WaterSMART Drought Response Program

Through the Drought Response Program, Reclamation provides cost-shared financial assistance to entities in the 17 western United States with power or water delivery authority for developing a new or updating an existing drought contingency plan (DCP). A DCP addresses the following elements: 1. Drought Monitoring. – The plan must establish a process for monitoring near and long-term water availability, and a framework for predicting the probability of future droughts or confirming an existing drought. 2. Vulnerability Assessment. – The plan must include a vulnerability assessment evaluating the risks and impacts of drought. 3. Mitigation Actions. – The plan must identify, evaluate, and prioritize mitigation actions and activities that will build long-term resiliency to drought and that will mitigate the risks posed by drought. 4. Response Actions. – The plan must identify, evaluate, and prioritize response actions and activities that can be implemented during a drought to mitigate the impacts. 5. Operational and Administrative Framework. – An operational and administrative framework must be developed to identify who is responsible for undertaking the actions necessary to implement each element of the plan, including communicating with the public about those actions. 6. Plan Development and Update Process. – The plan must describe the process that was undertaken to develop the plan, including how stakeholders were engaged and how input was considered. In addition, the plan must also include a process and schedule for monitoring, evaluating, and updating the drought contingency plan.