Includes bibliographical references (p. 237-244) and index.

Introduction : water web : connected Californians -- Tapping into a planetary cycle -- A great water wheel -- The vital molecule -- "Normal" weather : anything but "average" -- Droughts -- Floods -- California water landscape -- Pristine waterscape -- Groundwater -- Hydrologic regions -- North Coast region -- Sacramento River region -- North Lahontan region -- San Francisco Bay region -- San Joaquin River region -- Central Coast region -- Tulare Lake region -- South Lahontan region -- South Coast region -- Colorado River region -- The distribution system -- Expanding watersheds -- The state water project -- The central valley project -- Colorado River delivery systems -- The Los Angeles aqueduct -- The Hetch Hetchy aqueduct -- The Mokelumne aqueduct -- The North Bay -- Challenges to California water management -- Extinction is forever -- A thirsty garden -- The Salton Sea -- Animals impacts -- Beneath your feet -- Out of sight, out of control -- Can you drink the water? -- Giardia -- Mass medication -- The bottled-water phenomenon -- The problem is us -- Where does your dog go? -- Unchecked growth : messing with the cycle -- Meeting the challenges : California's water future -- The public trust -- Restoration -- CALFED -- The debate over dams -- Build more behemoths? -- Off-stream dams? -- Raise existing dams? -- Raze existing dams? -- Storage in the bank -- Transfers : water as a commodity -- Short-cutting the cycle -- Squeezing the sponge -- Clean water -- Lemonade from lemons -- What future do you choose? -- Acronyms and abbreviations -- Historical timeline -- Agencies and organizations.