As President Donald Trump prepares to tour wildfire damage in California, he's zeroing in on one of his frequent targets for criticism: State water policy. Since the fires broke out Jan. 7, Trump has used social media and interviews to accuse the state of sending too much water to the Pacific Ocean instead of south toward Los Angeles and highlighted how some hydrants ran dry in the early hours of the firefight in Pacific Palisades.
In the first hours of his second term, Trump called on federal officials to draft plans to route more water to the crop-rich Central Valley and densely populated cities in the southern part of the state. Two days later he threatened to withhold federal disaster aid unless California leaders change the state’s approach on water.
Here's a look at the facts behind Trump's comments and what power the president has to influence California water:. Where does Southern California's water come from?. In general, most of the state's water is in the north, while most of its people are in the drier south.
Los Angeles, the nation’s second largest city, depends on drawing water from elsewhere. Meanwhile the relatively dry Central Valley is home to fertile land where much of the nation's fruits and vegetables are grown. Two complex systems of dams and canals channel rain and snowmelt from the mountains in the north and route it south. One is managed by the federal government and known as the Central Valley Project, while the other is operated by the state of California and known as the State Water Project.
