The U.S. EPA Water Security Division has released its Drought Response and Recovery Guide to assist a large number of water utilities affected by droughts nationwide. With changing climate and shifting weather patterns, these drought impacts are likely to continue for years to come. The Drought Guide is designed to assist small to medium-sized water utilities with responding to drought. It includes best practices and customizable worksheets, focuses on short-term and emergency drought mitigation actions that also build long-term resilience to drought. Accompanying the guide is an interactive Drought Case Study Map, a multimedia geoplatform website documenting, in both video and written form, the unique stories of seven utilities in California, Texas, Georgia, New Mexico, Kansas, and Oklahoma which have responded successfully to extreme drought conditions.  The Case Studies Map GeoPlatform also features three  videos describing how utilities addressed specific drought challenges, including reducing customer demand, managing water supplies, and partnerships. EPA.

November 1, 2017 Update

EPA’s Drought Guide has been updated to include a template that guides users through the process of creating a plan. Two new case studies are currently being added to the GeoPlatform and should be viewable by the end of the year.