The California drought, now in its third year (and apparently worsening), looks to be a significant test of the capacity of residents, farmers, businesses and governments to ensure the state's water security.
 
By 2009, southeast Australia had already endured 8 years of drought, the longest and deepest in that country’s history. The largest rice industry in the southern hemisphere collapsed. A bushfire north of Melbourne killed 173 people. The River Murray stopped flowing to the sea. Dredges were used to keep the mouth of the river system open.
 
Australia, however, was policy-ready for this drought. It had revised its entire water entitlement and allocation system. In the drought's worst year, when the total volume of water available to farmers was cut to one third, the value of irrigated agriculture remained at 70 percent of normal. 

Can Australia's responses help California’s drying farms and water-challenged cities? 
 
This special interactive event features eminent water experts from Australia and the United States, and Circle of Blue journalists who have reported from the front lines of the droughts in Australia and California. 
 
This is the second in a series of free conference events on the California drought. You will gain a deeper understanding about Australia’s Millennium Drought, its consequences, and participate in identifying the lessons that California’s leaders should consider.