Drought Roadmap Presented to Congress

In September 2006, drought scholars and policy makers gathered for the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America, “Managing Drought and Water Scarcity in Vulnerable Environments.”

In July 2007, the conference organizers presented their collective findings and recommendations to Congress in the form of “Managing Drought: A Roadmap for Change in the United States,” as well as an accompanying fact sheet. Both are on-line at the GSA’s site.

The findings contained in the Roadmap document and summarized in the fact sheet were presented in briefings sponsored by the GSA to the Congressional Hazards Caucus on July 18, 2007.  Those briefings were moderated by Dr. Gene Whitney, Assistant Director for Environment, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.  Dr. Jack Hess, executive director of the Geological Society of America, made introductory remarks describing the need for better approaches to managing drought.  Dr. Donald A. Wilhite, founder of the NMDC, presented the findings of the conference.  David Witter, Director of Environmental Compliance and Water Policy, El Dorado Water District, California, described how the El Dorado Water District has developed and implemented drought management planning into its operations. 

There were many thoughtful questions from staffers attending both Senate and House briefings covering a wide range of drought-related issues from saline ground-water intrusion to the contribution of ground-water in drought planning.  The power point presentations as well as some photos of the briefing are available on the Hazards Caucus Alliance web site at http://www.hazardscaucus.org/briefings/drought_briefing0707.html

Back to DroughtScape Fall 2007