West’s water troubles getting worse, officials say

Entering the sixth year of a record dry spell in much of the western United States is bad enough. But what really worries the head of the federal agency that delivers water to more than 30 million people and 10 million acres of farmland is what happens when the region’s precipitation returns to normal.

“The biggest fear we have is that when this drought breaks and leaves, we are still short of water,” John Keys, commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, said Tuesday at a gathering of western policy makers, scholars, environmentalists and industry representatives.

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