New Scientist - USA (2021-11-06)

6 November 2021 | New Scientist | 35

Who gets the water?

California’s latest water war is one in which the winners and

losers are all too predictable, finds Katie Smith-Wong

Film
River’s End: California’s
latest water war
Jacob Morrison
Roco Films

HOME to more than 39 million
people, California is the most
populous US state. It is also
among the driest. Together, these
factors make demand for water
a long-standing challenge. River’s
End, a new documentary by Jacob
Morrison, dives deep into the water
crisis and asks difficult questions
about who gets the water and why.
At the centre of the film is the
Sacramento-San Joaquin river delta,
an estuary in the north of the state.
Connecting the Sacramento and
San Joaquin rivers, the delta is
a key source of fresh water and
the battleground for the latest
California water war.
In 2015, then-governor
Jerry Brown and the California
Department of Water Resources
proposed a $15 billion plan now
known as California WaterFix &
EcoRestore that would see
two large tunnels built from the
Sacramento river under the delta
to provide water for California.
Inevitably, not everyone agrees with
the plan: the tunnels would redirect
water towards southern California,
reducing freshwater supplies to
farmers around the delta.
Narrated by DeLanna Studi,
River’s End combines stock footage
of landscapes around the delta and
other parts of California, which
highlights the fluctuating water
supply levels, with simple animation
to bring an educational slant and
explain the extent and significance
of the issue. With interviewees
including politicians, corporate
officials and local farmers, Morrison
delivers a bleak yet brutally honest
insight into the battle for water.

The documentary touches

briefly on supply disputes in the

early 20th century in the Owens

valley and its role in the California

water wars, which comprised

a number of political conflicts

between local farmers and the City

of Los Angeles over water rights.

But its main thrust examines how

current supply issues are causing

conflict between regional

corporations and local farmers.

Both sides say they need water

to run their businesses, but it soon

becomes clear that the local

communities don’t have nearly

as much government support

as the corporations. There is

testimony from frustrated local

farmers who rely on water from

the delta to grow their produce

and say their livelihoods have

been affected, not only by a lack

of supply, but also by pumping

facilities, which take water away

from the area.

The situation in the Westlands

Water District in central California

proves particularly enlightening.

Its connections with ex-President

Donald Trump (via former

Westlands lobbyist David

Bernhardt), a focus on lucrative

yet thirsty almond farming and

the substantial difference in living

conditions between farm owners

and workers in the field paint a stark

picture of the power and influence

of large corporations.

Although the corporation-versus-

the-little-person narrative is all

too recognisable, the documentary

also zooms out further to highlight

the consequences on the wider

environment and the wildlife that

also relies on it for survival. Among

the locally endangered species

mentioned is the delta smelt, a fish

species that is close to extinction

due to the ongoing damage to the

delta’s ecosystem.

River’s End provides a thorough

overview of California’s water

issues and the need to achieve a

sustainable water supply. It ends

with a solemn message. As the

state’s population continues to

grow, it remains unclear whether

there will be enough water to meet

the requirements of all those who

need it. In the end, it may come

down to who needs, or perhaps

who wants, it more. ❚

Katie Smith-Wong is a film critic

based in London

Some groups oppose

the construction of two

water tunnels in California

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