Western Agricultural Communities Need Water Conservation Strategies to Adapt to Future Shortages

Relying on water storage won’t be enough to make up for declines in future water availability under a changing climate, new study shows.

The Western U.S. is heavily reliant on mountain snowpacks and their gradual melt for water storage and supply, and climate change is expected to upend the reliability of this natural process. Many agricultural communities in this part of the country are examining ways to adapt to a future with less water, and new research shows that a focus on supplementing water supply by expanding reservoir capacity won’t be enough to avert future water crises.

Led by scientists at the Desert Research Institute (DRI), the study published June 11 in Earth’s Future. By identifying agricultural communities considered at-risk from looming changes in snowfall and snowmelt patterns, the researchers found that water conservation measures like changes in crop type and extent were more stable adaptive strategies than changes to reservoir capacity. By the end of the century, many areas could have less than half the water they have historically relied on to refill their reservoirs, but changing the types and extent of their crops could help by restoring an average of about 20% of reservoir capacity.

The research team included scientists with the diversity of expertise needed to capture the complexities of water systems while balancing concerns for locally focused adaptation. Beatrice Gordon, lead author of the study and sociohydrologist and postdoctoral researcher at DRI, says the research is needed to inform water management at the local level, where most decisions are made. Gordon herself grew up on a ranch in Wyoming, where she learned firsthand the challenges that face water-insecure communities – an experience that helped lead to her research focus on agriculture and water in the Western U.S.

Read more at Desert Research Institute

Photo Credit: ronymichaud via Pixabay