UTILIZING SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FOR WATER PLANNING AND DROUGHT RESILIENCY IN NEVADA

Given that Nevada’s average annual precipitation was 10.3 inches between 1901 and 2000, making it the driest state in the nation, effective water resource management is vital to Nevada’s future. Science and technology are important in supporting the Nevada Division of Water Resources’ (NDWR) mission to conserve, protect, manage, and enhance the State's water resources for Nevada's citizens through the appropriation and reallocation of the public waters. NDWR’s Water Planning and Drought Resiliency section, a relatively new program, has been learning which tools and resources are useful in supporting its work. Collaborating with federal, state, and local partner agencies, along with research/academic institutions, has assisted the section with finding and utilizing some of these resources to improve drought response and mitigation, as well as update the state water plan. Section staff have been utilizing, creating, and exploring tools with GIS technology, remote sensing, weather and climate data, water use data, water level data, drought intensity, groundwater modeling, and more cross-discipline data, information, and technology.