What we do out here would work, but would mean one massive amount of public works spending and the loss of private property.
Many cities get their water from distant reservoirs or one of a few major rivers - like the Colorado or Rio Grande. The Central Arizona Project brings water from the Colorado drainage into the Phoenix/Tucson areas and large swaths of agricultural lands in-between. Much of the LA basin gets its water from the Colorado River.
Y'know, that could be the next American success story - the construction of aqueducts to alleviate flooding in the north and mid-west, and drought in the south and west.
The LCRA (Lower Colorado River Authority) just let a 78” pipeline drain even more water from Lake Travis which is dropping about one foot per week.
Hmmm, well, maybe each landowner could do their own property?