The Federal Role in Water Supply Planning

Drought is historically persistent and widespread in the United States and the federal government's role in addressing it is insufficient. According to the National Climatic Data Center, in any given year approximately 10% of the area of the United States experiences severe or extreme drought. It has also become increasingly problematic in the United States; not necessarily because of increased duration or magnitude, although these may be factors, but because of increasing demand. Over the last 50 years the amount of public water withdrawals has, on average, increased about 26% per decade. While the rate of withdrawal has slowed in recent years, it is still increasing at about 1% per year. It has been estimated that drought costs the United States approximately 6-8 billion dollars yearly. Drought planning, management, and mitigation demands attention. Traditionally, the United States federal government's role in domestic, industrial, and agricultural water supply management is regulatory through programs such as the Clean Water Act and Endangered Species Act, and has tended to hamper planning. As the demand for, and shortage of, municipal water supply becomes more acute, the federal role has at best remained neutral and at worst become unfriendly to water supply planning. This lack of leadership has tended to exacerbate an increasingly critical situation.