WATER POLITICS

After the hottest September on record, about one-third of the United States is experiencing drought conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The conditions have persisted for 11 weeks straight.

Higher-than-average temperatures and reduced rainfall have expanded the drought’s footprint across the U.S. since the start of the summer, posing serious problems for agriculture and potentially endangering access to drinking water in many parts of the country.

Recent rainfall in parts of the Northwest and Upper Midwest have eased drought conditions in those regions, but the situation continues to worsen elsewhere. The South and Southwest are especially dry, along with the Central Plains and parts of Appalachia.

Most of Louisiana is experiencing an exceptional drought, the Monitor’s most extreme designation. Combined with record-low water levels in the Mississippi, officials are worried that the conditions will fuel a “saltwater wedge” to travel up the river, potentially imperiling drinking water in New Orleans and elsewhere along the delta.

The Drought Monitor predicts that over the next three months, drought conditions will largely persist, with full relief coming to only 4.9% of currently impacted areas.