Spreck Rosekrans is an Economic Analyst at EDF.

(Link to posts in this series: Part 1)

The short answer is that Adam Smith would do what Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has done – charge more. In this case, the Mayor's action is triggered by a second consecutive dry year coupled with endangered species concerns in the Bay-Delta, which provides urban southern California with 30% of its water supply.

Many of our largest cities, including Los Angeles, San Diego, Oakland and San Francisco, charge about $1000 for an acre-foot (enough for two single family homes). Some cities, however, such as Sacramento, Fresno and Modesto, still do not even meter water use. Not surprisingly, water use in those communites is more than twice the statewide average. They are telling their customers that meters are "on the way". In our view, metering (and charging) for all use statewide cannot happen soon enough. Read more »

Ann Hayden is a Senior Water Resource Analyst at EDF.

When it comes to the future of California water, one thing appears fairly certain: imported water supplies from the San Francisco Bay-Delta and Colorado River to Southern California will only continue to become less and less reliable due to extended drought, environmental degradation of the Delta and a growing population.

In light of these significant challenges, the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation has produced a report for the Southern California Leadership Council that evaluates the potential of various water strategies to help maintain reliable water supply for Southern California. Nine different water strategies were evaluated, ranging from conservation to surface storage and ranked based on cost-effectiveness, environmental impacts and overall efficacy.

The LAEDC’s findings are what many environmentalists have been saying for decades. They point to water conservation, storm water capture, recycling and agricultural to urban transfers as the most promising strategies. Now it’s time to turn these findings into reality.