With irrigation channels and rivers running dry and municipal water storage dams reaching record lows, California's politicians are getting desperate for solutions to a drought that seemingly has no end.
In Australia we can take a playbook back to California from people who have actually adopted best practises, who have seen those practises play out over the years and plan for future droughts.
We have a historic system in place since the early part of the last century and this is going to be one of the biggest battles in California if we decide to take it on.
The water trading mechanism where there are transparent trades of water allocations is one that is good for us to learn from because it does allow for the marketplace to procure water for the highest and most efficient uses with the highest value in agriculture. And that might be a good model for us.
