lake oroville This five-letter word is one that Californians see almost daily in headlines. How to dam it, how to sell it, how to use it, how to share it, how to keep it pure.... these are just a few of the major problems that face California's people and political leaders.
Thousands of dollars are spent annually on studies, and on lawsuits, in California's "Water Wars", and the seemingly endless conflict between the overwhelming needs of Central and Southern California, and their drain on Northern California rivers.
California has what has been called "the biggest waterworks in history". Dams in the Sierra Nevada mountains hold back water provided by great rivers fed by rain and snowmelt; they tame raging rivers, help prevent damaging floods, generate cheap, pollution-free hydro-electricity, and release a steady supply of water for California's citizens.