An Analysis of Water Management Strategies in Drought Prone Areas

There is an old adage in the West: “whiskey is for drinking; water is for fighting”. In the American West, as well as locales all over the globe, water scarcity is a subject rife with conflicts and emotion. Human beings approach drought in reactionary ways. Rather than plan for the eventuality of drought, societies enact drought policy or regulations well into, and not before experiencing drought conditions. Researchers have predicted that more than half of humanity will live in water-stressed areas in the near future. Understanding the significant role drought plays in water management and the costs of reactionary decision making can help stakeholders create proactive approaches to water allocation. This paper seeks to understand how drought affects water management strategies; how regulation is affected by drought conditions; how local agencies and state authorities interact to manage water resources in California; and how California water management compares to water management strategies employed in other drought prone areas of the globe.