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Water World More than gold, more than land, more than transportation or technology or food or any other source of wealth for which California is famous, it is water that has historically been most fought over. In California, water is scarce. Supplying it means development and the wealth that comes with it. The most famous water grab may have been the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power's secret appropriation of Owen's Valley water almost a century ago. Today, Santa Cruz County is one of the few water self-sufficient counties in the state, but that situation is in peril. County water districts are fragmented, and many of them depend on underground aquifers that are drying up. Few of the solutions--such as new storage, pipelines, or desalination plants--are politically palatable. And yet, something must be done to find new supplies of water soon. This series attempts to explore some of these questions. --John Yewell Water to Whine: If August's water crisis was a test run for The Big One--we failed. Strawberry Fields Forever: Just how much water does the Pajaro Valley need? [ Santa Cruz | Metroactive Central | Archives ]