As the popular Captain Kirk character in the science-fiction series Star Trek, William Shatner was used to having to handle major issues affecting many planets. Now it seems that he is facing issues slightly closer to Los Angeles in his adopted home state of California, and attempting to apply a form of logical solution that his late friend Leonard Nimoy's Spock might have backed. The sunshine may be good for the tourist trade, but the drought being endured by the Golden State for more than three years is no laughing matter for residents. Water usage is to be curtailed and Shatner thinks that more needs to be done to resolve the issue.
With no end seeming to be in sight for the current Californian drought, the Governor Jerry Brown announced this month that rules were to be introduced around water usage in urban areas. The drastic steps would look for a cut of as much as 25% across the entire state.
Shatner has suggested that a new pipeline should be constructed at a cost of around $30 billion (approximately £20 billion), allowing water to be conveyed from the Pacific Northwest to the Southwest. The potentially life changing pipeline could be laid alongside Interstate 5 according to the veteran 'Trekkie', which is the west coast's major highway. The water would be transported to Lake Mead in Nevada, which acts as a reservoir for California and Arizona, in addition to Nevada itself.
To raise the necessary funds, the seemingly tireless 84-year-old actor is intending to kick-off a "Kickstarter" campaign, presumably hoping that the novel idea will spark a flood of contributions via the internet. Kickstarter is an American crowdfunding platform, which aims to bring creative projects to life.
No new idea is ever without its issues though, and Shatner's dream could yet face a major obstacle.
It relies on Washington having sufficient excess water to supply other states. Washington may yet face a shortage of water itself in the future according to experts. At present the rainfall is in line with average figures, but predictions for its summer snow-melt runoff for the current year suggest that it will be the lowest for over 60 years.
