Notes on Progressive National Water Policy

by JOHN LESHY

Water has long deeply resonated with Americans, especially in less humid parts of the country. Most do not regard it as just another commodity, or indeed as just another natural resource. Today our management and use of water face a fundamental challenge. Current patterns of water use, and the enormous infrastructure built to support them, are based on historic climate patterns as we have understood them, but a near-consensus among climatologists holds that our hydrologic future will not simply mimic the past. Parts of the nation are likely to see longer, steeper droughts and higher temperatures that could lead to more rain, less snow, earlier spring runoff, higher evaporation rates, and increased demand for water. Also, because of the historically tight connection between water and energy use, a carbon-sensitive energy policy will implicate water use, and vice versa.

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