A defining California drought?

California is no stranger to droughts, as a study of 1,000 years of tree rings shows. This time, however, the modern state may be forced to deal with the vulnerability of its water supply. “California is running out of options to deal with the fact that it has basically been relying on more water than it has long-term access to,” said David Hayes, a former U.S. Interior Department official who was the Obama administration’s point man on Western water issues during the president’s first term. “It’s like reality is closing in on California.”