According to a story I heard on NPR the other day, farmers in the SW - those using the Lake Mead - have already been told to reduce their water consumption by 25%.
Allegedly, due to climate change, even an "average" snowfall year is no longer enough to maintain the lakes and resevoirs needed for irrigation.
And there were already scientific studies a couple years ago, that (mainly) farmers were taking too much water from the underground aquifers.
Americans continue to fail to head warnings that resources are not unlimited, nor plan for the health/safety of future generations.
How is it going in your state m'dear waterwise? No sweat right? You get lots of rain every year right? Thank you for your reply Walt and Happy Friday to thee and thine! :)
It would depend on which part of the state you are in. It's jokingly called The Pacific NorthWET ... but that really only applies to west of the Cascade/Coastal Range. East of that is high desert, and is much more dry during the summers.
Around here it already IS mandatory that we reduce our water consumption by 25%. Water prices were increased by 25% (more if you go over the 25%). We have mandatory outside watering schedules as well. NO outside watering is allowed on Sundays, while the other 6 days are dependant on your address. The motto - "Brown is the new green".
Abroad, Aghanistan is presently stealing the headlines so we're not hearing so much about what's happening anywhere else, though in Britain we still hear or read some reports of the droughts and forest fires in various countries.