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Drought 2
Fri Sep 17, 2004
Listen in RealAudio 
Hi, I’m Bryan Yeaton for The Weather Notebook. Hydrologists say that, since 1999, the
West has been experiencing its worst drought in almost 500 years. States along the
Colorado River face ever increasing water shortages as the competition for resources
intensifies. Jeff Rice reports:
In the arid West, where rainfall is scarce, water mostly comes from streamflow and
irrigation. The largest source of this is the Colorado River which has been subdivided
and fought over throughout the last century.
DM: Who deserves water in the West?
Daniel McCool is a political science professor and the director of American West
Center at the University of Utah.
DM: It all boils down to politics.
McCool says the recent five-year drought is heightening the political debate, but he
argues that there's actually plenty of water.
DM: We don't have a water crisis in the West; we have a water policy crisis.
As Colorado River flows decline due to drought, major population centers in the West
like L.A., Phoenix and Las Vegas all brace for shortfalls and rationing. But the big cities
aren't the real water drains. 85% of the water used in the West goes to irrigation for
farming.
McCool says there's a case to be made that cities deserve a larger share. Especially
because economic gains from agriculture in the West are relatively low yield compared
to urban commerce. He uses his home state of Utah as an example.
DM: In Utah, agriculture uses between 80 to 85% of the water... Agriculture is 2% of the
economy of Utah.
McCool argues that in a time of shortage, policy makers need to take a hard look at
how water gets distributed. Farmers are likely to have their own opinions about that.
Jeff Rice reports from Boise, Idaho. The Weather Notebook is funded by Subaru of
America and the National Science Foundation.
Today's Links
Books by Daniel McCool:
http://www.ubs.utah.edu/faculty/mccool.htm
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