Amazon.com
“Too much is being asked of the Delta. The levees that define the region’s water channels are aging…Native fish species are on the brink of extinction in part because of this massive water-transfer apparatus…
“The Delta, they fear, could end up wiped out like Owens Valley, once home to a 100 square mile lake, which Los Angeles drained like a cold beer on a hot day. Chinatown was made about that battle, and Delta residents don’t want to be immortalized in a sequel…
“Go to a faucet. Turn it on. This—water flowing out, clean, drinkable, always-on—this is the lifeblood of society…
“Add water and anything—people, alfalfa, nine-hole golf courses, swimming pools—can proliferate endlessly. According to the logic of half a century ago, when the word ecosystem was just coming into the common parlance, water in a wet place does humans no good. Water in a dry place? Well, that’s Los Angeles…
“The state’s water system and the farms and cities it feeds are perceived to be so important to the functioning of the country that when a drought hits California, the White House pays attention…”
–The Town Los Angeles Drank by Alexis Madrigal at Mother Jones
(Emphasis Mine)
- Amazon.com page for Alexis Madrigal