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Many states across the United States are currently experiencing one of the worst droughts in American history. Some are even experiencing a "megadrought", meaning that they have been experiencing drought conditions for many years. Climate change also exacerbates drought conditions by increasing the average global temperature and causing irregular weather patterns. Westerns states such as California, Arizona, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, and Idaho are experiencing some of the most extreme effects. Drought is particularly devastating because it is slow coming but its effects are widespread.
For example, in Nevada, the drought has had disastrous impacts on Lake Mead, the largest water reservoir in the United States that currently provides water for over 20 million people across California, Nevada, Arizona, and some of Mexico. The reservoir is now at the lowest it has been since it was filled in 1937 and the situation is so extreme that the federal government is expected to declare an official Lake Mead shortage by the end of the summer. Drought can also negatively impact drinking water providers that rely on lakes because they can increase the number of algal blooms in freshwater. Algal blooms not only contain chemicals that are toxic to humans but large amounts of algae can also clog water filters and damage the water treatment process.
A total of 31 states are currently experiencing moderate to severe drought across the country. Research also shows that the drought has become progressively worse over the past few decades. The U.S. Drought Monitor website has a feature that allows you to monitor the level of drought happening in your area.
Like most natural disasters, rural and low-income communities are often hit the hardest by drought conditions because of their lack of access to resources and infrastructure. Rural farmers are also greatly impacted by drought because of the lack of water available for irrigation, making it very difficult to support themselves.
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Drought Impacts on Small Water Systems
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Increased drought conditions can result in:
- Loss of water pressure and supply
- Poor water quality
- Limited access to alternative water sources
- Increased customer demand
- Increased costs and reduced revenues
To avoid serious impacts from droughts, water utilities should:
- Conduct observation and monitoring
- Practice planning and preparedness
- Predict and forecast
- Maintain good communication and outreach with customers
- Use interdisciplinary research and applications
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Drought Impacts on Wildfires
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Drought can also lead to an increased risk of wildfires. Studies show that wildfires can continue to impact water utilities long after the fire is out. In addition to immediately impacting water quality, wildfires can also impact the availability and timing of water supplies in the future. Because of this, these disasters can also cause water utilities to have to relocate intakes, dredge reservoirs, or find new water sources.
Wildfires can affect drinking water treatment process performance by contaminating forested watersheds that serve as a drinking water source for communities. The U.S. EPA Wildfire Incident Action Checklist discusses various ways for a water or wastewater utility to prepare, respond, and recover from a wildfire.
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Resources for Drought Assessment and Resilience
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Droughts are a public health issue because they affect access to clean and safe drinking water. Practicing emergency response and preparedness is the best way to minimize severe impacts from drought.
Incident Action Checklist – Drought
This checklist from the U.S. EPA provides various ways for water and wastewater utilities to prepare for, respond to, and recover from a drought.
10 Ways to Prepare for a Drought Related Water Shortage
This resource from the Rural Community Assistance Partnership lists ten ways to prepare your small water system for water shortages.
Small Water Systems and Rural Communities Drought and Water Shortage Contingency Planning and Risk Assessment
This report can be used to help strengthen your water shortage vulnerability assessments and risk scoring.
Drought Contingency Plan for a Retail Public Water Supplier
This is a sample form that can be used as a model of a drought contingency plan for a retail public water supplier.
Drought Management Plan A Template for Small Water Systems
This document outlines mitigation measures that water managers can take to greatly minimize the effects of drought.
100 Water Saving Tips from “Water. Use it wisely.”
Communicate some of these water-saving tips to your customers to help them conserve water during a drought.
You can find thousands of additional helpful resources in our database.
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Featured Video: The Town Trying to Pump Billions of Gallons of Water to Their Desert Community
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This video highlights various perspectives from different actors involved in the water shortage issue happening in Washington County, Utah.
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“Hoping for the best, prepared for the worst, and unsurprised by anything in between.”
- Maya Angelou
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Drought.gov Water Supply Tool
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This Water Supply tool was developed by the National Integrated Drought Information System and can be used to depict streamflow conditions compared to historical streamflow conditions for any day of the year.
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Drought Preparedness Plans Part 2
Hosted by Arizona Water Association
July 28th, 2021 at 9:00 AM Central Standard Time
If you are a provider currently working on your plan, considering revising your existing one, or building one for the first time, then this workshop is for you. Part 1 covered creating a DPP while in Part 2 we will discuss implementation stages in DPPs.
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Want to find additional training opportunities for operators,
including events in your area?
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Groundwater & Well Care for Public Water Systems is a free online course from WaterOperator.org. Certificates are provided and the course is currently pre-approved for 2 hours continuing education credit in a number of states.
Click here to learn more.
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 WaterOperator.org is a free service, grant-funded to support small community water and wastewater operators with comprehensive resources and information in one easy-to-use place. We also serve the 800+ training, primacy, and technical service organizations, by helping operators get to their information. We aren't buying, selling, or advertising anything. You can call us at 1-866-522-2681 if you need assistance. |
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