Brenna Goth

The Republicazcentral.com

Representatives of Western states met Tuesday on issues surrounding drought.

Much of the western U.S. is under at least abnormally dry or moderate drought conditions.

Drought is difficult to forecast%2C meaning it%27s hard to know when current conditions will improve.

People were hesitant to use the term early on. But the "D-word," which is affecting much of the western U.S., was clearly the focus of a forum Tuesday for government, policy and industry representatives.

Drought.

States must plan for this "slow-motion disaster," Executive Director James Ogsbury said at the Western Governors' Association Drought Forum in Tempe.

The forum is the second of four workshops being held this year by the organization, a bipartisan group representing 19 states. The first drought forum, held last month in Oklahoma, featured drought's impact on the energy sector. Tuesday's workshop focused on effects on mining, manufacturing and industry.

Presenters gave insight into how Arizona deals with this uncertainty to attendees from water authorities and other agencies of several states.

Overall, water managers here are doing their jobs to reduce usage, conserve for the future and find ways to fill the gap between what the state has and what it will need, said keynote speaker Sandra Fabritz-Whitney.

"We refuse to run out of water" despite the long-term drought, added the former director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources.

Smart management means acting like "the drought is never over," said Charlie Ester, manager of water resource operations for the Salt River Project, which oversees reservoirs on the Salt and Verde rivers.

Demand is somewhat flat, he said, but supply isn't. Arizona's drought is going on two decades, with the reservoirs last full in 2010.

"You're planning for drought every single year and then, hey, you'll be surprised when there's a wet year," he said.

This advice applies to industry as well, said Bill Staudenmaier, a lawyer for Snell and Wilmer who focuses on water law.

"Drought is a constant," he said. "Nothing happens fast in water."

Arizona's water management by SRP, the Central Arizona Project and on the Colorado River have provided short-term security, said Fabritz-Whitney, who is now the director of water strategy for mining company Freeport-McMoRan.

But long-term solutions require partnerships throughout the state, among sectors and on tribal lands, she noted.

These groups can have differing needs.

Travis Brady, president and CEO of Nevada-based Brady Industries, said saving water on the 1 million pounds of laundry his company processes each day is mostly a matter of business survival. Nevada is one the states hardest hit by extreme drought.

Incentive policies are difficult to navigate, he said, and not everyone is motivated by protecting a precious resource.

"Sometimes there's the need for a reason other than they want to," he said.

The forum continues today. The association's remaining drought forums will be held in Sacramento and Las Vegas.