Over the past decades we at the Capital Press have published thousands of stories about water — or the lack thereof — in the West.

From the desert Southwest to the verdant Northwest, no part of the West is immune from water shortages.

California recently emerged from a four-year drought, and Central Washington and Oregon have faced varying levels of drought, including this year.

Not all water shortages are purely the work of nature. Idaho water managers released large amounts of water down the Snake River this spring to avert flooding, only to force some farmers to dry their land later because of a “water shortage.”

Similarly, farmers in parts of California and Southern Oregon have long blamed water management for shortages.

In their defense, managers say they are only following the law.

Even if solutions for water shortages are not self-evident, another conclusion is crystal clear: Water laws and policies for managing water, the most precious commodity in the West, are woefully out of date and inadequate.

The inability of water regulators and policy-makers at all levels to manage even the water that’s readily available is startling.

Droughts present a problem, to farmers and everyone else. Since the beginning of time, they have been a fact of life. Now, we’re told, droughts could become more common as the average temperature of the planet increases because of greenhouse gases in the air.

Yet most water managers and policy-makers appear to have no statewide or regional plans for countering the impacts of drought. Common sense says that areas with more water should be able to share the resource with areas that are dry.

Of all the Western states, only California and Arizona have the means to share water within their borders.

Water is available. It’s just a matter of moving it to where it’s needed. Thought needs to be given to tapping the Columbia River to provide water to Central and Southern Oregon — and even California, if need be.

Washington state has wisely taken advantage of the Columbia River to replace water from shrinking aquifers in the Odessa region, allowing farming to continue. Certainly, the river’s water could also be used elsewhere to grow food and fiber.

More thought also needs to be given to technology such as desalination of ocean water and the reuse of water. Last week on these pages, we took a look at the possibilities for reusing treated wastewater to irrigate crops. While some may question it, this concept is not new. Many farmers have long reused water on their operations.

When questioned about the topic, most experts say that statutes and regulations need to be updated.

The time has come for regulators and policy-makers to take up the critical water-related issues all around us. Water sharing, reuse and flexibility in how water is allocated are among the many issues that need to be addressed.

Time is of the essence. We will all pay dearly if we don’t get real about the looming water crisis facing the West.