By Bill Theobald, Republic Washington Bureau
Witnesses presented a bleak picture of the ongoing drought in the West during a Senate hearing Tuesday, but there were a few rays of hope.
First the bad news:
- Seventy-five percent of the land in the 11 westernmost states is facing abnormally dry-to-exceptional drought conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
- California has ordered a 25 percent reduction in water use by non-farm users.
Related: Farmers and Cities Play the Water Pollution Blame Game/Governing