Drought Management

Drought can cause great damage in terms of human suffering, economic loss, and environmental impact. Drought can affect every region of the country and every sector of the economy. The total economic impact to agriculture, energy, transportation and recreation/tourism associated with the 1988 drought in the Midwest and parts of the Southeast was estimated at nearly $40 billion. The nature of drought, and governmental response to it, is aptly summarized in the legislative record of the National Drought Policy Act of 1998:

  
	In many respects, drought presents one of the most challenging
	dilemmas for policy makers, managers and citizens.  It can be both
	pervasive and covert, moving slowly yet steadily into an entire region.
	This "creeping phenomenon" also differs from other natural hazards,
	such as tornadoes or flash floods, in that it lacks any precise or
	universally accepted definition, seldom results in structural damage,
	and can linger for lengthy periods of time in affected areas.  The result
	is that, compared to other disasters, drought often receives minimal
	attention in advance or uncoordinated, delayed responses.  Drought,
	like other types of disasters, tends to prompt a crisis management,
	rather than risk management approach.

Planning for drought to mitigate its effects allows decision-makers to take actions that reduce the most damage at the least cost. States, Tribes, farmers, ranchers, municipal water suppliers, and water users should develop a contingency plan that includes short and long-term mitigation actions. This web site contains drought management information and links to other sites that will help prepare for drought.

Drought Planning

States, Tribal, regional and local governments and major water users should develop drought contingency plans which emphasize preparedness, coordination, risk management and mitigation measures. Drought planning information is available from the National Drought Mitigation Center, as well as the Western Drought Coordination Council , and the National Drought Policy Commission.

Water Efficiency Measures

Efficient use of water, through behavioral, operational, or equipment changes, and practiced broadly in farm and rangeland, municipalities, and rural areas can help mitigate the effects of drought. Water efficiency measures by sector are presented below. These measures will be most effective in mitigating drought impacts if implemented in advance of a drought on a long-term basis. This list of measures is not meant to be comprehensive; additional measures can be found on some of the web links in the following section.

	a.	Agricultural Districts
	b.	Municipal
	c.	Commercial
	d.	Industrial
	e.	Residential
	f.	Landscaping	

A Few Great Links

Provides additional links to a few of the many sites that address drought planning and management.

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