When it comes to firsts, California’s on a roll. Last month the state became the first to budget in its own insulin manufacturing, and last week California legislators made a historic vote to ban the sale of new gas-powered cars after 2035. Though less flashy, the state recently claimed yet another first by planning to install solar panels over its canals.
California is home to about 4,000 miles of canals. For decades these complex networks have delivered more than 600 million gallons of water per day to agricultural areas and to residents throughout the state. At the same time, California’s water supply has dwindled. Rising temperatures, groundwater depletion, and decreased precipitation have resulted in an unprecedented, years-long drought, bringing the state’s reservoir levels down to the lowest they’ve been in a century. This has prompted legislators, researchers, and environmental activists to seek out ways to protect California’s water supply.