Western U.S. gripped by 'megadrought' as cities and farmers vie for water rights - Entrepreneur Generations

"A vast region of the western United States, extending from California, Arizona and New Mexico north to Oregon and Idaho, is in the grips of the first climate change-induced megadrought observed in the past 1,200 years, a study shows. The finding means the phenomenon is no longer a threat for millions to worry about in the future, but is already here," Andrew Freedman and Darryl Fears report for The Washington Post. "The megadrought has emerged while thirsty, expanding cities are on a collision course with the water demands of farmers and with environmental interests, posing nightmare scenarios for water managers in fast-growing states."

The findings raise the stakes for the battle over who gets the rights to water once used by shuttering coal-fired power plants in Western states. "In Western states supported by the overallocated and drought-plagued Colorado River, these plants use a significant amount of the region’s scarce water supplies," Luke Runyon reports for The Daily Yonder.

from The Rural Blog https://ift.tt/2zpO1r7 Western U.S. gripped by 'megadrought' as cities and farmers vie for water rights - Entrepreneur Generations

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