Earthtalk

The 20th century explosion of cities and agriculture in the American southwest were based on a false sense of security provided by Hoover Dam and its promise of an abundant water supply.   Water planning was based on climate studies of the previous thirty years which turned out to be part of one of the three wettest centuries in the past 1300 years.  A deeper analysis would have shown that since at least 900 AD, mega droughts lasting for up to a century had been the norm rather than the exception.  This gross overestimation of future available water led to the current water crisis that may well plague the southwest for the foreseeable future, even without the impacts of climate change.

# posted by Rockdoc @ 2:26 PM