AWWA SOURCES59216

Every year there are water shortages that affect multiple regions of the U.S. Every year there are more water agencies that enact ordinances to restrict water for landscapes. From 2000-2003 the trouble spots included Texas, New Mexico, Georgia and the southeast, Oregon, Colorado, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, the Carolinas, Delaware, Virginia and Florida. California experiences consistent drought cycles. Water shortages continue to expand, not only with drought, but also due to population growth that exceeds the water supply infrastructure in virtually every region of the country. The policies and actions of water providers significantly impact every aspect of the landscape industry, from growers, to garden centers to landscape contractors. The impacts are felt far and wide in terms of lost jobs and economic decline. The hardships are real and felt regionally, in local communities and in the families of those who work in the green industry. This paper outlines a plan for state and local landscape associations, or any segment of the landscape industry, to prepare for local water supply shortages and drought before it happens. The plan also offers what to do when drought or water shortage hits. The proposal is intended to provide state landscape association(s) with a specific drought preparedness action plan.