A drought in the western United States created a battle over resources, as private landowners compete with the public over access to freshwater supplies.
In April of 2015, California’s governor, Jerry Brown, announced a series of mandatory restrictions, forcing residents to reduce their water usage by 25 percent in the coming year. But despite playing a massive role in depleting local water supplies, the state’s powerful agriculture industry has been left unaffected.
It’s not just California facing a future without water. More than 40 million people across seven US states and Mexico get their water from the Colorado River – where demand is exceeding supplies.
So who really owns the water? And who decides when and how to use it?