Heads out of the sand on water supply risks

Last month the Senate passed S. 22, the Omnibus Public Land Management Act. Buried in the depths of the lengthy bill is an important section called “Secure Water” which is intended to ensure that the nation understands and confronts the effects of climate change on water supply. It would require that the Department of Interior assess those impacts and develop strategies to deal with them. Recognizing that states and local entitities are primarily responsible for water allocation and supply, the bill also would authorize cost-sharing grants to states, Indian tribes, and water suppliers for improved water planning and management. As Margaret Clune Giblin of the Center for Progressive Reform explains, the data gathering and assessment S 22 would make possible would help fill what can only be described currently as yawning data chasms.

Bureau of Reclamation, data gaps, Omnibus Public Land Management Act, Water