Jason Smerdon

Oregon dry lakebedEmigrant Lake near Ashland, Oregon in October 2014. Current drought conditions have caused the lake to fall to less than 10 percent of its capacity.

The worst droughts in 1,000 years may be on the horizon for the American West

February 22, 2015Environment

Since 2011, California has been in the grip of one of the worst droughts in recent history. It’s shrinking water reserves, intensifying wildfires and, so far, costing farmers billions of dollars in agricultural losses. But all of that may be just a preview of what’s to come later this century.