(Natural News) A historic, multi-year drought is affecting 94 percent of the Western United States. Even the rainy Pacific Northwest is experiencing record drought conditions. According to the US Drought Monitor, Oregon has not been this dry since the late 1800s! The conditions have continued to deteriorate in July, and now dozens of private wells are running dry in Oregon. While arid weather conditions pose ongoing challenges, there is another serious government issue that is starving groundwater from rural landowners and small farmers.

Federal project puts more strain on Oregon landowners as groundwater dries up

In Klamath county, Oregon, countless families are unable to bathe or take care of their livestock as countless private wells run dry. In July, the Klamath County Water master's office received 82 reports of water shortages in the Klamath Basin. When wells run low, the area must depend on irrigation water from the Upper Klamath Lake. That once-dependable water source has recently been cut off by the federal government's Klamath Project. This Klamath Project was the first water management project developed by the United States Bureau of Reclamation.