Western US Drought

The state of California is asking a basic question right now that people often fight over: What's a fair way to divide up something that's scarce and valuable? That "something," in this case, is water. There's a lot at stake, including your very own nuts, fruits and vegetables, because most of the water that's up for grabs in California goes to farmers.

With all the attention focused on California's water woes, an observer might conclude that the Golden State's drought is the exception. It isn't. Forty states expect to see water shortages in at least some areas in the next decade, according to a government watchdog agency.

Whether you live in or out of California, you are probably looking for something, anything, just one dang thing that will help you understand this impossibly complicated drought. You're not going to find it.

Signs of drought and anxiety are everywhere in this quaint harbor town.

Lake Mead, behind the Hoover dam, feeds water to California, Nevada and Arizona but is only 38 per cent full – its lowest level ever