I am an LA native born and raised. Growing up in LA in the 80’s & 90’s I never once asked where my water came from. I just knew it was readily available and plentiful. I also remember the winters being moderately rainy during several heavy El Niño years that resulted in infamous mudslides and even a day of light snow on random years. All that to say – there was no reason to think about water! Sadly that same general sentiment continues today even during a very serious draught.

As I started learning more about the global water crisis I couldn’t understand how I could be living in such abundance, while the rest of the world was struggling to sustain themselves on water that ultimately made them sick. As I started asking this question friends who work as water engineers referred me to the documentary based on the book Cadillac Desert by Marc Reisner.

I found the documentary absolutely fascinating and I highly recommend it to all Californians and especially Angelenos! There are groups who are looking toward the future of LA’s relationship with water and this documentary can serve as an overview of the past 100+ years of LA’s water history.

Watch all 4 parts of the documentary »

Once you have caught up on the past 100 years consider what the future of LA might look like:

UCLA Grand Challenge Project to make Los Angeles water and energy independent by 2050 »

Mayor Launches L.A.’S First-Ever Sustainable City Plan

How Los Angeles Became an Unlikely Model of Urban Sustainability

The Los Angeles Water Conundrum: Adaptability by Design