California Connected Newsroom

The Los Angeles Times columnist George Skelton says Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has shown great initiative in tackling the state’s aging levee system. “Give the guy credit,” Skelton writes. “If it weren’t for him, the ambitious $175-million project wouldn’t have been attempted. Not by the state, of course. Not by the feds, certainly, although it was largely their duty. Nor by overwhelmed local governments.” Skelton gives the governor extra kudos for showing interest in the problem and acting to fix breaches well before Hurricane Katrina.

• Rising River, Rising Risk: The state’s growing population and demand for housing has spurred new home developments directly behind them. And massive levee breaks are what has many worried that a disaster on a similar scale to New Orleans could happen here. But that’s not the end of it, levees also protect salt water from intruding into the State Water Project, which provides water for millions Californians.
• Water Trip: California has the largest and most complex water transportation system in the world. We follow a drop of water from the slopes of Mt. Shasta to a car wash in San Diego County.
• Sideways: The Cost of Water: According to a recent study, that water bottle costs about 2000 times more than what comes out of the faucet and, often times, isn’t any better for you. John Ridley comments on Americans’ $9 billion dollars-a-year obsession with plastic encased H2O in this Sideways.