Water & Power: A California Heist is a one-hour documentary investigating possible corruption running below the surface of California’s water shortage crisis.
The show highlights some of the inequalities and corruption problems that are making a difficult problem even harder to deal with.
In particular it focuses on the Kern Water Bank, a huge reservoir that contains a large percentage of the entire state’s water supply.
After a tip off one journalist started to look into who exactly owned the Kern Water Bank and he came across Roll International Corporation. They did not have anyone who could answer questions or help with research and advised he give up.
Their address led to a location that was owned by the Paramount Farming Company and a receptionist inside advised him that Roll were just down the corridor.
He eventually uncovered a group of companies and landowners that seemed to control the supply, but most of it came down to corporate farmers the Paramount Farming Company.
The idea of a private company with such a conflict of interest controlling such a vital resource raises alarm bells for many who are concerned about balancing the many demands on the limited supply of water.
Water & Power: A California Heist airs at 8 PM on National Geographic.