Running out of water

We need to worry as much about running out of water as we do about running out of oil, according to UA law professor Robert Glennon, in his new book, "Unquenchable: American's Water Crisis and What We Can Do About It."

The 400-page book delves into issues related to wealth, privatization, farming, water consumption, "water alchemists," water harvesting and other topics. Glennon says conservation must be a major part of the solution, but controlling population growth and using price signals and market forces to allocate water are also critical. One suggestion would be to shift use rights to allow water rights to be transferred from farmers to buyers. That way, farmers could sell land that has the lowest crop yields, reducing their reliance on the water source, Glennon said in a release from UA.