Listen Live
Donate
 on air
    Schedule

    KCRW

    Read & Explore

    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Food
    • Culture
    • Events

    Listen

    • Live Radio
    • Music
    • Podcasts
    • Full Schedule

    Information

    • About
    • Careers
    • Help / FAQ
    • Newsletters
    • Contact

    Support

    • Become a Member
    • Become a VIP
    • Ways to Give
    • Shop
    • Member Perks

    Become a Member

    Donate to KCRW to support this cultural hub for music discovery, in-depth journalism, community storytelling, and free events. You'll become a KCRW Member and get a year of exclusive benefits.

    DonateGive Monthly

    Copyright 2026 KCRW. All rights reserved.

    Report a Bug|Privacy Policy|Terms of Service|
    Cookie Policy
    |FCC Public Files|

    Back to Which Way, L.A.?

    Which Way, L.A.?

    The Push to Regulate California’s New Gold… Water

    California is the only Western state with no regulations on groundwater. Big landowners can pump as much as they want. And, as the drought gets worse, that’s what they’re doing. The Center for Watershed Sciences at UC Davis compares that to overdrawing a savings account.

    • rss
    • Share
    By Warren Olney • Jul 23, 2014 • 1 min read

    California is the only Western state with no regulations on groundwater. Big landowners can pump as much as they want. And, as the drought gets worse, that’s what they’re doing. The Center for Watershed Sciences at UC Davis compares that to overdrawing a savings account.

    The full episode

    1 of 2
    Can the Wild West of Water be Tamed?
    1. 0:00The Push to Regulate California’s New Gold… WaterYou’re reading this
    2. 17:16Do LAPD Officers Deserve a Raise?
    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Warren Olney

      former KCRW broadcaster

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

      Evan George

      Director of Content, News

    • KCRW placeholder

      Jay Lund

      watershed scientist; professor of civil and environmental engineering; director of the Center for Watershed Sciences at UC Davis

    • KCRW placeholder

      Lester Snow

      California Water Foundation

    • KCRW placeholder

      Chris Scheuring

      California Farm Bureau Foundation

      News

    The full episode

    1 of 2
    Can the Wild West of Water be Tamed?
    1. 0:00The Push to Regulate California’s New Gold… WaterYou’re reading this
    2. 17:16Do LAPD Officers Deserve a Raise?
    Back to Which Way, L.A.?