Reply #6: Not that we haven't tried. (see Marc Reisner's excellent "Cadillac Desert") [View All]

CA politicians have tried to put forth projects that would involve diverting water from as far north as ALASKA and ONTARIO, and would reverse the course of some rivers to serve as the "pipeline". The available water supply is not sufficient to sustain the current levels of use in CA -- the Colorado River supplies water to several Southwest states, and most accuse CA of taking far more than its fair share. Mexico, on the other hand, holds the US responsible for the fact that the Colorado no longer makes it to the sea -- there is only a trickle left compared to its former volume, and that is excessively saline (due to leaching from agricultural soil). Likewise, GA and AL are fighting over apportionment of river water, and I believe GA and FL have a similar dispute. The problem is not just one of inequitable distribution, but of unbridled demand finally outstripping supply.