The West is in the midst of a severe drought. Population growth and increasing demands for water coupled with prolonged drought conditions have presented significant challenges. Without the extensive water storage and delivery infrastructure put into place over the past decades, the ramifications of the current drought would be immense and far-reaching. While water levels in the reservoirs are low, the reservoirs are performing as they were designed to. Like a bank account, they are intended to store water from wet periods that can be withdrawn for use during dry ones. The drought’s impacts specific to various river basins vary somewhat, but overall precipitation levels and inflows have been significantly lower than normal for multiple years. Find Out More...