Water Officials Warned: Get Used to Drought

We received the following article from one of our readers. We thought it was something we would all be interested in reading. Pay particular attention to the point that we may be more susceptible to flooding, as noted on a previous post by Al Heinze & Don Milliken.

07-10-2007 Water Officials Warned: Get Used to Drought, Says New Climate Report

United States - A new report by the Natural Resources Defense Council warned that the drought and dry conditions gripping the western United States are likely to become the norm and that water managers ought to initiate immediate measures to increase conservation and wastewater recycling. Over the past eight years, the Colorado River has received just over half its average flow, and poor snowpack has made this southern California's driest year on record. Report co-authors Barry Nelson and Monty Schmitt said that whether precipitation falls as rain or snow is important because western snowpacks melt gradually in spring and summer, supplying water when it's needed; hotter temperatures, however, produce rain instead, and it falls all at once. Furthermore, warmer summers cause more surface water to evaporate. They added that because global warming may increase the risk of floods, water managers should also focus upon keeping people and property out of harm's way. - summary by Louise Shaler

Source: Natural Resources Defense Council by Original Language: English Check for stories with: drought, flood, forecasting, snow, rainfall, global warming, water conservation, water policy