WSP04710

• File Number: 8056
• Description: Drought Preparedness
• State: CO
• Basin: Statewide
• Date: 6/1/1997
• Author: Donald Wilhite
• Title: Improving Drought Management in the West
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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f)o's4~ !

Inregraring Droughl Management and Water Policy

to normal. Several States in the Southwest and southern Great Plains are
attempting to direct the interest in this past summer's crisis and direct it
toward a longer-term planning process.

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Many of the mitigative programs implemented by States during recent
droughts can be characterized as emergency or short-term actions taken to
alleviate the crisis at hand, although these actions can be successful,
especially if they are part of a preparedness or mitigation plan. Other
activities, such as legislative actions, drought plan development, and the
development of water conservation and other public awareness programs, are
considered actions with a longer-term vision, As States gain more experience
assessing and responding to drought, future actions will undoubtedly become
more timely and effective and less reactive. Viewed collectively, the
mitigative actions of States in response to recent drought conditions are
numerous, but most individual State actions were quite narrow, In the
future, State drought plans need to address a broader range of mitigative
actions, including provisions for expanding the level of intergovernmental
coordination. One of the goals of the NDMC is to facilitate this process.
Improved coordination will require a greater commitment by Federal agen-
cies to work together and with States to promote an integrated approach to
drought planning. Coordination at the Federal level will likely require the
establishment of an interagency task force, as recommended by the
U.S, Congressional OTA (1993).

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Integrating Drought Management and Water Policy

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In the United States, the Federal Government became the principal player in
the provision of drought relief during the 1930s in response to a drought that
was nearly nationwide in extent and coexisted with severe economic
conditions (Wilhite, 1983). Before the 1930s, assistance was provided
primarily by the private sector (e,g., churches, Red Cross), but the level of
assistance required during the 1930s far exceeded the response capacity of
this sector. The Federal Government has continued to be the principal
provider of drought assistance during subsequent drought events, most
notably the 1950s in the Southwest, southern plains, and Midwestern States;
the 1960s in the Northeast; the mid-1970s in the Midwest and Western
States; and the recent series of drought years beginning in 1986. More than
$7 billion in drought relief was provided by the Federal Government during
the period from 1974 to 1977 (Wilhite et aI., 1986); nearly $5 billion was
provided in 1988 (Riebsame et aI., 1991), Until recently, State Government

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