I think the problem here is that a huge amount of food production happens in places that were deserts before aqueducts were built. The sources of their water wa

I think the problem here is that a huge amount of food production happens in places that were deserts before aqueducts were built. The sources of their water was assumed to be infinite, and a series of perverse incentives make is to that if they dont use the maximum amount of water afforded to them at all times they lose future water access. Ironically, these same sort of bad incentives are one of the reasons government projects are so expensive, if you're ever under budget your get punished by having your budget cut next year, so you better use as much money as you possibly can!