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From Wondery, I'm Lindsey Graham and this is American Scandal.

In the early 1900s, Los Angeles faced a grave problem.

The young city's population was booming as Americans flocked to a warm desert climate.

At the same time, LA was quickly running out of water.

City leaders proposed a bold solution.

Spearheaded by LA's water superintendent William Moll Holland and the city's former mayor, Fred Eaton,

and Los Angeles planned to build a 200-mile long aqueduct.

It would divert water from the Owens River far north of Los Angeles and transport it through mountains and deserts all the way back to LA.

The city moved ahead with construction, but it led to a bitter war with residents in Inyo County,

who believed that their water had been stolen.

And while LA came out victorious, the conflict highlighted the enormous stakes in fights over scarce natural resources.

It's a problem that's re-emerging today as Americans confront the devastations of climate change,

including rapidly diminishing water supplies in the West.

My guest today is David Owen, a journalist and author of Where the Water Goes,

which explores how conditions are becoming grim on the Colorado River,

a water source for seven Western states.

Owen is also the author of more than a dozen books whose topics range from hearing loss to green living to professional golf.

In our conversation, we'll look at how water scarcity is a mounting issue in the West,

but one that affects the entire country, and will explore some of the solutions that could help curb a growing crisis.

Our conversation is next.

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