Water District Contest Writers Explore a Scary Scenario

The Crescenta Valley Water District created a science fiction competition for middle and high school students to imagine a world without water in the year 2050. Students were asked to write about the effects of climate change and what they would do if a water shortage were to occur. “Other competitions in California were talking about the importance of water, but none were addressing what could happen in the future,” says Patrick Atwater, regulatory and public affairs manager for the district, 25 miles from Los Angeles.“Our general manager, James Lee, who is very forward-thinking, challenged us to engage the next generation