DROUGHT CONTINGENCY PLANNING - EVALUATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PLANS

This article reports results from a two-year research project to evalu ate the effectiveness of drought contingency plans. The research devel oped a metalevel framework for evaluating plans before a drought. In a ddition, it applied this framework to an in-depth case study of a majo r metropolitan region, Atlanta, Georgia. This research discovered that drought plans have limited effectiveness when disconnected from large r scale and longer term planning. The requirement to prepare a plan do es not necessarily invoke a substantive drought planning process. Disj ointed local level plans, instead of coordinated planning effects, hav e limited ability to mitigate impacts in widespread drought. Because t he faith placed in plans may be misplaced, metropolitan regions may be unwittingly poised for a disaster. Recommendations include stronger l inks between drought plans and drought planning, inclusion of stakehol ders and agency expertise, mechanisms for interagency coordination, an d improved integration between drought plans and strategic water resou rces plans.