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B42 .. "- ~ DROUGHT IN THE SOUTHWEST, 1942-56 also of all those who obtain economic benefit from use of water, The belt-tightening operation of reducing the use of water to the reduced supply is necessary for those who are largely at the mercy of climatic fluctuations: farm- ers whose crops, pasture, rangelands, and woodlands depend upon soil water that is replenished only by pre- cipitation. Wildlife reacts also to reduce the use of water because of its dependence upon the raugelands and woodlands. The "drought-disaster areas" desig- nated by t.he U.S. Department of Agriculture are pri- marily t.hose where soil-moisture deficiencies have caused a subst.antial loss in agricultural income, Be- cause st.reamflow represents t.he residual or surplus water from precipitation after evapotranspiration, water users who depend upon unregulat.ed streamflow are also at. the mercy of climatic fluctuations, Reduc- tions in streamflow, and especially periods of no flow, obviously a.trect fish, run-of-the-river hydroelectric powerplants, and all those who divert water from an unregulated stream for any purpose. Temporary relief can be had by hauling water or food and feed into areas most severely stricken by drought and by the migration of wildlife from drought- stricken areas. Some cities and industries use water of high cost or inferior quality until sufficient quantit.ies again become available from the normal sources of sup- ply. Emergency release of water from some reservoirs has been necessary for sanitary reasons, when the nat- ural flow has been iusufficient. for adequat.e dilut.ion of the pollut.ing wastes consigned to the st.ream. There is some cost t.o the individuals who benefit. from these emergency operations, but the money, like the water, is merely transferred from one area to another. Such op- erations do not necessarily involve a loss of income re- gionally, although they change t.he circulation pattern of money. The development of a perennial water supply that is adequate for use during a drought, in addition to reliev- ing water shortages of the moment, ensures a compa- rable supply during fut.ure droughts of similar magni- tude, Such developments are achieved at some cost but do not represent. an economic loss if a precarious supply of water is replaced by an adequat.e one; furthermore, the money paid for the benefit provides income for those who construct wells and reservoirs and funds for pur- chase and maintenance of their equipment. Thus drought may spur development of adequat.e water supplies, The met.hods used during the drought to provide an adequate supply of water are no different from those required at any other time. The use of water for irri- gation frees the farmer from dependence on the vagaries of precipitation, Irrigation wat.er must be obtained from some type of reservoir where water accumulat.es during periods of natural surplus and can be withdrawn during. periods of drought. Surface reservoirs or ground-water reservoirs may similarly provide adequate supplies for cities, industries, and other users, The con- struction of reservoirs and drilling of wells are thus indications of efforts to develop an adequate water sup- ply for the future, There are also several methods of obtaining greater economic benefit from the water sup- plies already developed and in use, and t.hese pertain es- pecially t.o the water used nonconsumptively, They in- clude treat.ment. and dilution of municipal sewage, recycling of water used in indust.ry, and increased effi- ciency in irrigation, TEXAS Of the 254 count.ies in Texas, 245 were in the drought disast.er area as of January 1, 1957, and had received Federal aid t.otaling $223 million, These counties have a rural population of more than 1 million who live on about. 282,000 farms and ranches, One of the counties most severaly affected by drought. was Karnes, in sout.h Texas, where the population was reduced 10 percent. during. the drought years, and 60 percent of those re- maining were on the county's free-food program during 1956, The State's annual production of wheat provides an indication of the effect of drought upon crops which depend directly upon precipit.at.ion, because wheat is rarely irrigated: in wet 1946, 6,835,000 acres was planted in wheat, of which 5,992,000 was harvested; in dry 1955, 4,308,000 acres was planted and only 1,508,000 acres was harvested, Almost two-thirds of Texas is rangeland-including pasture, woodland pasture, and forest.--where grasses are the dominant vegetation of economic value, These grasses were severely reduced during the drought years 1951-56, with a consequent reduction in wildlife popu- lation; according to the Texas Fish and Game Commis- sion, turkeys and quail were fewer than ever before and the deer population was reduced by malnutrition, par- ticularly in 1954, There was also a reduction in domes- t.ic liveStock population because of the diminished feed and forage, From 1945 to 1955 the population of sheep decreased 46 percent and of hogs 52 percent; the num- ber of cattle. in the western two-thirds of Texas was re- duced 17 percent during the decade, partly by shifting herds to the more humid eastern third of the State. Diminution of streamflow during drought resulted in reduction of hydroelectric-power generation, At the Devils River powerplants near Del Rio, operated by the Cent.ral Power and Light Co, of Corpus Christi, the average production in the 5 years 1951-55 was only about half the average for the 17 years prior to the