comment: >
  
  How is it that we are allowing speculation on this?
context: Note to self avoid states relying on this. >
  
  Arizona resident here, we're screwed. We have really nice golf courses so that good....... >
  
  Why do you have nice golf courses when your state consists of deserts and rock formations? >
  
  As I commented to someone on a similar thread not too long ago, everyone in this country, or at least western states with water scarcity, should have to read the book “Cadillac Desert”.  Lays out the history of water development in the region, and why things are the way they are now.  
  Basically, big infrastructure projects for water were federally funded at outrageously low rates to encourage development in the region, with essentially no plan for them to be repaid in any meaningful timespan.  The water accrued by dams was estimated based on what turned out to be a particularly wet turn of the climate, and because the states borders were lazily laid out in a grid-like fashion (AZ, NM, CO, UT being squarish) instead of along more sensible lines surrounding watersheds, the water from said projects had to be divided amongst several states.  But, given that said states had yet to be developed enough to use their shares, it set off a race as each one tried to overdevelop in an attempt to “claim” other states’ water rights.  Ostensibly, they would give the rights back once the other states caught up in the development process and needed the water… but of course, by then they wouldn’t reasonably be able to do so and would get to keep the rights in perpetuity.  Hence why places like AZ have so many fucking golf courses (a ridiculously water intensive feature) on the middle of a desert; it was a cheap and quick way to “claim” the water before other states could do so.  Because apparently nobody could predict the water would run dry and the area would be overdeveloped.  Fucking ridiculous. >
  
  It would've been nice to learn about stuff like this in school. >
  
  But you can just learn it on Reddit in 2 mins >
  
  Yeah, I just feel like information like that would have been more beneficial to me earlier in life. >
  
  Hard times are a comin. 
  Let's profit off the misery that will follow!!! Yay! >
  
  The American Way! >
  
  Water rights should not be a thing. It is a public resource that should exist for the benefit of all. >
  
  First time in America? >
  
  I understand that it has been an issue for a while. I am saying it should not continue. >
  
  That sounds Woke ™ >
  
  Er muh gerd, them liberals are out on the lawn again!!!
  /s >
  
  So the rich gambling with other peoples water. Nice. >
  
  Instead of trying to prevent a crisis from happening, the rich are trying to profit off of said crisis >
  
  This should be illegal. >
  
  Begun the water wars have...
  Bleak the future is... >
  
  Thank god I live in BC Canada. We’ll be building a wall soon to keep you Americans away from our water. :-p >
  
  Thanks again for all that pollution you dumped and sent down the Colombia and Okanogan rivers. -Washington