California Water Crisis is Real

Too many folks believe that, as long as something comes out when they turn on the faucet, there's no problem. In fact, according to media reports, there are towns in Central California where people lack running water. They use donated bottled water to cook, bathe, even use the toilet.

It matters that Brown was in the Sierra Nevada mountains, a picturesque setting where the reality was unavoidable. Reporters stood on dry brown grass that would normally, this time of year, be covered in snow.

That's one of the keys to this story. Those who know about water policy will tell you that, while it's refreshing to have scattered rain, what really matters is snowpack. For farmers, that's the storage fund for a not-so-rainy day.

Dear water advocates: You have my attention. Organizations such as the California Water Alliance, which was founded by farming interests in 2009, have been like a town crier that was ignored. These groups warned us this sort of crisis was coming. Some people listened. Many didn't.

Most of the water in the state goes to farming, which supplies more than half the produce in the United States, while California's overall agricultural industry brings in more than $45 billion a year. But even farmers are divided -- depending on how water-intensive their crops are. The folks growing lettuce, broccoli, peaches or avocados have been up in arms because they need lots of water. Sadly, those with crops that get by with less water have largely been on the sidelines.

In my case, I'm sorry it took so long for the message to get through. I may have been born and raised in the once fertile farmland of Central California, but -- since moving back to the state 10 years ago -- I've been living in a city. And for the last few years, along with other city dwellers, I've been deluding myself into thinking that this water crisis I kept hearing so much about was someone else's problem.

I was so wrong. It's my problem too. I'm ashamed to admit that, for a while, I lost sight of this reality. Still, in California, on this issue, there's plenty of shame to go around.

This can be a great state. But the first step is for us to put aside our differences and start thinking like one state.

========

Ruben Navarrette's email address is ruben@rubennavarrette.com.