Drought has become a severe problem in many parts of the world, including the United States. Several Western states are experiencing long-lasting "megadroughts," and many areas once served by abundant aquifers or flowing rivers are now looking for alternatives.
Missouri — which is suffering from drought — looks set to pass a bill that would close its borders to water exports, The Washington Post reports.
In the past, Missouri has been subject to riparian rights, the Post explains: The law that says that if you own the land, you own the water on it and can do what you want with it. But now there's a shocking amount of bipartisan support for a new bill to change that.
At the moment, about one-third of Missouri is experiencing drought conditions. It's still better off than states farther west, though, and both farmers and environmentalists have begun to worry that drier states such as Colorado, Arizona, and California might see the Mississippi River as the cure to their water problems. The idea of diverting the river has come up before, the Post reported.
"They're not being real responsible," state Rep. Jamie Burger said of Western states during discussions. "We feel like we need to be responsible in Missouri and protect what we have."
But with riparian rights in place, any landowner along the river's course could begin harvesting water to sell. Under the new bill, they would need a permit to sell it outside the state, the Post reveals. Other states, including Oklahoma, Iowa, and Nebraska, have similar measures in place.
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Unfortunately, these laws are a canary in the coal mine for the worsening droughts across the U.S., as areas that have never had to think about water scarcity are now staring it down. As temperatures rise worldwide, it's likely that dry areas will only get drier — and their options seem to be drying up, too.
But for Sen. Jason Bean and others in Missouri, this is a step toward self-preservation.
"It's a precious resource we have here in Missouri. We're all being good stewards of it," he said. "We want that for generations to come."
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