By using water as a commodity, we are using up the fresh water the planet provides faster than it can replenish it.
Reporting this piece introduced me to a subculture I hadn't paid much attention to before: Water nerds.
It turns out I sit right next to a couple of them, right here at KQED. One is named Dan Brekke. He's an editor here. Dan spouts off reservoir levels the way other people recite batting averages.
Monthly snowpack surveys are awaited with baited breath. Curious about the state's current hydrological conditions? Dan can probably tell you.
Speaking of snowpack surveys, don't miss Craig Miller's Climate Watch video about how the surveys are conducted and what they mean. (See, I told you this place was crawling with water nerds.)
