"In the last one hundred years, imported water has transformed the Golden State, with land ownership patterns and real estate boosterism dramatically altering both urban and rural communities. The key to this transformation has been expanded access to water from the Eastern Sierra, the Colorado River, and Northern California rivers. 'Whoever brings the water, brings the people,' wrote engineer William Mulholland, under whose leadership the process of growth through irrigation began. Now, in this provocative book, author David Carle contends that it may be time to stop drowning the California dream of the good life with imported water. Using oral histories, newspaper articles, and autobiographies of major and minor historical players, Carle shows how the importation of water has shaped the state's population growth and at the same time contributed to damaging the environment and reducing the quality of life. He calls into question the wisdom of continued commitment to the idea that endless growth is possible because more water can always be found. It can't."--Back cover.