Coping with Climate Change
We are entering a period of increased
climatic variability. At the same time our
demands for surface and groundwater are
increasing, the quality and quantity of
this resource is decreasing. Groundwater
levels continue to drop, perennial streams
go seasonally dry, wet meadows transform
into sagebrush-dominated systems in
the West, and large floods appear to be
increasing. Too often the response has
been to build more reservoirs, or build
more and higher levees along rivers,
further confining them. These activities
may give us greater control over the
short-term but little else. Reservoirs
provide little habitat or groundwater
storage compared to natural wetlands.
Reservoirs often serve only a very few
people at the expense of many species
and communities. Confined rivers do
not recharge water tables or develop
complex habitats. Instead, they increase
downstream flooding by severing the
connection between the river and its
floodplain – so there is nowhere to
temporarily store water.