In my good-will-for-all heart I knew the trustworthy voiceover was advocating conservation when he told his TV audience “we can’t take water for granted.”

But my fiancé saw right through the spin: “They just want us to build more dams,” he said.

Last night’s 30-second television commercial on California’s escalating water crisis had a clear goal to educate through fear. No doubt our state needs more education on the status of our water supply, but scaring residents into building more dams only fosters wasteful habits. We are people in a world of water problems, not just a state, county or city.

Like accusatory statements in political ads, the commercial conjures shock towards the situation, but looses steam once the true motivation behind the ad is revealed. Too bad the $7-$9 million ad spend wasn’t allocated to teaching Californians to incorporate water-saving habits into their daily routines.

A lesson that lasts a lifetime.