Monday February 24, 2025
The Seattle Times —
The answer is no.
President Donald Trump has not and cannot take water from the Pacific Northwest and send it somewhere else, such as California.
There are quite a few reasons why that’s just not possible, but before we get into those, let’s take a look at Trump’s recent statements.
Following the devastating wildfires throughout the Los Angeles area, Trump blamed them on a lack of water because California officials had sought to protect a threatened species of fish. The president was wrong in his assessment at times, experts repeatedly noted, or he was oversimplifying complicated hydrological issues.
The president plowed forward anyway, ordering the release of water from reservoirs in Central California. And while he claimed “Victory!” on social media, that water won’t reach parched Southern California because the two regions aren’t connected in that way. At the same time, state officials there worried the releases wasted water ahead of the summer, when farmers will need it most.