The State of Water: SoCal Braces for Hard Choices on Most Precious Resource

As climate change drives drier winters and shrinking snowmelt across the West, Southern California and Arizona are rushing to diversify their water supplies — investing in recycling, storage and Colorado River imports to guard against another crippling drought.

With fire season approaching, public officials in SoCal are debating not only whether the region has enough water to battle potential blazes like the one in Pacific Palisades, but also whether supplies will be sufficient in the coming months and years to meet basic drinking needs.