Robert D. Thompson 
Earth Day celebrations continue California style with the special documentary “THE GREAT THIRST: WILLIAM MULHOLLAND”. This is the first episode in a complex story of California through the lens of its relationship with water, brought to you by PBS SoCal and KCET, PBS’s flagship Southern California stations. Also available on national satellite network Link TV. The timely special, directed by Matthew Justus, with Jeff Berg as executive producer, has its world premiere Sunday, April 24 at 8 p.m.
“Water wars” spread long before climate change and global warming became reasons for water conservation. And the show is filled with the history of late 1800s and early 1900s California and its unquenchable thirst for water, which drove the growth of modern Los Angeles. The story is inspired by the book of the same name by author and professor Norris Hundley Jr., The Great Thirst: William Mulholland.
The documentary highlights Mulholland’s vision to forge one of the greatest engineering achievements of the 20th century, the construction of the Los Angeles Aqueduct. It also bears the responsibility for one of the biggest disasters with the collapse of the Saint-François dam. Up next on PBS is AMERICAN EXPERIENCE “Flood in the Desert” about the dam collapse. So there’s a stream of water-themed documentaries for PBS’s Earth Month.
Also in celebration of environmental efforts, PBS SoCal and KCET, along with Link TV, present a new season of Link TV’s acclaimed original series EARTH FOCUS in partnership with the Thomson Reuters Foundation. Additionally, the annual EARTH FOCUS ENVIRONMENTAL FILM FESTIVAL, the only festival of its kind in Los Angeles, will return virtually for a fourth year from April 24-29. The throwback festival, from presenting sponsor Edison International, features film screenings and Q&A discussions on the realities of climate change in an effort to address global issues that affect all living creatures and natural resources.
Margie Barron has written for a wide variety of outlets including Gannett Newspapers, Nickelodeon, Tiger Beat and 16 Magazine, Fresh!, Senior Life, Production Update, Airline Magazines, and more. Margie is also proud to have been one half of husband and wife writing team Frank & Margie Barron, who wrote together for various entertainment and travel publications for over 38 years.
