Water scarcity and drought conditions are no stranger to the U.S. West, but the drought in 2021 has the greatest severity seen in a decade and the dry conditions have led to record high temperatures as far north as Seattle, Washington. With increased dry conditions are increased scares of wildfires, just one more thing to stress already stressed water resources.
Tricia Anklan is director, energy and utilities for West Monroe, and shares her expertise and insights into the drought in California and the U.S. West. She discusses all the factors that have contributed to water scarcity in the west, how limited water resources are changing utility and public perspectives on water and what water-rich communities in the east can learn from the drought.
- Intro: (0:00)
- The status of the drought in the U.S. West: (0:41)
- Contributing factors to water scarcity in California: (1:16)
- Water rights laws and the Colorado River Basin: (2:23)
- Drought, wildfires and increased stress on water resources: (2:55)
- Changing utility perspectives on water resources: (3:43)
- Utilities look to infrastructure project for water supply diversification: (5:39)
- Changes in public perception on water resources: (7:40)
- Drought tolerant plants in landscaping: (9:21)
- California efforts for stormwater catchment and stormwater management: (10:19)
- What water-rich communities can learn from the drought in the West: (11:05)
- One water and collaborative stewardship of water resources: (13:25)
- What’s next for water utilities as they push through the drought?: (14:29)
- Outro: (16:02)
Additional Resources
- Watch last week’s video: https://www.wwdmag.com/videos/nacwa-talks-congress-funding-affordability-wwd-weekly-digest
- Read the latest headlines about the Western Water Crisis: https://www.wwdmag.com/day-zero/western-water-crisis-drought-water-scarcity-water-resources-us-west
- Learn more about West Monroe: https://www.westmonroe.com/
- Watch a video on the Albany Park Stormwater Diversion Tunnel: https://www.estormwater.com/videos/tunnel-vision
- Read about the Thornton Reservoir: https://www.wwdmag.com/sewer-overflows/protecting-chicago-reservoirs
- View the WWD Weekly Digest playlist: bit.ly/wwdweeklydigest
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