You are now in California and the U.S. category.

Predictions that La Nina conditions may deepen the drought in California this winter would be more alarming if the results of a Field poll released last week has been different.

The sometimes-ferocious rainstorms that hit California in March were likely the beginning of the end for El Nino, as the warm ocean system that produced a wet winter in many parts of the West is continuing to fade.

Any storms that remain on tap this spring will likely be mild and not contribute much to seasonal precipitation totals, experts say. “Now that we’re into the spring months, widespread rain events will become less and less likely as we transition into our ‘spring shower and thunderstorm’ season,” National Weather Service warning coordinator Michelle Mead said in an email.

Treating sewage and effluent currently discharging to the Pacific Ocean is an excellent idea for combating the drought, because millions gallons of clarified water is discharged annually to the Pacific Ocean from California and has been for some time. And I thought the oceans were rising because the ice caps were melting!

There were many students in the audience, who I believe were really excited about the prospect of addressing the drought. But no mention was made of all hurdles in our way by the federal, state and county governmental regulatory agencies.

Water wars in the West have existed since gold rush days. Mark Twain said it best: “Water is for fighting. Whiskey is for drinking.”

Storage dams, reservoirs, canals, ditches and tunnels have been built all over the West to serve agriculture, mining and domestic water supplies for nearly 175 years. The massive water systems in California were planned in the 1930s (6 million population ), built in the decades between 1940 (7 million ) and 1965 (population 18 million ). Most of the major projects were completed more than 50 years ago to serve a fraction of the 40 million population that exists today.