The Man Holding Southern California’s Water

Deshmukh took over last month as general manager of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, a sprawling, aging system that pipes water hundreds of miles to 19 million people in Los Angeles, Orange County, the Inland Empire and San Diego.

Roughly 20 percent of Met’s water comes from the dwindling Colorado River, over which negotiators from seven Western states are haggling in a race to strike a new deal before water-sharing rules expire at the end of the year.