Thanks for posting that Bob.
If you think this is too political yank it and accept my preemptive apologies, responding to content in Bob's good post.
This is an issue with major implications for our Western Outdoors as well as our lives. Call me a biased glutton but I think the tomatos on my Cheeseburger and the strawberries on my cereal are more important than indulging someone with a cheap lawn in the desert. Like the Northeast California has essentially carried most of the country aside from the natural resource rich states for decades, I think its time for the Federal Government [all of us] to do some priority adjusting and stop letting posterior orifices rape good Americans over the cost of water. I think agriculture can be more efficient, but with who really knows what might be coming down in the 21st century weather world irrigation will always be a necessary just a fail safe [to a point of course] against drought. I don't think California is entitled to more water. I think their investment in America should now pay some dividends when they need it and help them improve water infrastructure along with all our nation's infrastructure. IMO this is a far larger national security concern than anything the Military Industrial Complex would have you believe.
Clean drinking water locally and globally is an issue none of us can afford to ignore. I'd be a liar to say I haven't had bottled water or shopped the convenience of Walmart, but darn it we need to stop the bottled water industry in its tracks. Unless of course they were to champion considerable deposits to essentially guarantee nearly 100% recycling. I have a six pack of beer in my fridge, but it's a pain in the posterior to recycle unless I pay for it. I believe we truly need to go back to public sanitation. Privatization of it is not only expensive but also far more ineffective than if a considerable deposit was required. As much of a hassle it will be and take getting used to I can't see how any one of us can't be demanding a National Bottle Bill whether we love the outdoors or not.
We can screw up the only home we have in major ways. There is no need to. We just need to demand sanity.