Well, basically every river from the Sierra that goes into the Central Valley has been dammed or redirected, and yes many are now a trickle because of it, and t

Well, basically every river from the Sierra that goes into the Central Valley has been dammed or redirected, and yes many are now a trickle because of it, and the Bay and Sacramento River delta are saltier for it. I think the pushback is about externalities, which I mentioned elsewhere. Fishermen [1], for example, suffer from the increased diversion of rivers that blocks spawning grounds, etc., demands for water conservation fall on already-relatively-thrifty households rather than profligate farmers, etc. > Why are California's habitats considered so important versus the habitats and communities that lived near those rivers in the first place? I'm not sure which "habitats and communities" you're referring to, there are several. But given my read of your stance on this whole thing, I presume you're thinking of the farming communities that now benefit from the vast cheap irrigation water that comes from these reservoirs (in wet years, anyway) -- and not the Native American populations that preceded them, nor the millennia of wildlife prior still. If so, I think the idea is that the people who benefitted from nearly-free water at state and environmental expense can in fact adapt if the true cost of the water is suddenly expected of them -- or, even, is merely taken away from their heirs or corporate interests. The fish and birds, not so much. Do we have an obligation to preserve natural diversity and preexisting ecological habitat? What about if it does -- or doesn't -- benefit society over time even as it exacts real costs on those who have so far benefited from prior policy? I think ultimately these are philosophical questions. > That doesn't even begin to touch the agricultural based consumption, which is equally significant. Agreed, and this needs fixing. The "incentives matter" school in economics would probably argue that hiding the true cost of water leads to inefficiencies with respect to the harms caused by overuse. Your point on this is spot-on, though I think mere instrumentation is not enough, and prices should reflect costs. How you calculate those costs, though... [1]: https://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-river-flows-20180822-story.html https://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-river-flows...