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On the farthest edge of California’s Mojave Desert, a tiny outpost known as Nipton has waited a century for its boom to come. First it was the promise of gold and silver riches from a handful of mining claims. Then came cattle ranching and a railroad stop on a new line between Salt Lake City and Los Angeles. Later, Las Vegas bloomed into a tourist mecca just across the state line, and Interstate 15 was built within 10 miles of Nipton – not close enough to swing the town’s fortunes. 

After enduring the driest stretch of years in our history, and then logging the wettest spell on record this past winter, befuddled Californians have one question on their minds these days: What’s next? In two words: La Niña. But whether the water temperature pattern hatching right now in the Pacific Ocean will leave the Golden State high and dry this winter as it’s often done in the past is anyone’s guess. Particularly since it’s quite similar to the pattern we saw last year, and we know how that turned out.

The East Bay and California as a whole greatly benefited Tuesday when the Santa Clara Valley Water District Board courageously stood up to Gov. Jerry Brown and rejected his $17 billion plan to build twin water tunnels through the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. But the unanimous vote against the 35-mile long, four-story tall tunnels begs the huge question of: What next? We need to ensure the Bay Area and state water supply while also maintaining the health of the fragile Delta, the largest estuary west of the Mississippi.

Can the city of excess teach the world to thrive on less water? That’s the new goal. In 2015, Nevada governor Brian Sandoval and his office of economic development dedicated $1.8 million to launch WaterStart, a think-tank and startup incubator organized to lure new businesses that would push the envelope on water-related technology. This year, the state doubled down on that investment with another $1.6 million awarded in July. And the strategy has worked. WaterStart, with offices in Las Vegas, has lured 11 companies to the state through a competitive application process.

Federal water storage among California’s Central Valley Project (CVP) reservoirs started the 2017 water year with 8.9 million acre feet, nearly twice held in the same six key reservoirs scattered about the state a year earlier. This is 145 percent of the 15-year average carryover of 6.2 million acre feet, still a “safe level” with respect to flood control or the possibility of a dry winter, according to David Murillo, regional director for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.