That ‘Drought’ in Southwest May Be Normal, Report Says

[YankeyMCC]

(snip)
The Colorado River Basin is more prone to drought than had been thought, a panel of experts reported yesterday, and as the climate warms and the population in the region grows, pressure on water supplies will become greater.
(snip)

(snip)
Instead, “there is going to have to be some kind of reallocation of who gets the water,” said Richard Seager, a climate expert at the Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory, who was not involved in the panel’s report.

Dr. Seager, who studies the drought history of North America, said that it was “silly” to put golf courses in the region’s desert areas and that hotels and other businesses were already installing water-conserving toilets and other fixtures. (My comment and emphasis: Gee Ya Think!)

But he added, referring to cattle and cotton raising, “Let’s think whether it makes sense to have all this subsidized agriculture in the region, people who aren’t even paying the full cost of the water they do use.”
(snip)

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/22/us/22river.html

It's a one page article but with some interesting comments, enough that it was difficult to choose which four paragraphs to snip. There is also a link to the report the article is based on. They didn't choose a very good headline IMO.

[Odin2005]

1. natural fluctuations + climate change = OH SHIT!!!