On the last day of lecture we discussed the development of Los Angeles and how it had to import water to support the population growth in the desert. We learned how the LA water board had negotiated with the Owens Valley irrigation district to channel water through an aquaduct. This article explains how the process of importing water to southern California is getting increasingly costlier because of rising energy costs and climate-change regulations. The federal contract that allocates more than a quarter of Hoover Dam's hydro-electric power to southern California's water district expires in 2017. Therefore the MWD (Metropolitan Water District) will have to buy additional power on the open market at higher prices. Unlike the Los Angeles Aquaduct which relies on gravity to send water from the Owens Valley to LA, the water southern California receives from the Colorado River requires power to transport to the region. The price of importing water is increasing, thus forcing southern Californians to look for alternative water sources. This poses a grave problem, especially since we are trying to create a sustainable environment in an otherwise inhabitable region.
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