For California, finding new sources of supply will become increasingly urgent.
The question that remains is whether both countries will be able to find a negotiated solution or whether water will end up becoming a new point of commercial and diplomatic confrontation.
For now, the Mexican message seems clear: the infrastructure built in Baja California must first guarantee the well-being of those who live in Baja California.
And while California seeks alternatives to address its water crisis, the Rosarito plant could become much more than a desalination plant: it could be one of the symbols of a new stage in the fight for water sovereignty on the northern border.