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Dry Times in the West Means Trouble
States in the western United States are getting very dry. As the planet warms up, there is less snow and rain out there. In the winter, snow builds up in the mountains and stores the water. Now that it melts faster, there is less to last through the drier summers. At the same time, the population in states like Nevada, California, and Arizona is growing, which means there may be less water for more people.
One of the places these states along with Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, and New Mexico get water is the Colorado River. But in five years, there may not be enough water in the river to fill the growing needs.
Because of less rain and snow, lakes are shrinking too. Leaders like Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger are concerned about the future. New projects to build pipelines are being built to take water from other places.
The problem is there's not much extra water around! States are looking into other ways to handle the problem. Farmers might be paid to stop farming so the water for their crops can be used for drinking. A factory is being used to take salt out of ocean water and make it drinkable, too. Sadly, some states are already fighting over water in courts.
I'm Adelbert and that's what happened in weather this week!
Lots of states are finding it hard to get enough water. Let's locate them in this week's Pinpoint game!
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