Drought Awareness
It is especially important to be concerned about your area's water supplies during times of drought. This is when your available water sources are most stressed. How has your city or home prepared for drought?

Is Your Region or City Experiencing Drought?
Is your region or city experiencing a drought? The U.S. Drought Monitor identifies which areas of the United States are experiencing drought conditions and how severe they are. Check out the map to see if your area is experiencing drought. The Climatic Prediction Center also has a website that shows where drought is likely to occur in the near future. People should know what the outlook is for their area so that they can prepare for drought.

Does Your City Have a Drought Plan?
Many cities have drought response plans. One example is the city of Lincoln, Nebraska. This city has a plan that outlines actions that the city government and its citizens should take during drought conditions. For example, citizens are expected to reduce their water usage, depending on the severity of the drought. Everyone has a responsibility to help plan for and respond to drought. Check with your city water department to find out how they are planning for drought. They may have a plan that shows the steps that they are taking, and what you and your parents can be doing.

Links to some city water plans:
Lincoln Water Usage and Restrictions

Boulder Drought Response Information

New York City's Drought Management Plan

Do Your Own Drought Research
Some students have made their own drought websites. You can do the same thing to describe drought, especially in your region. You can also point out projects to your teachers that they can use in the classroom to help others learn about drought.

Links to drought pages by students:
What's a Drought?, from the Think Quest website

Droughts, from the Grade 7 Natural Disasters Project of Germantown Elementary School (Illinois)

Drought Resources for Teachers
WaterWiser's educational section has a database of water conservation education programs in the United States, and links to other education websites.

Water Share, from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, has two interactive educational programs (WaterLearn and WaterWise Gardens).

Thirsty for Drought Relief, from the New York Times Learning Network, allows students to make drought response decisions.

Environment Canada's Informational Resources and Services has a number of resources, including a Resource Kit (intended for educators in Nova Scotia, but still useful for other areas) designed to explore the way people interact with water; Primer on Freshwater: Questions and Answers; Let's Not Take Water for Granted—A Resource Guide; and Water Fact Sheets. These publications are intended primarily for Canadian audiences, but much of the material is relevant to other parts of North America.

The Water Education Foundation has many educational materials for sale.

USGS has links to other educational sites.

National Environmental Services Center, National Drinking Water Clearinghouse, has many links to educational resources.

The California Department of Water Resources' Water Education page

Water conservation education sources for teachers, from the city of Phoenix

Other Links
USGS's Water Science for Schools has LOTS of information about all kinds of water-related issues, and activities as well.

Dragonfly's water section has everything from making a model water cycle to learning about pollution and wastewater.

EPA Drinking Water for Kids has online games and other activities related to water issues.

The watershed game introduces you to watersheds and the problems and challenges associated with managing them.

Water in the City has lots of links and information on Philadelphia water ways and other cities' water ways.