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Drought: Social and Economic Impact
- Costs and losses to agricultural producers
- Short term
- Reduced yields and crop loss
- Insect infestation
- Plant disease
- Wildlife damage to crops
- Increased irrigation costs
- Long term
- Wind erosion of exposed topsoil
- Water erosion of exposed topsoil
- Loss of organic material
- Cost of new or supplemental water resource development
- Costs and losses to livestock producers
- Short term
- Forced reduction of foundation stock
- Reduced milk production
- Cost of supplemental water for livestock
- Increased feed costs
- High livestock mortality rates
- Disruption of reproduction cycles
- Decreased stock weights
- Range fires
- Reduced productivity of pastureland
- Long term
- Reduced productivity of pastureland
- Cost of new or supplemental water resource development
- Loss of timber production
- Forest fires
- Tree disease
- Insect infestation
- Impaired productivity of forest land
- Increased susceptibility to wind damage
- Direct loss of trees, especially young ones
- Loss from fishery production
- Damage to fish habitat
- Loss of fish and other aquatic organisms due to decreased levels or flows
- Urban, residential, and commercial impacts
- Increased susceptibility of trees to wind damage
- Direct loss of trees, especially young ones
- Availability of water for municipal use
- Quality of water for municipal use
- Structural damage to the foundations of buildings
- Health
- Mental and physical stress (e.g., anxiety, depression, loss of security, domestic violence)
- Health-related low-flow problems (e.g., cross-connection contamination, diminished sewage flows, increased pollutant concentrations, reduced fire fighting capability, etc.)
- Increased Conflicts
- Water user conflicts
- Political conflicts
- Management conflicts
- General economic effects
- Decreased land prices
- Loss of farms
- Consolidation of smaller farms due to economic hardships
- Conversion of farm land to suburban development
- Rural population loss
- Unemployment from drought-related declines in production
- Revenue losses to federal, state, and local government from reduced tax base
- Negative impact of economic multipliers
- Cost of new or supplemental municipal water supply development
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