Droughts and Smart Infrastructure

From the New York Times editorial board today:

"If the state required accurate, near-real-time data from all rights holders, the board could identify those rights holders who are using the most water and restrict their use. It could also issue partial water restrictions rather than cutting rights holders off entirely. Such a system would encourage users to conserve to avoid harsher reductions. It could free up more water for cities, fish and wildlife. It might even make more water available for some agricultural water-rights holders if those putting the heaviest burden on the watersheds are restricted. A rational system along these lines would not require major changes in the laws governing water use, according to a 2014 paper by Theodore Grantham, a research biologist for the United States Geological Survey, and Joshua Viers, a watershed scientist at the University of California, Merced. Installing and monitoring measuring devices would be costly. And it wouldn’t solve all of California’s water woes — the state still needs stricter regulations on groundwater pumping and meters for all urban users. But it would be a crucial step in the right direction."