Deshmukh took over last month as general manager of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, a sprawling, aging system that pipes water hundreds of miles to 19 million people in Los Angeles, Orange County, the Inland Empire and San Diego.

Roughly 20 percent of Met’s water comes from the dwindling Colorado River, over which negotiators from seven Western states are haggling in a race to strike a new deal before water-sharing rules expire at the end of the year.

Another third of the supply comes from Northern California, where boom-and-bust weather has intensified long-simmering fights over sending water south and Gov. Gavin Newsom is seeking to cement pet water projects like the Delta Conveyance Project and Sites Reservoir before he is termed out at the end of the year. The rest comes from local rainfall, groundwater or recycled water.

Deshmukh must figure out how to keep this delicate water puzzle together, all while dealing with the politics of a 38-member board and regional power struggles both inside and outside of California. He spoke with about the balance between affordability and reliability and his early priorities in the wake of leadership tumult at the agency.

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