The California drought

[Slater]

What's the worst case scenario for California? No watering of lawns or even rationing in certain areas? Presumably, building permits will continue to be issued even though that means more water hookups, lawns, etc.

[SteyrAUG]

Los Angeles is naturally a arid, desert environment that has been bringing in water via an aqueduct for about 100 years at the cost of devastating Owens river and valley.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owens_Lake

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CN1VYCczw9U

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Water_Wars

Perhaps if the "environmentally conscious" people of California hadn't spent the last hundred years diverting water from farmers and ranchers in the East in Owens valley to support super cities in a desert like Los Angeles they wouldn't be having many of the problems.

[austinN4]

Presumably, building permits will continue to be issued even though that means more water hookups, lawns, etc.
Stupid isn't contained in just California. Austin is doing this also. Our city water source, Lake Travis, is at 628 FASL today, the second lowest level on record. The lowest was in 1951 at 614 FASL. Current water supply is estimated to be 38% of maximum: http://www.lcra.org/water/water-supply/drought-update/Pages/default.aspx

Yet the area is growing like a weed out of control and development is still encouraged by our city officials. And in fact, even higher density is being pushed.

[montanadave]

For purely selfish reasons, I have concerns that an early and prolonged wildfire season in California will divert and monopolize fire-fighting resources from other mountain west states, leaving them more vulnerable should they experience a heavy fire season later in the year.

I'm not advocating California be hung out to dry, but I also don't want to see my neck of the woods go up in smoke because every tanker, chopper, and firefighting crew are off in California. And here I thought I had another six months before I had to start sweating the fire season. :)

[a1fabweld]

I read an article in the Sacramento Bee this weekend about how they are cloud seeding in the foothills east of Sac to promote rainfall.

[eightmillimeter]

Constant fresh water supply + increasing population = less water per person.