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As urban growth outstrips water supplies, how can the global challenge of providing "liquid gold" be met? Mixing history and policy analysis, Erie tells the story of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD)--one of the world's largest and most important public water agencies--and its role in building the world's eighth largest economy in a semi-desert. No tawdry tale of secret backroom conspiracies--as depicted in the famed film Chinatown--this telling concerns an unheralded regional institution, its entrepreneurial public leadership, and pioneering policymaking. Using untapped primary sources, the author re-examines this great regional experiment from its 1920s-era origins, through the Colorado River Aqueduct and State Water Projects, to today's daunting mission of drought management, water quality, environmental stewardship, and supply security. He concludes by considering MWD's Integrated Resources Plan as a global model for water-resources planning and management, water supply reliability, affordability, and environmental sustainability.--From publisher description.