Zócalo's Connecting California
Rivers of conflict in California's waterways
California is no longer taking its rivers for granted, which is a good thing. But at what point are we asking too much of our waterways?
From Los Angeles to the Delta and out to the desert, rivers are in the spotlight like never before. Zócalo Public Square columnist Joe Mathews says Californians want our rivers to do more and more. We look to our waterways for drinking water and as places of recreation and redevelopment. We want them to provide energy and to reflect our concerns about ecology. All of this amid population growth a historic drought that has put unprecedented pressure on rivers, and increasingly made them a subject of conflict. Mathews says something will have to give.