News

MO drought mitigation plan gets a revamp

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources is updating the state’s drought mitigation response plan after 20 years. The update was in the works prior to the 2022 drought. DNR’s Michael Weller says the update describes different droughts, impacts and addresses resiliency.

“It offers region-specific drought mitigation response actions and incorporates lessons learned from past droughts.”

State leaders follow this plan to respond to the drought. Weller says the plan looks at how to reduce drought impacts, adapt to the changing climate and improve monitoring capabilities. It does not address the impacts of water navigation.

“Impacts to navigation are often caused by drought outside of Missouri. We don’t have much control of drought at all or the actions we take to migitate it outside of the state.”

There will be a 30-day comment period to review the plan before being finalized in spring 2023. Weller says the plan will continue to be updated periodically. An overview of the plan was provided during the December Missouri Drought Assessment Committee meeting.