Nevada Wraps Year-Long Drought Study

A group of water experts took a year to study the drought in Nevada. Last month, they handed over their recommendations in a 20-page report that could become a blueprint for drought policy in the state.

The eight-member Nevada Drought Forum, commissioned by Governor Brian Sandoval “included water, agriculture, climate and emergency management officials who gathered information in a series of public meetings over the past year,” the Associated Press recently reported.

At least 98 percent of the state is abnormally dry, with 65 percent facing severe drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Forum Chairman Leo Drozdoff, director of Nevada’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, weighed in on the timeframe for addressing the problem.

“I think there’s stuff in there that can be done fairly quickly, and a variety of stuff that is going to take a fair amount of planning and prioritization,” he said, per the news report.

In one of the most challenging recommendations, the report urged the state to streamline its water laws. “The forum wants incremental changes in Nevada law that strengthen the state water engineer’s ability to manage the state’s driest areas. Members want clarification in law that would preserve indoor water use even amid cutbacks in domestic well users’ outdoor watering,” the policy report said.

The report also recommended the state improve its data about drought-afflicted areas. “The state bases many of its water policy decisions on the U.S. Drought Monitor, a map that’s updated weekly to reflect conditions on the ground throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico. But Drought Forum members say there are gaps in the data. They recommend improving the map by developing a statewide monitoring network that uses a variety of information sources and makes real-time data centrally available,” the report said.

The experts also want to see more money devoted to drought relief. “Forum members noted that incentive and rebate programs can be effective at encouraging consumers to conserve, but they can be prohibitively expensive. The group wants state agencies to come up with budget proposals that could help pay for high-priority incentive programs,” the report said.

The report also recommended that the state improve its long-term planning efforts, do more to educate the public, and rework its warning systems. “Forum members recommend the state’s Drought Response Committee refine its warning system. Nevada issues Drought Alerts, Drought Warnings, a Governor Drought Declaration and a water emergency declaration, but the forum wants more clarity on the difference between them,” the report said.

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