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Water
Adaptation
Techniques
Atlas


The Water Adaptation Techniques Atlas (WATA) compiles information about responses to water scarcity in the southwestern U.S., presented in the form of case studies. Each case is pinned to a geographic location where the action takes place. To get started, click on a case in the map or use the filter or search tools, above. Please submit suggestions and comments about this tool here.


As the effects of climate change coupled with economic and population growth put increasing strain on water resources in the Southwest, what can be done to adapt? WATA is a resource that helps provide answers to that question. Adaptation to aridity has always been a necessity in the Southwest and the current patterns of growth and development in the region would not have been possible without monumental adaptation. As changing conditions challenge the assumptions upon which the dams and canals of the past century were constructed, new efforts are taking shape at multiple scales to cope with water scarcity. WATA seeks to document these efforts, whether they are concerned with reducing water use, increasing water supply, or changing the way water flows through the landscape.

Solutions to water scarcity, however, are rarely straightforward success stories. Securing a new water supply for one region, for example, may deprive others of that same flow. Some solutions for creating new supplies – like large-scale desalination - come with high costs, both economic and environmental. Novel crops may be able to withstand hot, dry conditions better than those currently in vogue, but farmers might be hesitant to take on a risky investment. And when a solution is successful – and its harm or impact at other scales is minimized – it may not always be appropriate for different environmental or social conditions. Each case in WATA provides information about a given solution, as well information that will help users critically evaluate these practices.

How to Use WATA

When a case is selected, its associated information will appear in this window. The “Zoom to Feature” button will take you to its location. Switching to satellite view (“change basemap” button, above right) along with the notes in “pin location” will help interpret the site. The description for each case provides relevant information, along with hyperlinked references to conduct further research.

To find the cases of interest to you, use the search or filter tools. The search bar will return results across all fields, while the filter is useful for finding a particular type of activity. Each case is tagged with categories – the first tag determines the display color (see legend), but secondary tags will also return results when using the filter. Detailed information about each category is contained in the info buttons in the filter tool. Briefly, the main categories into which cases are organized are:

  • Crop Choice and Rotation – this includes alternative low water-use crops, adjustments to crop rotations, or managed fallowing of farmland.
  • Irrigation Technology and Timing – includes information on use of sprinkler and drip systems, deficit irrigation, and ways to adjust timing of water delivery.
  • Novel Production Systems – focused on agricultural practices that may use water more efficiently than conventional field systems, including greenhouse and indoor production, and integrating aquaculture and plant crops.
  • Reservoir and Aquifer Storage – ways of adjusting water systems to store more water and buffer against scarcity.
  • Water Use Regulation – policies that mandate or incentivize reductions in water use or restrict new uses.
  • New Supply – techniques for securing “new” water for a given user or set of users, which range from building reservoirs and canals to pumping more or deeper groundwater, to desalination, weather modification, and re-use of wastewater.
  • Reduced Evapotranspiration – this category includes techniques that conserve soil moisture or reduce crop water use (such as mulching), as well as landscape-scale efforts to remove vegetation seen as “thirsty.”
  • Market-based solutions – ways of re-allocating water from one user to another through an economic transaction, such as a paid fallowing program or water bank.
  • Climate/Weather Decision Support – this includes drought planning and decision-support tools that use climate and weather data to aid resource managers in conserving scarce water resources.
  • Water for Environment – since the environment has often been overlooked in allocating water in the West, this category highlights efforts to direct water flows to ecosystems in the face of increasing scarcity. This includes efforts to conserve, restore, or create novel riverine and riparian habitats, as well as techniques for restoring desert and grassland restoration with limited water availability.

The filter tool provides several additional options for sorting cases, including:

  • User Type – identifies who is involved in using or managing water in each case. Options include agricultural producers (farmers and ranchers), irrigation organizations (irrigation districts or ditch associations), water supply system operators (i.e., organizations that manage reservoir systems), Indian Tribes, and federal land management agencies.
  • Use Type – macro-analyses of consumptive water use often break down allocation between agriculture, urban, and environment. We follow this convention, though a few cases are tagged as industrial or “rural domestic.
  • Crop or Ecosystem – cases which concern the management of specific crops or ecosystems can be easily identified here.
  • Scale – cases are tagged with one of three scalar categories. Macro-scale projects involve multiple uses and users of water across a broad area such as an entire river basin or state. Micro-scale cases involve techniques relevant to an individual farm or ranch, or within one field. Meso-scale cases fall somewhere in between, operating at scales such as smaller watersheds, counties, or irrigation districts.

Additional information is included within each case, including identification of specific organizations and institutions involved (this field is called “Actors”). These are not available in the filter, but typing the name of an organization in the search bar will return matching results.

We welcome comments on any aspect of WATA, including – the way cases are organized or tagged, the user interface, the content of a specific case, or suggestions for what to include next. Please submit suggestions and comments about this tool here.

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in association with
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