Assessing Water Resource Issues in the US Pacific North West Region

Abstract

In a country where ground water ranks highly as one of the nation’s most important natural resources, water stands out as a strategic item in the US West. For that, agricultural, commercial and urban communities require water for their yearly operations. Even though, groundwater serves cities and rural areas, it sustains irrigation and industries. The present levels of ground water deposit are not only at risk of over use and degradation, but in the past several years, the Western region continues to experience depletion of some of its major sources with declines occurring faster than surface water amidst grave consequences. Furthermore, in some neighboring states, water depletion has reached a critical stage with mounting threats to communities. Because over pumping of ground water sources created declines in water tables, without access to regular information on water stress and usage, managers face uphill tasks tracking the risks involved. While this issue emanates from socio-economic and physical elements including climate, the literature is sketchy on a comprehensive regional analysis. To fill that void in the literature, the paper assesses water resource issues in the US Western region using mix-scale techniques of GIS and descriptive statistics. With emphasis on the issues, water use trends, factors, impacts and efforts. While the results point to changes in water use, widespread depletion and visible impacts due to socio-economic indicators, policy and natural forces. The GIS mapping of the trends reveals the pressures to water security from various stressors (drought, depletion and the encroachment of urbanization and water intense farms) across the region. The Suggestions for mitigation ranged from the need for monitoring, sustainable use, GIS analysis, and effective policy to a regional water information system.