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Last modified
7/14/2011 11:11:28 AM
Creation date
9/30/2006 10:10:02 PM
Metadata
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Template:
Publications
Year
1997
Title
Layperson's Guide to Water Conservation
CWCB Section
Water Conservation & Drought Planning
Author
California Water Education Foundation
Description
Layperson's Guide to Water Conservation
Publications - Doc Type
Other
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<br /> <br /> <br />The prolonged 1987-1993 California drought was just <br />one of many that have plagued various parts of the <br />United States. Perhaps the most famous drought of <br />the 20th century was the "Dust Bowl" that dried up <br />farm and rangelands in Texas and Oklahoma during <br />the 1930s. More recently. Texas and other south- <br />western states suffered through a severe drought <br />in 1996. <br /> <br />The frequency and severity of droughts have <br />prompted some new thinking about long-term plan- <br />ning for future droughts and the effects that possible <br />permanent climate changes could have on water <br />supplies. Although the global-warming phenomenon <br />has been disputed by some, others warn that even <br />minute changes in average temperatures could have <br />disastrous consequences for water supplies. Failure <br />to prepare now for permanent climate change could <br />jeopardize future generations, they warn. <br /> <br />Experts who have studied recent droughts say a <br />drought occurs about once every 10 years some- <br />where in the United States. Droughts are believed <br />to be the most costly of all natural disasters because <br />of their widespread effects on agriculture and related <br />industries, as well as on urbanized areas. One of <br />those decennial droughts could cost as much as $38 <br />billion, according to one estimate. <br /> <br />Because droughts cannot be prevented. experts are <br />looking for better ways to forecast them and new <br />approaches to managing droughts when Ihey occur. <br />Drought events traditionally have been managed as <br />crises, using short-term, ad hoc water management <br />measures that often disappear once precipitation <br />returns to normal levels. Organizations concerned <br />with the effects of droughts, such as the Federal <br />Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the <br />Western Governors Association, have recommended <br />a shift from crisis management to a more system- <br />atic, risk-management approach that anticipates <br />drought events and develops measures in advance <br />to deal with them effectively. Like earthquake pre- <br />paredness, long-term plans for mitigating the effects <br />of droughts should be made before water shortages <br />occur, they say, and should include water resources <br />monitoring, graduated water conservation measures, <br />and public education. <br /> <br />A 1996 FEMA task force report to President Clinlon <br />recommended developing a national drought policy <br />and designating a lead federal agency to coordinate <br />the many aspects of response to drought disasters. <br />States represented on the task force that developed <br />the recommendations suggested FEMA be the lead <br />agency, but FEMA itself said another federal agency. <br />such as the Department of Agriculture, has more <br />resources to deal with the problems of droughts. <br /> <br />,:J~;;;: '~~"'~.'~'A.._':I' <br />:;,.~~~j.'~~'.i'~:,l~'~, . <br />';':~~"'''''~JO,'~';!;~..:-;~ <br />
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