A drought that has started to plague some portions of central California seems likely to grow, and it may be close to permanent. The sources of the state’s water have become scarce enough that they cannot be easily replaced. Adjacent to California, Nevada has similar problems. At the other end of the spectrum, some states may have more water than they need or can use effectively.

The U.S. Census Bureau issues a report that its management calls “Geography: State Area Measurements.” The information contained in the report includes “total land area and water area of each state.” Just because part of a state has access to large amounts of water does not mean that every other part does. However, some states have unusually large areas covered by water, which means at least some part of those states is less likely to face shortages than states that have virtually none.

Only 0.7% of Nevada is covered by water. The U.S. average is 7.0%. Likely, whatever water Nevada has needs to be “imported” or taken from deep wells. Only 0.2% of New Mexico is covered by water. The “U.S. Drought Monitor” shows that much of New Mexico suffers from severe drought, or worse. Colorado has a similar drought problem. The area of the mountain state covered by water is 0.4%. Kansas has a drought problem as well. Only 0.6% of it is covered by water. Nebraska has similar water problems, as does Oklahoma.

At the other end of the “water map” by state, several post numbers of more than 15%. This does not guarantee they will never suffer from drought conditions, but at least plentiful amounts of water are close at hand. These states include Rhode Island, Michigan, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, Louisiana and Florida. Some of these states have suffered from drought problems. The “U.S. Drought Monitor” maps show that some have small portions that are “abnormally high.” However, virtually none have areas that suffer from drought conditions.

Water can be drilled for and imported. In California, importing has been part of the state’s supply for years. But it may be better for a state to have its own water nearby. That is, of course, if those states do not suffer from flooding or toxic contamination.

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