Drought and Water‐Supply Management: Roles and Responsibilities

Abstract

Managing drought during the 1980s taught that it is essential to define the roles of local, state, and federal governments. Roles are still being worked out, especially in the cross‐cutting areas of planning and coordination. Local government, on the firing line, faces questions about levels of risk and drought response plans. State government has five roles: planning, coordination, data and technical assistance, emergency aid, and regulatory actions (mainly restricting water use). The federal government has roles in operation of federal reservoirs, in coordination, and in data management. Gaining appreciation for the complexity of drought and for the need for coordinated action requires further improvement. The solution to drought problems in better water resources management through a continuing process, not a prescription to be abandoned when a drought is over. The nation is still looking for the correct allocation of roles in this process. Lessons learned from recent droughts can improve the process.