Understanding Your Risk and Impacts

 Impacts of Drought

 Environmental Impacts

Damage to animal species

• Reduction and degradation of fish and wildlife habitat
• Lack of feed and drinking water
• Greater mortality due to increased contact with agricultural producers, as animals seek food from farms and producers are less tolerant of the intrusion
• Disease
• Increased vulnerability to predation (from species concentrated near water)
• Migration and concentration (loss of wildlife in some areas and too many wildlife in other areas)
• Increased stress to endangered species
• Loss of biodiversity

Hydrological effects

• Lower water levels in reservoirs, lakes, and ponds
• Reduced flow from springs
• Reduced streamflow
• Loss of wetlands
• Estuarine impacts (e.g., changes in salinity levels)
• Increased groundwater depletion, land subsidence, reduced recharge
• Water quality effects (e.g., salt concentration, increased water temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, turbidity)

Damage to plant communities

• Loss of biodiversity
• Loss of trees from urban landscapes, shelterbelts, wooded conservation areas

Increased number and severity of fires
Wind and water erosion of soils, reduced soil quality
Air quality effects (e.g., dust, pollutants)
Visual and landscape quality (e.g., dust, vegetative cover, etc.)

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