<story><title>Big water cutbacks ordered amid Colorado River shortage</title><url>https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2022-06-14/big-water-cutbacks-ordered-amid-colorado-river-shortage</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>swatcoder</author><text>&amp;gt; The simple solution
&amp;gt; The obvious answer&lt;p&gt;This community seems like its at its best when it expresses humble curiosity and its worst when it shuts the door on learning by oversimplifying deeply complex matters as though nobody else had the sense to look straight at them.&lt;p&gt;Water rights carry a legacy of centuries of personal and political history and thousands of competing interests. The levers with which to control price and set incentives the way you suggest don’t exist.&lt;p&gt;There are real problems looming, but there are no “simple solutions” or “obvious answers” being missed.&lt;p&gt;Whatever comes will involve great compromise and very few will think it was the right solution. I guess maybe you’re just joining that chorus early.</text></item><item><author>ar813</author><text>The answer to this problem lies here: “Entsminger pointed out that roughly 80% of the river’s flow is used for agriculture, and most of that for thirsty crops like alfalfa, which is mainly grown for cattle, both in the U.S. and overseas.”&lt;p&gt;The simple solution would be to raise prices on water such that it disincentivizes growing water hungry crops than alfalfa for example. The west’s water crisis is less about cities than agricultural choices made during the last century, which was wetter than it will be going forward. The obvious answer is to either regulate or incentivize using less water hungry crops more strongly. It would be better if this had started slowly a while ago, allowing the market to adjust and reallocate. Alas, looks like it will have to be an abrupt shift in the near future.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>LanceH</author><text>We can start by rolling back the modern entrenchments that have only made it worse.  I would be absolutely shocked if this were only a 200 year old problem and there wasn&amp;#x27;t modern legislation basically gifting free water to special interests.</text></comment>
<story><title>Big water cutbacks ordered amid Colorado River shortage</title><url>https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2022-06-14/big-water-cutbacks-ordered-amid-colorado-river-shortage</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>swatcoder</author><text>&amp;gt; The simple solution
&amp;gt; The obvious answer&lt;p&gt;This community seems like its at its best when it expresses humble curiosity and its worst when it shuts the door on learning by oversimplifying deeply complex matters as though nobody else had the sense to look straight at them.&lt;p&gt;Water rights carry a legacy of centuries of personal and political history and thousands of competing interests. The levers with which to control price and set incentives the way you suggest don’t exist.&lt;p&gt;There are real problems looming, but there are no “simple solutions” or “obvious answers” being missed.&lt;p&gt;Whatever comes will involve great compromise and very few will think it was the right solution. I guess maybe you’re just joining that chorus early.</text></item><item><author>ar813</author><text>The answer to this problem lies here: “Entsminger pointed out that roughly 80% of the river’s flow is used for agriculture, and most of that for thirsty crops like alfalfa, which is mainly grown for cattle, both in the U.S. and overseas.”&lt;p&gt;The simple solution would be to raise prices on water such that it disincentivizes growing water hungry crops than alfalfa for example. The west’s water crisis is less about cities than agricultural choices made during the last century, which was wetter than it will be going forward. The obvious answer is to either regulate or incentivize using less water hungry crops more strongly. It would be better if this had started slowly a while ago, allowing the market to adjust and reallocate. Alas, looks like it will have to be an abrupt shift in the near future.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>staticautomatic</author><text>Notwithstanding the farm and ranch lobbies, what part of raising prices isn’t a simple solution?</text></comment>