Water wars boil in California drought: Our view

Rain fell in drought-stricken California around the Easter holiday, but it was a classic case of too little, too late. Another warm, dry winter left the state with a record-low 5% of its average mountain snowpack, a vital source of stored water. That prompted Gov. Jerry Brown to order a 25% reduction in municipal water use, the first mandatory restrictions in state history.

For Californians, the restrictions will mean shorter showers, dirtier cars and browner lawns. If the drought persists and grass gives way to desert landscaping, the semi-arid southern part of the state will start to look more like Nevada and Arizona.

For Americans living outside the Golden State, the consequences of the drought are substantial.

California produces nearly half of the nation's fruits, vegetables and nuts. Although farms are largely spared from Brown's order, continued severe drought could trigger higher food prices and crop shortages.

More broadly, the drought is a harbinger of the type of climate disruption made more likely by a warming globe.

California has always been subject to periodic droughts, but the latest one has been exacerbated by record-high temperatures that increase evaporation and cause more winter precipitation to fall as rain instead of snow. Heading into the dry season, two-thirds of the state remains in extreme drought.

Considering that no one knows whether this is the start of a dreaded decades-long megadrought, the prudent approach is to prepare for the worst. So Brown's conservation orders make sense.

Of course, when any valuable resource grows scarce, conflict arises. Even in wetter times, California is known for water wars among urban dwellers, suburbanites, farmers, fishermen and environmentalists. Severe drought can cause tensions to boil over, making it important to explore ways to increase the supply of water, not just ways to curb demand.

In an average year, according to the non-partisan Public Policy Institute of California, agriculture uses about 40% of the state's water, towns and cities use 10%, and the other 50% is left in the environment.

Most of this "environmental" water is too remote for people to use, flowing through "wild and scenic" north coast rivers. But about 16% of the environmental water is outflow to the sea from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, mostly to maintain the right balance of salinity but also to protect species of fish, including salmon and the endangered 3-inch delta smelt.

Last year, delta outflows for fish habitat totaled 244.4 billion gallons, or enough water for about 6.7 million people's annual needs. An additional 146.6 billion gallons, or enough for 4 million people, could have been exported, but the delta pumps lacked capacity to capture storm flows.

A good way to improve supply would be to further reduce environmental diversions and to increase pump capacity. Moving more water south to parched farms and communities would help save jobs, protect food supplies and preserve groundwater. Times like these require shared sacrifice, and some smelt might have to make the ultimate one.

USA TODAY's editorial opinions are decided by its Editorial Board, separate from the news staff. Most editorials are coupled with an opposing view — a unique USA TODAY feature.

To read more editorials, go to the Opinion front page or sign up for the daily Opinion e-mail newsletter.