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    Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand

    Press Play with Madeleine Brand

    Saudi Arabia's Water Woes, a Cautionary Tale

    California's water authority is voting today on how much we'll have to cut back. And it's going to be a lot more than we've cut so far. New figures show that in March, residents in the state cut back by just 3.5 percent, far lower than the Governor's mandated 25 percent. Agriculture, meanwhile, is a different story.

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    By Madeleine Brand • May 5, 2015 • 1 min read

    California's water authority is voting today on how much we'll have to cut back. And it's going to be a lot more than we've cut so far. New figures show that in March, residents in the state cut back by just 3.5 percent, far lower than the Governor's mandated 25 percent. Agriculture, meanwhile, is a different story. Water from the snow pack and federal authorities has been slashed, so farmers are increasingly pumping water from underground. Some farmers have dug so deep, they're hitting water that fell to the earth tens of thousands of years ago. Turns out that's what Saudi Arabia did too; now that country is giving up on farming. We hear what could be a cautionary talefor California.

    The full episode

    1 of 3
    Drought Tales: Saudi Arabia and the Salton Sea, Plus Wells Fargo Sued
    1. 0:00Saudi Arabia's Water Woes, a Cautionary TaleYou’re reading this
    2. 13:51The Salton Sea's Impending Disaster
    3. 28:49Wells Fargo Bank Sued by L.A.
    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Madeleine Brand

      Host, 'Press Play'

    • KCRW placeholder

      Jolie Myers

      Managing Producer, 'Press Play'

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Matt Holzman

      Producer, 'The Document'

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Anna Scott

      Former KCRW Housing and Homelessness Reporter

    • KCRW placeholder

      Nathan Halverson

      Center for Investigative Reporting

      News

    The full episode

    1 of 3
    Drought Tales: Saudi Arabia and the Salton Sea, Plus Wells Fargo Sued
    1. 0:00Saudi Arabia's Water Woes, a Cautionary TaleYou’re reading this
    2. 13:51The Salton Sea's Impending Disaster
    3. 28:49Wells Fargo Bank Sued by L.A.
    Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand