At 2 AM on Nov. 26, 1947, the San Diego Aqueduct opened, bringing the city its first water from the Colorado River. It began as a trickle, but soon grew to a torrent, just in time to avert the region’s worst water crisis. Construction began as a WWII emergency when naval installations and support industries more than doubled the county’s population. The project was almost cancelled when the war ended, but since the military bases and industries remained, the Navy agreed to complete the $17.5 million pipeline and the city of San Diego pledged to lease it for half a million a year until it was paid off. Discover more San Diego history in Tazia and Gemma (see NOVELS).
