Out West, it's not a new idea. There's been no shortage of stories about how Florida is about to dry up and blow away from a lack of rain. So some people say there's no such thing as a water shortage. There's a huge amount out there - it's just got to get to where it needs to go.
Some economists believe all that's needed is to inject a little capitalism into the aquifer.
They say buying and selling the right to pump from underground would allow water to flow to where it's really needed. Garry Lynne is one such advocate. He was a professor of resource and environmental economics for 20 years at the University of Florida and now works at the University of Nebraska. We're in a situation in the United States where the water economy has matured. We're beyond the dam-building stages.