The Bureau of Reclamation recently launched a new online portal to provide information in real-time about drought conditions in the Western United States.
The Addressing Drought Across the West Web Portal is a science-based interactive platform designed to help the public understand drought conditions, as well as the government's efforts to mitigate drought impacts. The portal provides people with details of drought actions taken by the government with stakeholders and partners.
"Reclamation recognizes the 2021 water year is a historically difficult year for the 17 Western states and for Tribes, fisheries, wildlife, farmers and ranchers, and communities," Bureau of Reclamation Deputy Commissioner Camille Malimlim Touton said, in a press release. "We hope this tool will be a helpful resource for viewing real-time updates on drought conditions and learn more about what’s being done to combat this challenging drought situation. Users of this web portal will be able to explore data-driven mapping visualizations and delve into the new science and forecasting tools used to conduct water supply planning and optimization of water reservoir operations."
The Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture are co-chairing the Drought Relief Interagency Working Group, which is responsible for working in conjunction with state, local and Tribal governments to help communities suffering from drought, the bureau's website reported.
A combination of historically high temperatures and under-average precipitation levels have brought extreme drought conditions to the Western U.S., as well as below-average runoff and water supply.
Established in 1902, the Bureau of Reclamation is the largest water wholesaler and second-largest hydropower producer in the United States. With over 100 years of experience assisting communities to prepare and respond to drought, Reclamation is focused on mitigating the impacts of drought through a range of tools including new infrastructure and water supply projects, the bureau stated on its website. This increases drought resiliency and efficiency in delivery while simultaneously lowering the chances people have to rely on declining water sources.
"Reclamation is also collaborating with partners across the West on projects to improve water management through the development of science and technologies, improved modeling and forecasting tools, and long-term planning efforts to develop innovative strategies to address hydrologic changes," the bureau stated on its website.
To visit the Addressing Drought Across the West Portal, click here.
