1. Communicating drought
John Fleck, University of New Mexico Water Resources Program director
Author, Water is For Fighting Over: And Other Myths About Water in the West
CRWUA, December, 2016

2. University of New Mexico Water Resources Program
Key points
“Drought” is no one thing
In communicating about “drought”, you need to be clear about who your audience is
University of New Mexico Water Resources Program

3. University of New Mexico Water Resources Program
Drought in America – the weekly Drought Monitor
University of New Mexico Water Resources Program

4. University of New Mexico Water Resources Program
“Severe drought” in Southern Nevada – August 2004
University of New Mexico Water Resources Program

5. University of New Mexico Water Resources Program
A summer with little rain
University of New Mexico Water Resources Program

6. University of New Mexico Water Resources Program
In the five years prior to the summer of 2004
Las Vegas precipitation was normal
Lake Mead dropped 80 feet.
University of New Mexico Water Resources Program

7. University of New Mexico Water Resources Program
A definition of drought:
“Insufficient water to meet needs.”
Kelly Redmond, Deputy Director,
Western Regional Climate Center
University of New Mexico Water Resources Program

8. University of New Mexico Water Resources Program
Kinds of drought
Meteorological drought
Agricultural drought
Hydrologic drought
Socioeconomic drought
University of New Mexico Water Resources Program

9. University of New Mexico Water Resources Program
In the Colorado River Basin, the geography of drought matters
University of New Mexico Water Resources Program

10. University of New Mexico Water Resources Program
Who are we trying to communicate with?
water users
decision makers
the “general public”
Channels
old media
direct (bill stuffers, advertising)
new media
University of New Mexico Water Resources Program

11. University of New Mexico Water Resources Program
@UNMwater
University of New Mexico Water Resources Program

12. University of New Mexico Water Resources Program
Make your critical information easy to find
MWD:
University of New Mexico Water Resources Program

13. University of New Mexico Water Resources Program
Repetition
University of New Mexico Water Resources Program

14. University of New Mexico Water Resources Program
Q: What’s the word for the opposite of “drought”?
University of New Mexico Water Resources Program

15. University of New Mexico Water Resources Program
Q: What’s the word for the opposite of “drought”?
A: “Pluvial”
But when was the last time you heard someone say that?
University of New Mexico Water Resources Program

16. University of New Mexico Water Resources Program
“And it never failed that during the dry years the people forgot about the rich years, and during the wet years they lost all memory of the dry years. It was always that way.”
University of New Mexico Water Resources Program

17. University of New Mexico Water Resources Program
Shameless book plug
(mentions “drought” 43 times, an average of once every 5 pages)
University of New Mexico Water Resources Program

18. University of New Mexico Water Resources Program
Thanks to Island Press and the University of New Mexico
@UNMwater
@jfleck
University of New Mexico Water Resources Program