Dozens of the world’s major rivers are so heavily tapped, they often run dry before reaching the sea. More than half of all large lakes are shrinking, and most of the world’s major underground sources are declining irreversibly as agricultural pumping drains water that took centuries or even thousands of years to accumulate. In a report this week, U.N. scientists warn that the world has entered a new era of “global water bankruptcy.” … The report points to the Colorado River and its depleted reservoirs, on which California and other western states depend, as symbols of over-promised water. … These problems are compounded by climate change, which is upending the water cycle and bringing more severe droughts and floods.

Other drought news:

• The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California: News release: Metropolitan breaks ground on project that will help communities hit hard in state droughts
• Eos: Blog: We are “living beyond our hydrological means,” UN report warns​