Obama administration launches all-out push on water
Gregory Korte and Ian James
USA TODAY
December 15, 2015
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration launched an ambitious water conservation strategy Tuesday, saying it’s critical for the country to better manage water supplies that are under increasing pressures due to climate change.
“Water is a huge challenge in this country, and I think we all know that,” Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said Tuesday at a meeting at the White House. “It’s important we have all hands on deck.”
The strategy focuses on technological advances and private-sector investment to rebuild water projects like reservoirs, manage water rights through exchanges, and find new technologies to recycle and conserve water.
At a White House event on water innovation Tuesday, Jewell announced a new Natural Resource Investment Center to help coordinate research and investment on water conservation and water rights management. She also announced a Water Summit to be held at the White House on March 22.
Groundwater levels have been declining in many areas across the country. In an analysis of U.S. Geological Survey data published this month, USA TODAY and The Desert Sun found that water levels have declined in 64% of the wells included in the government database during the past two decades. The average decline among decreasing wells has been more than 10 feet, and in some areas the water table has dropped more than 100 feet since 1995.
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