thing would happen. It always made me laugh how people from California think that makes them special. All that means is you all have a single government and less say in your local area.

[@kennarajora6532]

nice video.

[@JohnRay1969]

I wouldn't say they watered the desert so much as they watered Los Angeles. The first LA aquaduct drained a lake next to the town I live in and we ARE IN THE DESERT. Not only did they drain our lake, they didn't make supplies available for our local towns for fresh water. We have drilled wells. In the desert.

[@durwinpocha2488]

Populations are shrinking almost everywhere, not just Cali fornia.

[@chadportenga7858]

Just another example of man trying to control nature and nature finding a way to win. What I found so interesting is that the most ecologically-minded state in the US has single-handedly mucked up the ecosystem by trying to "fix" it so it was habitable the way they wanted to live, rather than live with what nature provided. Many other situations in the US and abroad where man should have left well enough alone, but instead created ecological disasters (or ones on the brink of happening). Invasive species (Asian Carp dangerously close to the Great Lakes), Lake Mead drying up, Salton Sea, just to name a few. Would love to hear more about these and other man-made disasters caused by good intentions gone bad.

[@Gizathecat2]

What California needs to do is to ban any and all watering of decorative landscaping. That means no lawns, no golf courses. Water should be allocated for agricultural use and drinking water and bathing.

[@TopeRopeTom]

Ban avocados

[@memtesin5918]

Great job! Do you happen to know if California's portion of Lake Mead comes from pre or post dam release?

[@HorsepowerIndustries]

might wanna make an update on this. the recent storm, these past couple of months have changed the situation here in California and we now have a good abundance of WATER.

[@riskingmybiscuit4209]

We need pump more ocean water to clean water all water locked states should have that.

[@keithcastillo5434]

There is a simple way they could do a desalinization plant. They can use the power of the Sun through a system of mirrors without using any electricity and other places in that harvest salt can stop harvesting salt instead use the desalinization plants salt.

[@calypsomcdonnell1479]

It would not be enough power with the present-day technology.

[@xanatax1844]

yes, but … as the video mentions dams, reservoirs, and aquaducts … major projects, really *big*! pretty sure your solar desalination project needs to be this big to work. 🤷‍♀️ like, pump ocean water out into the desert to create a salt lake, to start.

[@xanatax1844]

so, salt lake out in the desert … water temp will get much warmer than the ocean. that gets you, say 20-30% closer to evaporation. then pump water from the lake into your evaporation chamers with the mirrors & stuff. 🥰 it’ll run faster with the water pre-warmed. you will want electricty for pumps & small motors to keep the mirrors aligned … but out in the desert … just add some solar panels & batteries to the plan. 🙂👍

[@tobygoodguy4032]

So like where do most of the 39M people live if ... and when the tap dries up. The distribution system is so 20th C. (Talk about "unsustainable".) 🤠

[@carlosrivas1629]

You really love callifornia long time dont you?

[@Stephenv13]

I read somewhere that for California to get a lot of water… Indonesia and Australia would have to go dry… the weather cycles is changing in our favor. It once rained for 40 days straight in California history. A Crazy atmospheric river….

[@FoodieOmni]

Thanks to the unusual amount of rain these past few months, the flow of water for agriculture is at 100%.

[@jadutch7361]

Nice work :)!! The lower west states need to find a way to tape into BC' Canada's new enormous Site "C" dam. The runoff of this new dam could provide long term beneficial results for Washington, Oregon & reach California

[@katrinalarson2081]

Not a lot of people know, but the central valley actually use to be a huge lake in California. Then some cotton farmer from like Kentucky had moved out to CA and got into the right politicians pockets and had that whole lake drained out to the ocean so that way the central valley could be formed and farmed. I watched a really cool documentary about it.

[@Gail-gf7km]

The central valley has been dry for 400,000 years.

[@angelmendez2211]

@@Gail-gf7km no he talking about a smaller lake. though yes central valley was a huge lake.

[@gabetalks9275]

Not true. You're talking about Tulare Take as mentioned in this video.

[@Stephenv13]

Yup, we had our own ice age Mediterranean sea 200 feet deep, called Corcoran,, but it drained out of the Monterey Bay. Tulare Lake was left behind with several other lakes... With a huge central valley marshland. Then American caused the dust bowl…killed the natives...and drained the lake and any water. Probably messed up the rain cycle.. permanently for other states near us.

[@nazemaameeri7965]

Your video was very inspiring… and as they say, that “ Necessity is the Mother of Invention “… so let’s hope there will be a solution soon…

[@randyisthechase5008]

The Delta Mendota Canal does NOT discharge into the San Joaquin River! Your facts are wrong.

[@TheDalaiLamaCon]

Why do deserts get cold at night? Low H20 vapour levels. Surely deserts would stay warm at night if CO2 was driving climate?

[@tomalexanian7727]

I am barely 100% sure half of people here are playing Timberborn XD

[@Mreasyplay2]

Great videos but i think the Los Angeles Aqueduct should also be mentioned tjat diverses the Owens River

[@calypsomcdonnell1479]

How can the Los Angeles Aqueduct NOT BE MENTIONED? This video is inept right there alone.

[@lokesh303101]

It means when you get more of snow and snow and snow you get all of it life in waters. All of it overflows gives the life to the river.

[@jasondearduff8274]

All is good now

[@pongop]

Tulare Lake is returning!!!

[@mazkas1476]

Very glad to live in the Great Lakes region. No water issues whatsoever. And California can't touch it. Glory to the Great Lakes Compact. Keep your hands off my lakes.

[@mazkas1476]

I also think it's funny that the Great Lakes region has better water conversation policies than the American southwest. Our rivers still flow, and what little water is diverted out of the watershed HAS to be returned (except Chicago. Fuck you Chicago.)

[@thebahooplamaster]

Southern California by the coast isn’t hot. It’s like the perfect weather all year long leash hovering around 70 degrees during the day

[@taliwalt5332]

Fantastic video. Informative and straightforward. This is why I watch youtube instead of CNN

[@danhardhat2]

There's plenty of freshwater available, it just has to directed into the Colorado River system. For instance, the Yellowstone river flooded this year. The Yellowstone River is just 65 miles away from the Green River, which feeds the Colorado. Every civilization since even before the Romans has had to work to get fresh water, but for some reason 50 years ago, Americans stopped all water projects because of perceived environmental impact. Environmentalists now believe that ALL water in creeks must flow to the rivers and all water in the rivers must flow to the oceans unimpeded. Huge volumes of freshwater are available but must be sourced from high elevations on the east side of the continental divide. These projects could reduce Mississippi River flooding and flooding in its tributaries. The environment will adapt...less water in one river, is more water in another river and the entire country benefits from California's year round growing season. I recommend a 200 mile pipeline, under Rte 191 from the Southwest corner of Yellowstone Lake to the Northwest corner of Fontenelle Reservoir with a connection at Lewis Lake (Lewis Lake feeds the Columbia River). This is an elevation drop of 1200' so pumping energy won't be needed.

[@marshalofod1413]

You really don't understand History, Ecology, Hydrology, Climatology, etc, do you? It's not that simple. No. Where. Near. You make it seem as though it'll all be okay with just a "magical" fix. But, it won't be. You're just proposing what has already been done, for millennia, by humans, albeit on grander and grander scales. It's also what occurs naturally, just on time scales beyond human development. All you're proposing is shifting the "fix" until later, like so many others have done, throughout recorded history... What happens when the floods don't come? What happens when the climate shifts, and what is arid land becomes wet, or wet land becomes arid? What happens the floods no longer bring fresh alluvial soil to the downriver valleys, and the vast delta farmlands are no longer fertile? What happens when more water is introduced to arid/semi-arid regions, and populations bloom further, necessitating even more water diversion? What happens when more water for crops leads to more crop planting, ergo leading to further water demand? What happens when the once wetter regions, and fertile farms, begin to dry out, get used up, and populations shift to the now wetter, formerly arid/semi-arid lands? What happens as this all further changes local, and wider, climate, and these areas reach a tipping point? What happens when that tipping point is surpassed? I could go on, but do I really need to?

[@danhardhat2]

@@marshalofod1413 You really don't appreciate how amazing the water distribution and storage is - that you inherited and benefit from. The entire country and even the world have much greater access to fruits, vegetables, and nuts because dams, pipes, diversion canals, pumping stations and millions of workhours spent to build this incredible system that's kept the land incredibly productive for about the last century. The millions of people in CA only use a small fraction (10-20%) of the water. The vast majority of water is for produce irrigation. The Colorado River and Southern CA rivers are known to have unpredictable flows, while the Mississippi River, Columbia River, Klamath River have more consistent and much higher flows. By diverting more springtime flood waters into Colorado River system, Lakes Powell and Mead could be filled or maintained till the southern drought breaks. A major El Nino like the early 80's would flood the valleys and recharge the reservoirs, but waiting and hoping is never good policy when simple actions can stabilize the system. California has to: 1. Stop dumping water into the Salton Sea. Salton Sea is a manmade lake that should be allowed to evaporate. Deal with the dust of the dried out lake bed by other means but stop wasting fresh water into a salt water lake. 2. Stop dumping water into the ocean to save the delta smelt. Dumping huge volumes of water into the ocean to lower the salinity of the delta from many rivers (Sacramento, Klamath or others) are having no beneficial effects. 3. Stop releasing pulses of Colorado River water to the Pacific. 105,392-acre-foot pulse flow of water-about 34 billion gallons-was sent through Morelos and down the dry channel in Mexico to the Pacific Ocean. This was a waste of water during a historic drought. Scheduling more releases is ridiculous. 4. Don't remove the Copco dam and the other dams on the Klamath River. CA should build more reservoirs and hydro power stations. Anywhere fresh water flows into the ocean is a waste of fresh water. It doesn't make sense to desalinate when fresh water can be sourced. There is plenty of water in many major river systems that can be used for irrigation in CA. 1. Get water from Northern CA. Source more water from the Klamith River at Copco Lake (2,605 feet). Water could flow right down I-5 into the valley. 2. Get more water that flows east of the Rockies. Connect the Platte River (Also a tributary of the Missouri River and Mississippi River system) to a tributary of the Colorado River - Connect the Seminoe Reservoir Elevation 6,357 and the Pathfinder Reservoir elevation 5,852 and Bull Lake Elevation 5805 to the Green River with each having large pipes of about 100 to 150 miles each over the continental divide. 3. One simple water project could solve the southwest water issue. The project is the Rte 191 Aqueduct Project. It involves running a large diameter pipe for just 200 miles, under Rte 191 from the Southwest corner of Yellowstone Lake to the Northwest corner of Fontenelle Reservoir. The goal of this project is to siphon water from the high flow Columbia and Mississippi River systems into the drought stressed Colorado River system. The project would pull water from Yellowstone Lake and from Lewis Lake and deliver the water to the Fontenelle Reservoir. This would have an elevation drop of over 1200 feet over the 200 miles. Significant hydro energy would be produced from the downward water flow in the pipe. Yellowstone Lake elevation is 7737’. Lewis Lake elevation is 7784’ and the Fontenelle Reservoir is at 6510’. To minimize impact, the pipe could be laid under or alongside Rte 191 and a short stretch of Rte 189. The water removed from these massive river systems would not be missed. The Columbia River’s flow rate is about 12 times the natural flow rate of the Colorado River and the Mississippi River is about 27 times the natural Colorado River.

[@rackss1661]

@@marshalofod1413 These idiots are delusional.

[@djorfuusk]

@@danhardhat2 Not the point. What dude is saying is that if all of that “farmland” was meant to be farmland (and not desert), then there would be no need to alter every source of flowing water in the state to make it farmable. How does an entire state not understand this? And dont kid yourself. Americans waste roughly 1/3 of all food produced in this country. The effect the UBER VITAL AND IMPORTANT California Ag industry going belly up would be a couple years of tightened supply and a bunch of cake eaters having to forego $16/lb almonds and $5 avocados. I think the US consumer will somehow figure out a way to scrape by without those essentials.

[@danhardhat2]

@@djorfuusk @Thomas Batten What? the central valley is natural farmland, but mostly grassland. Without irrigation, it's just cattle ranches like east Texas. The Imperial valley is desert. CA produces far more than just avacados and almonds...its high value, nutritious produce like strawberries, citrus fruits, lettuce, random vegetables, and many other essentials...Some food will always be wasted, but that doesn't mean you let CA run dry, spike foods prices, which hurts poor Americans and starves poor countries. There are plenty of options to get more water to the Southwest. 30 million people have moved out there in the last 50 years and they've done nothing to increase water supply. Many things can be done! Doesn't matter if it's desert or not. When New York City needed a water supply, they went to the Catskill Mountains, dammed rivers, flooded many towns, built huge aqueducts - it didn't just happen, they made it happen - for the 9-million people served by the NYC water system. Sure the southwest has to do a little more but it's the same principle...Trap water at high elevation, to flow controlled to the cities at lower elevation. No matter where people are, they always need water to be diverted. This defeatist nothing-we-can-do attitude is pathetic.

[@edgarperezlfwl]

If California put the nets like Morocco , They could sell Utah the extra .

[@Ronnieyotob]

100,000+ views, only 2k likes is absolutely nuts..

[@PeterHamiltonz]

One word... Unsustainable

[@AshLilburne]

Save some material for the 'California - The US Explained' video ;)

[@baronvonjo1929]

I don't understand how such a dry state can be a agricultural powerhouse. Is it naturally good to farm or does forcing the water there make it good to farm?

[@calypsomcdonnell1479]

The soil....it can grow anything with the right amount of water.

[@awesomegmg956]

Agriculture needs water, soil, flat land, good temperature and sunlight. California Central Valley has everything but water. That’s why.

[@gogomountain]

Crops in the eastern U.S. are more commonly corn and soybeans, rather than wheat.

[@ajett5081]

You don’t get more water by robing Peter to pay Paul. Rerouting only dries out that area. Only Mother Nature can bring you water. We just don’t know how to get her to work with us.

[@gm2407]

Just imagine if all those sprinkler farms switched to dripfeeding water methods. That would be a start.

[@rheabalduc8896]

Yes excellent point! And i agree it would of help, and just maybe put the current issue of water shortage out farther. Eventually it was going happen due to conditions from where the water is coming from ( Colorado river) but also having drip system would also a much lower strain where as the river would not been given such a impact. I am a full believer of soaking my grass and plants rather than spraying.

[@johndodson8464]

They need plastic covered fields. And municipalities need to use brown water or even saltwater for septic. They don't need to desalinate if they just flush toilets with it.

[@davidhoffman6391]

We'll have to order some of those floating nuclear-powered desalination plants from Russia and pipe in fresh water from the Pacific Ocean.

[@lochnessmonster5149]

I can't wait until Lake Mead runs dry.

[@JJ-iq5cv]

California: the greatest country in the world.

[@madhumitaroy4756]

How possible to turns to the now situation of california and gettings it how much efforts ...

[@Inpreesme]

Thank you

[@larsfridtjofnrheim1638]

CA got 85,9 m acre foot, Coloumbia river dumps 191,3 m foot into The Pasific every year. Move 10% off this water. Make a 365m long tunnel from Red Bluff. NV, AZ, Mexico can then keep Colorado water.Delaware Aqueduct is 86 miles and the worlds longest tunnel.

[@calypsomcdonnell1479]

That river is really far away.

[@larsfridtjofnrheim1638]

@@calypsomcdonnell1479 365 mi long water tunnel is not much, in this setting. US make the 86 mi long Delavare (water tunnel) Aquaduct, when figthing Hirohito and Hitler. 365 is not problem today.

[@mazkas1476]

Why does California get water rights to the Columbia?

[@Alex-Richard-yc6wg]

Nothing about the Owens River water?

[@alphonsobutlakiv789]

I don't think the water problem is because of a lack of water, I think the ground may of lost its water retention abilities. From creating natural ponds I would see every time a pool dries, it's alge becomes a new layer of membrane and each time it dries, the ground becomes for water resistant from the layers. This makes oil too, and also gas, and if our world's water problems tend to be near oil extraction, maybe this is way. The water just sinks lower into the earth.

[@justin8894]

And now Newsom is ruining it all.

[@EddySuwito80]

Can California survive in 21 Century?

[@randyisthechase5008]

The Salton Sea a mishap from a break of a levee on a canal bringing water to the Imperial Valley, receives 100,000-acre feet of water every year from the Colorado River, why? There is still enough water to use in the state, but we have to send water thru the Delta to support the sport fishing industry and the environmentalists, who support the efforts to tear down all the dams. The trouble is that the water going thru the San Joaquin dwindles down in the summer and into the fall/winter. The "steamboats" people talk about going up this river only traversed during the spring snow runoff season, not year around. Yet the environmentalists have the dams releasing water only for their reasons during Oct and Nov. What a waste.

[@calypsomcdonnell1479]

The water is NATURALLY sent through the California Delta, and Los Angeles has already started the process to steal it, but, as the sea level rises, there will be nothing but salt water to steal. I am sure us locals around The Delta will ensure this case stays in the courts forever.

[@jdcaldwell5088]

When you northerners have WET raining years why do you let that water million-billions of that water from rivers up there run to The OCEAN WHY?

[@bryanshoemaker6120]

And people wonder why we have no water. Just like that time when our water (northern American river was sent to LA and wiped out half of our fish population.