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governors appointed special drought committees to study the situation in their state and recommend or implement a remedial program. Both state and federal governments began special programs of financial. assistance to individuals suffering economic hardship because of drought eonditions and to provIde emergency water supply where needed. The gover- nors. of the western states established a Drought Action Task Force to coordinate their efforts and provided It technical staff support through a temporary expansion in the staff of the Western States Water Council in Salt Lake City. Every two weeks the Council published an "Update"on western drought conditions that contained a summary of current and forecast precipitation and runoff condi- tions, a description of actions being taken by the several states to deal with the drought problem, and a description of reeent federal drought assistance activity, The Institute for Policy Research in the Western Governors' Policy Office prepared and distributed a manual, "Directory of Federal. Drought Assistance 1977," that inventoried drol!ght problems, identified federal programs and pending legisu.tion applicable to each problem, and provided information that drought-impacted parties could Ull!l to take advantage of the programs. The. I.nstitute also undertook studies to help states strengthen their capacity to help water users through future droughts and to identify and prioritize drought-related researeh needs. The government response to the drought situa- tion concentrated on 1) financial assistance to alleviate the economic impact of reduced water supply, 2) financial aid to supplement available water supply (e.g., constructing new wells), and 3) collection and dissemination of information on how water ull!lrs could better manage avalisble supplies during drought periods. The first response seemed to be the most popular, but the latter two did more. for wise water use. INFORMATION DISSEMINATED Drought conditions invariably generate public concern over hardships experienced and worries that the situation will worsen. The media respond with stories that describe the drought and its effects snd with interviews seeking expert opinion on future expectations. Current drought information helps people do a better job of planning water-using activities and helps government focus on responsive water use control and public assistance programs, As people act to accommodate drought conditions and as government implements a drought program, the media begin to describe various water saving innovations to spread good ideas to additional potential users, to describe water use control regulations so that those in the regulated area will know what is expeeted and other jurisdictions will be better informed for. planning regulatory programs, and to publicize the public assistance program so that needy individuals will know wh~t is available and whom to see for particular kinds of help. The media, however, can only disseminate information; they have Umlted resources for developing original information or sorting the facts out of all that is being said. Obviously, there is a need for expert analysis to make the diatributed information more reliable. Information relisbillty ia best discussed by classifying the various types of information and considering each type separately. Disseminated information covers: 1. 7'lIe stote of the aVGi/ab/e water IIlIpplll, e.,;,<<"I1 MId fW'OJected. Weather ia always a popular news topic, and drought conditions make it more so. The weather inlormation distributed in drought- prone, arid climates places much greater emphasis on precipitation amounts, cumulative precipitation to- tals, and snowpack conditions than does weather news in more humid cilmates where weather effects on outside activity are the primary concern. The . dependency of the water supply on weather, however, depends on the sources available to a particular water utility or group of water users, Reservoirs hold water for long periods, Springe may be fed by aquifers recharged many years before. Groundwater supplies can be mined during dry periods and recharged during wetter times. Along a stream, downstream water users depend in part on upstream return flows, and . conservation practiees can inerease water use effi- ciency to the. point where those downstream are severely hurt. The network for collecting and distributing weather information is well-developed and quite effective. During the 1976-77 drought, the regular media were supplemented by special series of drought update reports in the several states (often published by the state climatologist) and 01 regional summaries sueh as that published in the "Update of Western Drought Conditions" by the Western States Water Council. The system of aggregating and disseminating weather information proved both relisble and effective, and the only significant difficulties proved to be those of interpretation by the public in communities whose water supply was more resistant to immediate precipitation shortages. The system was more effective in describing average conditions over large areas than in presenting specific looal situations. 2. 7'lIe avail4bilit1l of fW'Ol/'fGmB for finandal aBBiBtallCe. The federal government and governments of most states responded to the drought with a number of programs for providing financial assistance to farmers, ranchers, and affected small businesses; helping communities find supplemental water; regula- ting grazing and recreational use of public lands; etc. The "Directory of Federal Drought Assistance 1977" was used by several ststes to coordinate their activities with those of many active federal agencies. Special interagency drought coordinating committees were formed in most states, and the Western States Water Council and the Western Regional Drought Action Task Force of 21 member states were effective in coordinating activities and exchanging ideas on program effectiveness. 3. [thas and ezp8rUmces on how user. might make aVGi/ab/e water 1IlIpp!ie. go further; how IIlIpplier. might obtain more water, reduce their 2