www.newsdeeply.com/water/articles/2018/01/08/outlook-2018-the-biggest-water-topics-in-the-west-this-yearThe water discussions for this year will cover a wide range of topics from the water content of the snowpack to wildfires and forest health. The snow accumulation average is about a quarter of what it was at this time last year, but it's still too soon to tell if 2018 will be recorded as dry. Past years have gone from drought to flood fairly quickly, and these dry and wet years per average year is what helps accelerate policy changes. As far as the forest discussions go, they will likely attempt to answer the question of how we scale around funding for forest restoration after wildfires. We have a long ways to go with that one. Water infrastructure in California, keeping conveyance and storage in mind, will be another major topic this year. The plan to build new water conveyance around the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, Waterfix, as well as how to allocate money from the 2014 water bond for water storage projects will likely be at the forefront. Plans for a California dam could be in our future. There will also be key negotiations between the western states and borders such as the renegotiation between the U.S. and Canada of a fifty+ year old treaty over the Columbia River. In California, there will likely be continued focus on funding safe drinking water for low-income communities who are suffering. Other states will be discussing similar topics as well .
Water is extremely crucial to life in every form. As the climate changes and the amount of water that is accumulated through natural occurrences begins to dwindle, the discussion over water needs to increase. How will we adapt to the changes, the absence of substantial snowpack during this time of year? How will we be able to make improvements regarding infrastructure throughout the west in order to better adapt? If these hot topics aren't discussed,, we could be in deep trouble.
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