Water Policy is No Longer a Luxury for the United States; Water Resources IMPACT Magazine Explains Why in January issue
Middleburg, VA (PRWEB) February 11, 2014 -- In celebration of its 50th anniversary, the American Water Resources Association (AWRA) is offering free downloads of the January issue of Water Resources IMPACT Magazine featuring articles on The Future of Water Resources in the United States.
“Water policy is no longer a luxury for the United States; we cannot continue the theatrical spectacle in which academics and water professionals bemoan our lack of progress to be met by the stony silence of political leaders,” writes Denise Fort, Environmental Lawyer and Research Professor of Law, University of New Mexico.
With cries of a looming U.S. water crisis grabbing headlines daily, Fort gets right to the point in her article ‘The Future is Here: The Nation Can No Longer Avoid Its Water Challenges.’ While her fellow authors may not be so blunt, they don’t disagree.
“The challenge is to move governments away from simply responding to crises to a more proactive approach that identifies the populations, sectors, and regions most at risk and targets programs to those areas with the goal of reducing the risk,” writes Donald A. Wilhite, Founder, National Drought Mitigation Center, University of Nebraska, in his article ‘Changing the Paradigm for Drought Management: Can We Break the Hydro-Illogical Cycle?’
Already being lauded for its integrated approach and national relevance, the January 2014 issue of Water Resources IMPACT addresses many of the challenges currently facing U.S. water resources managers, including climate change, population shifts, drought, flooding, law, infrastructure, contaminants, agricultural use and economics.
"Nineteen prominent non-federal water resources professionals from across the United States...were invited to provide essays," writes Richard Engberg, Guest Editor, in his introduction of the issue. "These writers responded with a remarkable group of essays [that] contain much food for thought, and I believe they will influence the course of water resources over the rest of the first half of the 21st century."
While approaching water resources management issues from vastly different backgrounds and with varied approaches, all seem to, again, come to the conclusion reached by Fort in the final lines of her article, “We…actually seem to be in broad agreement about what good water policies are, perhaps with the luxury of so many out years to contemplate them. When policy makers are ready to engage, they will find a wealth of ideas awaiting them.”
We at AWRA agree, which is why we are providing this issue of Water Resources IMPACT as a free download for anyone with an interest in the successful management of our nation's water resources. Read it. Circulate it. Discuss it. Then, share your thoughts and ideas with us at #USWaterFuture.
About AWRA
In 2014 the American Water Resources Association (AWRA) will celebrate its 50th Anniversary. Since 1964, AWRA has been dedicated to the advancement of water resources management, research and education, as well as a balanced approach toward solving water resources challenges. AWRA’s membership is comprised of professionals who share a common interest in working and learning across a wide range of disciplines focused on water resources policy, practice and education. Visit AWRA.
Christine McCrehin, American Water Resources Association, http://www.awra.org, +1 (540) 687-8390, [email protected]
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