Description
From the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean, the western United States has been suffering through drought for much of the last 20 years, with some data indicating these are the driest conditions for the region in the last 1,200 years. Feedbacks due to human-induced climate change and natural weather cycles such as El Niño/La Niña complicate our ability to understand of the causes of the ongoing ‘mega-drought’, and challenge our ability to predict future conditions. At the same time, many of the cities in these regions have experienced rapid growth, and development of reliable water supplies is becoming even more critical. In this class, we will discuss the basics of water, the different processes and policies that have influenced the history of water development in the Southwest, and some of the difficult choices that will need to be made in the future to address this ongoing water crisis.
