The North Dakota Bakken oil is being shipped to the Philadelphia refineries and elsewhere in mile-long trains of tankers containing crude oil. Daily, mile-long trains of tanker after tanker.
I wonder what the economics would be of mile-long or miles-long trains of tanker cars filled with water to California's most parched cities and towns?
Could be implemented a lot faster than years-long construction of ocean water desalinization plants - that are then energy-intensive and expensive to operate.
Trains could fill up with Mississippi River water or Great Lakes water and deliver the water to the local water treatment plants in California's parched cities and towns, especially the inland towns. It would not be a long term solution, but it might be a short term solution.