https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2021/08/us/colorado-river-water-shortage/
Not time to deal with the climate problems yet?
Do let us know when it's time, would you, GOP?!
Read this all. Thanks! A thorough coverage of a situation I've followed many years. As the piece mentions, there will be trends towards fallowing of fields, leasing land to solar installations, and municipalities recycling their wastewater. Long-term, I think we will return to the understanding that deserts are not really meant for cropping -- governments may move to paying farmers to develop non-water land uses like solar power or low-impact grazing (like goats, which can eat native flora). Homeowners might move to cisterns, to supplement tap water.
I live in semiarid country where these water issues play out, albeit not yet so dramatically. A neighbor and I are trying to spread the idea of non-watered home landscaping, in our hood, with hardy native grasses and groundcovers, keeping lawn areas taller to retain moisture, mulching, etc. There's also washing the car with a bucket and sponge, rather than having a hose flowing for fifteen minutes, that kind of thing. I also have a rain barrel to catch runoff from the roof, which not only saves using city water on plants,, but also means we're not pouring chlorinated water on them.
Americans are trained to embrace convenience, and reduced labor at home, so one thing that helps sell xeriscaping is that it leads to landscaping that's lower maintenance.