Water Supplies and Nationwide Drought of 1988

Findings of a survey about experiences managing public water supplies during the drought of 1988 are reported. Responses were obtained from 408 of the 501 large utilities in the United States to whom the questionnaire was sent. Although the news media correctly portrayed the drought of 1988 as being serious in some regions of the country, the fact that one‐half of all urban water utilities called for conservation revealed very widespread impacts. About one‐half of the utilities had ordinances or other written drought policies. Only 28% of the reporting utilities had a technicaal report, computer program, or some other form of technical support for triggering conservation. Managers were generally pleased with their decisions, but the existence of technical support increased their level of satisfaction.