How do you save water in the Mojave Desert? Answer: You pump more of it from the ground and send it to thirsty consumers in Los Angeles and other Southern California cities.
At least according to the Court of Appeal, which affirms the dismissal of various lawsuits to "[a] proposed project to pump fresh groundwater from an underground
aquifer located below real property owned by Cadiz, Inc. (Cadiz), in the Mojave Desert
(the Project) . . . . [in order to] prevent waste of the water in the aquifer, and to ultimately
transport the water to customers in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and
Ventura Counties."
I understand the theory. But the concept that you've got to pump more water in order to save it couldn't help but remind me of a bygone, related idea: That we similarly "had to destroy the village in order to save it."