What would really happen if we privatized California's water supply

Let's just say it wouldn't usher in a golden age of water distribution

Drought
(Image credit: David McNew/Getty Images)

California is well into the fourth year of the most punishing drought in the state's recorded history. Under orders from the administration of Gov. Jerry Brown, public officials and utilities are scrambling to cut water usage, retool old water rights deals, update inadequate and aging infrastructure, and even ship stranded aquatic life to water bodies that haven't gone bone dry.

So it was bracing, to say the least, when members of the uber-wealthy neighborhood of Rancho Santa Fe — which boasts lush hamlets, gated communities, and per capita water usage that's five times California's average — complained to The Washington Post about the coming crackdown.

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Jeff Spross

Jeff Spross was the economics and business correspondent at TheWeek.com. He was previously a reporter at ThinkProgress.