Ep 4. California Water Supply

In the fourth episode of Abandoned season 1, titled "California Water Supply," the show explores the impact of the worst drought in California's history on the state's water supply. Host Rick McCrank takes viewers on a journey through a network of abandoned reservoirs and aqueducts that were once instrumental in providing water to California's farms, cities, and industries.

McCrank begins by explaining just how dire California's water situation is. The state hasn't had significant rainfall in several years, and its reservoirs are at historically low levels. He notes that 80% of the state's water supply comes from snowpack in the Sierra Nevada mountains, which has been severely reduced due to climate change. As a result, the state has had to ration water usage and farmers have had to fallow their fields, leading to a significant impact on the state's economy.

To understand the history of California's water supply system, McCrank visits the abandoned Mulholland Dam, named after the infamous engineer who designed it. The dam was built in the early 20th century to store water from the Owens River for Los Angeles, but its failure in 1928 resulted in the deaths of over 400 people. McCrank explores the ruins of the dam, which has been abandoned since the disaster, and reflects on the hubris of the men who built it.

Next, McCrank heads to the Owens Valley, where the water was originally diverted from to supply Los Angeles. He meets with locals who have been impacted by the diversion, including farmers who have had to sell their land due to the lack of water. McCrank also visits the abandoned Keeler pumping plant, which was once used to pump water from the Owens Valley to Los Angeles. The plant was shut down in 1970 after the opening of the California State Water Project, which supplied most of the state's water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta in the north.

McCrank then travels to the San Fernando Valley, just north of Los Angeles, where the city's water supply is stored in the abandoned Pacoima Reservoir. The reservoir was built in the early 1900s to store water from the Los Angeles Aqueduct, which was built to bring water from the Owens Valley to the city. However, the reservoir became obsolete after the completion of the State Water Project, and has since been abandoned. McCrank explores the ruins of the reservoir and reflects on the impact that the diversion of water from the Owens Valley has had on the surrounding communities.

Finally, McCrank visits Silverwood Lake, the largest storage reservoir in the State Water Project system. He meets with officials from the California Department of Water Resources to understand how the system works and the challenges that they face in managing the state's water supply. McCrank is surprised to learn that some of the water that is stored in the reservoir is used to provide drinking water to residents of Southern California, despite the fact that the water is being transported over 400 miles from the delta in the north.

Overall, "California Water Supply" is a sobering exploration of the impact that human activity can have on the environment. The episode doesn't offer any easy solutions to California's water crisis, but it does provide a compelling look at the history of the state's water supply system and the challenges that we face in ensuring that future generations have access to clean, reliable water.